Military Resettlement, Business, Training & Recruitment
Major Andrew Chatburn, the ceremonial officer in charge of choreographing the military procession at Margaret Thatcher’s funeral, says the rehearsal went very well
A full military dress rehearsal for the ceremonial funeral procession for the late former prime minister Margaret Thatcher took place early on Monday in London
Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts Is it possible to join an army as a private and rise to the rank of general?
David Cameron renews call for Trident replacement by saying a deterrent system is ‘best insurance against nuclear blackmail’ David Cameron said on Thursday that Britain would be foolish to abandon an independent nuclear deterrent on the scale of Trident, pointing to the threat posed by North Korea, and other unstable regimes. Cameron made his remarks (video)after visiting submarine HMS Victorious, one of the vessels that carry the Trident missile, as it returned from its 100th patrol – though his warning that North Korea posed a direct threat to Britain was later challenged by senior defence figures. The prime minister’s renewed backing for a like-for-like replacement for Trident appeared to be aimed at the Lib Dems and the Scottish nationalists.
David Cameron says scrapping nuclear deterrent would be foolish in face of ‘evolving threats’ from North Korea and Iran The prime minister has stressed the need for the UK to retain its Trident nuclear deterrent, saying it would be “foolish to leave Britain defenceless” in the face of the growing threat posed by North Korea and Iran. David Cameron’s insistence on the need for an independent nuclear deterrent came as the US said it was moving an advanced missile system to the Pacific island of Guam as Pyongyang continued to ratchet up the rhetoric against South Korea and its American ally. Writing in Thursday’s Daily Telegraph , the prime minister said such “evolving threats” underlined the need for the UK to maintain the ultimate deterrent.
Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts Is it possible to join an army as a private and rise to the rank of general? Has this ever happened in the British Army? Rishi Dastidar, London SE11 • Post questions and answers below or email them to nq@guardian.co.uk
Ed Miliband is right to include defence in the current Labour party policy review, and Angela Smith and John Woodcock are out of order to suggest that the policy is settled ( Our deterrent is good value , 1 April). It’s about time the country had a defence policy based on the highest risks that we face
British soldiers and airmen served at a secretive US detention facility that was the scene of some of the worst human rights abuses of the Iraq war Ian Cobain Paddy Allen
Labour frontbencher and former Gordon Brown aide say party would look ‘dangerously weak’ if it supported diluted deterrent As Labour embarks on an intense debate on the future of Trident, a former aide to Gordon Brown has joined forces with a frontbencher to declare that the party would look “dangerously weak” if it diluted Britain’s nuclear deterrent. John Woodcock, who served as the former prime minister’s spokesman, and Angela Smith, the shadow deputy leader of the Commons, issued their warning as senior figures in the party urge Ed Miliband to use a government review of Trident to support a smaller deterrent. But in a Guardian article Woodcock and Smith warn : “While the world has changed greatly since the 1980s, the political reality has not: we will appear dangerously weak as a future party of government if we are prepared to give up that insurance while the world remains so unstable.” The pro-Trident MPs express the hope that Miliband will resist pressure for Labour to change tack.
Soldiers and civilians prepare to depart with qualified confidence that progress will continue under full Afghan control The Royal Marines don’t intend to make a fuss when they leave Afghanistan in the next few days; there will be a low-key ceremony at their headquarters in Helmand, and a lowering of the white ensign that has flown at their camp since last September.
‘We will not let them fail,’ says British commander, before local troops take lead role in fighting Taliban insurgency British commanders have warned that the war against the Taliban is entering its most critical phase as Afghanistan’s security forces prepare to fight the insurgency on their own for the first time without Nato troops alongside them on the frontline. President Hamid Karzai is expected to announce that the Afghan army and police will shortly take the lead in combat operations across the whole of Afghanistan, and senior officers interviewed by the Guardian said the next six months – known as the “fighting season” – would show if the bold strategy had paid off
Minister says Bristow will deliver first-class service but critics air doubts about US company’s takeover from RAF and navy The transfer of the UK’s search and rescue service from the military to a Texas-based helicopter company has been criticised by residents of coastal communities, politicians from all the main parties and rescue experts. From 2016 Bristow Helicopters, part of the global Bristow Group, will take over the helicopter search and rescue (SAR) service from the RAF and navy.
A chopper that was tasked for anti-submarine operations is now deployed ‘for the greater good’ In 1975, the sinking of the cargo ship the Lovat with the loss of 11 lives in rough seas off Penzance raised questions about the effectiveness of Whirlwind helicopters for use in sea rescues. The Guardian leader column below was published in the aftermath of the Lovat tragedy and echoed the growing call for the more powerful Sea King helicopters to be used instead.
Surveillance aircraft will be deployed to assist farmers in mountainous areas affected by heavy snowfall, says minister Military helicopters have been deployed to carry out food drops to animals in isolated rural areas in Northern Ireland cut off by the snow.
My father, Brian Hayman, who has died aged 86, was a gentle man for whom the expression “stiff upper lip” might have been invented. His business colleagues say he was disarmingly inscrutable
Commissioner says complaints system in armed forces is too bureaucratic and should be simplified The way complaints by men and women in the armed forces about bullying, harassment, and discrimination are handled is ineffective, unfair and unacceptable, a report says. Dr Susan Atkins, the service complaints commissioner , castigates the way the system deals with cases concerning armed forces personnel
George Osborne says funds will go towards Christmas boxes and mental health support Britain’s armed forces are to benefit from the multimillion-pound fines imposed on banks in the wake of the Libor-rigging scandal. George Osborne said an unspecified amount of funds from the £300m windfall would go towards boxes of Christmas gifts for troops serving abroad for the next two years as well as to help veterans with mental health issues via the charity Combat Stress. The chancellor said: “Those who have paid fines in our financial sector because they demonstrated the very worst values are paying to support those in our armed forces who demonstrate the very best of British values.” Osborne made clear last year that he did not want the profit from any fines being used by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to reduce the fees that City firms are charged each year for regulation
Ex-detainee gives evidence to Al-Sweady inquiry investigating claims that UK troops murdered unarmed Iraqis in 2004 An Iraqi detained by British troops after a battle with insurgents said at an official inquiry he was blindfolded, beaten, humiliated, interrogated while naked, and feared he would be tortured. “I felt they were out to kill us,” Mahdi Jasim Abdullah al-Behadili told the public inquiry into allegations that British soldiers murdered up to 20 unarmed Iraqis and abused up to nine others following a fierce firefight with insurgents on 14 May 2004. Behadili, who was 17 when he was seized by the soldiers that day, is the first Iraqi detainee to give oral evidence to the inquiry in central London.
The photojournalist’s book about former soldiers – which coincides with the 10th anniversary of the invasion – shows the consequences of laying down your weapons and speaking out “After I made my public testimony about the atrocities I had experienced, my brother publicly disowned me on Facebook for everyone to see.
Army commander with reputation as ‘Whitehall warrior’ to take key role amid ongoing deep cuts to armed forces A battle-hardened army commander who has recently earned a reputation as a “Whitehall warrior” is expected to be named on Tuesday as the new chief of defence staff at a time when the armed forces are continuing a painful and prolonged period of cuts.
As a British lieutenant during the war in Iraq, James Jeffrey went there with a sense of optimism. Ten years on, he explains why he feels ashamed about how we failed the people there All the commentary surrounding the Iraq invasion 10 years on encourages retrospection but I think most veterans, like me, would agree that talk of anniversaries makes scant difference
The author of a report into links between young British ex-servicemen and violent crime discusses the study’s findings
Authors say finding raises questions over how men who have served in armed forces are supported back in UK Young British men who have served in the armed forces are three times more likely to have been convicted of violent offences than their civilian peers, according to a study published on Friday.
Court of appeal orders retrial after sergeant’s lawyers argue he was put under pressure to plead guilty An SAS sniper has had his convictions for illegally possessing a pistol and ammunition quashed by the court of appeal. Danny Nightingale, 38, of Crewe, Cheshire, had been sentenced to 18 months’ military detention by a judge sitting in a military court in November 2012 after admitting he should not have stored a Glock 9mm pistol and more than 300 rounds of ammunition at his army lodgings.
Military charities call on Ministry of Defence to provide more support for ‘weekend warriors’ Ministers must find more money to support thousands of army reservists as evidence grows that part-timers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are more likely to suffer from serious mental health illnesses than regular soldiers who served alongside them, two leading military charities are warning. Amid concerns there will be a sharp increase in the overall number of veterans needing expert help over the next five years, the Royal British Legion and Combat Stress say the government must focus on the so-called “weekend warriors” who have become a mainstay of British military operations and will be used to cover deep cuts to the full-time army
In the first of a three-part series marking the 10th anniversary of the invasion, an army officer tells how he lost his marriage, his career and, for a while, his mind through PTSD Captain Edward Bland left Iraq on an emergency flight in July 2006, airlifted out of the country on a “casualty evacuation” military plane that took off from the Shaibah base, where he had been treated in hospital for a week. His thoughts were scrambled that hot morning as the RAF C-17 arced into the sky. He knew he would not return to combat, and he knew his career in the army, which had been so promising, was over
Authorities focus on alleged safety breaches after ranger was shot while resting in “secure area” in west Wales live-fire range A British soldier who died when he was hit by a machine-gun bullet at a live-firing range in west Wales was unlawfully killed, an inquest jury has ruled. Ranger Michael Maguire, 20, was shot in the head as he relaxed after removing his armour and helmet at the range in Pembrokeshire
Allegations of unlawful killing and mistreatment of prisoners by British soldiers denied by officers and troops involved Allegations that British soldiers tortured and unlawfully killed Iraqi prisoners after a firefight in 2004 are “utterly groundless” and were exploited in support of a propaganda campaign against the occupation of the country, a public inquiry heard on Monday. The killing and mistreatment claims are denied by each of the officers and men involved in that engagement, and by those involved in the capture and interrogation of Iraqis in its aftermath, Neil Garnham QC, counsel for the troops, told the inquiry. “They are denied on the basis that they are wholly untrue,” he said