Today’s defence related news includes coverage on mental health and inflatable tanks.
Armed Forces mental health
The People claim that one soldier has been discharged from the Armed Forces every day in the past five years because of mental health issues. MOD released figures this week showed that rates of mental disorder within the armed forces continue to be lower than in the general population.
An MOD Spokesperson said:
Despite common misconceptions, rates of mental disorder, suicide and PTSD in the military are consistently lower than amongst the general population.
While it’s important to counter myths that service personnel are disproportionally affected by service, we’re also committed to doing everything we can to improve the mental fitness of our personnel and veterans.
That’s why we’ve increased spending on mental health to £22million a year, launched the 24/7 Military Mental Health Helpline and a partnership with the Royal Foundation to improve training and education.
Inflatable tanks
The Sunday Times reports that the British Army is contemplating a new plan to use blow up tanks to use as decoys. The paper says both Russia and the US have developed life-size inflatable tanks as decoys intended to fool enemy surveillance by satellite or drones and that senior British military officers have been urged to follow suit after a study of urban warfare concluded the Army should boost its “deception capability”.
Security breaches
The Sunday Mirror carries a story focused on military security breaches following an FOI release.
An MOD Spokesperson said:
We take security very seriously and provide thorough guidance to our employees on how to keep information safe. All security incidents are recorded, however small, but the vast majority of these do not have significant security ramifications.
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