Today's defence-related news includes coverage of a review on retention in the armed forces, and reporting on an inquest into the death of a soldier who fought in Helmand.
Armed forces retention review
The Times reports that a review on retention within the armed forces has been ordered by the Prime Minister. The review will be carried out by Mark Francois MP, who initially investigated Army recruitment in 2017.
An MOD spokesperson said:
Recruiting and retaining talent is one of our top priorities and we have a range of schemes, including retention pay for specialist trades and flexible working to make sure we attract and keep the skilled personnel we need.
The military has enough personnel to meet all its operational requirements, including being active on 25 operations in 30 countries throughout the world. In the past year we have recruited over 13,000 people into the Armed Forces.
Military inquests
Coverage in The Mail, The Telegraph and The Times reports on the the inquest of the death of Lance Corporal James Ross, who served in Afghanistan. The inquest commenced on February 4th 2019.
A Government spokesperson said:
Any suicide is a tragedy. We take the mental wellbeing of our serving and former personnel extremely seriously, and urge anyone struggling to come forward and access the care they deserve.
The MOD has increased spending on mental health to £22 million a year, and the NHS has committed to expanding specialist health support for veterans across the country.
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