Military Resettlement, Business, Training & Recruitment
Military Resettlement, Business, Training & Recruitment
Organisations protest the navigation from RAF Waddington of unmanned Reaper aircraft in Afghanistan Police have closed sections of the A15 and other roads in Lincolnshire as anti-war protestors gathered on Saturday outside an RAF base today to protest the UK’s use of armed drones in Afghanistan. Members of the Stop The War Coalition, CND, the Drone Campaign Network and War on Want began marching from Lincoln to nearby RAF Waddington at around 12.30pm. The Guardian revealed on Thursday that the RAF had begun remotely operating its Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles deployed to Afghanistan, from the Lincolnshire airbase
Prime minister David Cameron says he’s opposed to sending British troops to Syria despite US intelligence that chemical weapons have likely been used
David Cameron reiterates President Obama’s claim that issue is a ‘red line’ but says ground forces will not be sent to conflict British troops are unlikely to be sent to Syria despite “limited but growing evidence” that chemical weapons have been used in the country’s civil war , David Cameron has said. The prime minister agreed with Barack Obama that the issue was a “red line”, but said he neither wanted nor expected it to precipitate the deployment of UK forces.
RAF’s unmanned Reaper aircraft had been operated from Creech airforce base in Nevada, but missions from Lincolnshire began this week Remotely controlled armed drones used to target insurgents in Afghanistan have been operated from the UK for the first time, the Ministry of Defence said on Thursday. Missions of the missile-carrying Reaper aircraft began from a newly built headquarters at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire earlier this week – five years after the MoD bought the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to monitor and attack the Taliban.
Announcement expected to say that everyday management of Defence Equipment & Support will be handed to private sector Ministers are poised to announce the next stage of controversial reforms that will give private firms a chance to run the organisation that buys and supplies billions of pounds’ worth of defence equipment to the British military. The Treasury has given the green light to proposals that will open up the possibility of part-privatising Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) , the body within the Ministry of Defence in charge of procuring everything from new warships to lightbulbs
Charities have accused the Ministry of Defence of recruiting child soldiers, but it argues that military life offers a wide range of benefit to under-18s In the UK, 16-year-olds cannot vote, drive a car or drink alcohol. But they can join the army, and this week two charities, Child Soldiers International and ForcesWatch, accused the Ministry of Defence of perpetuating the ” outdated ” practice of recruiting children into the forces.The charities argued that the government was wasting taxpayers’ money – as much as £94m a year – recruiting 16-year-olds into the army
Remains of John Pritchard and Christopher Elphick buried with full military honours at the HAC Cemetery near Arras The remains of two first world war soldiers have been finally laid to rest, almost a century after they were killed in action.
Thomas de Maizière says David Cameron seems not to have recognised profound defence implications of move Britain’s standing as a leading military power with the ability to influence events beyond its own borders will be jeopardised if the country leaves the European Union, the German minister of defence has warned. In an interview with the Guardian , Thomas de Maizière insisted the defence implications for Britain, Europe and Nato would be profound, and said this was an aspect of the argument David Cameron did not appear to have recognised.
Mohammed Abdulkadir Osman, 19, admits manslaughter of Fusilier David Lee Collins, 19, in Ayia Napa A British tourist has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of a UK soldier in Cyprus, a court official has said. Fusilier David Lee Collins, 19, from Manchester, was stabbed to death after a fight broke out in a nightclub in the popular resort of Ayia Napa, last November. Mohammed Abdulkadir Osman, 19, reportedly from London, admitted manslaughter at a court hearing in Larnaca, Photini Larcou, registrar of the court, said.
Nick Harvey says Ministry of Defence cannot afford new Trident fleet and everything else needed by armed forces Plans to spend billions of pounds on a like-for-like replacement of Britain’s Trident nuclear submarine fleet are based on “outdated and ludicrous” ideas about deterrence, a former armed forces minister has warned.
David Cameron expected to make decision on Tuesday affecting up to 1,100 Afghans who risked lives working with UK forces Hundreds of Afghan interpreters who have risked their lives working with UK forces in Helmand province could be offered relocation to Britain this week when David Cameron reviews the issue at a meeting of the National Security Council. The prime minister has been given three broad options and is expected to make a decision on Tuesday that could affect up to 1,100 Afghan nationals – including more than 600 interpreters, who could be in grave danger from reprisals once Nato forces have left Afghanistan in 2014
Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts What’s the scariest film, ever – The Exorcist? I once went to a showing of The Exorcist at a cinema in Southampton.
All regiments involved in funeral for former prime minister had link to south Atlantic conflict Lady Thatcher wanted her funeral to have a Falklands theme, and though no details were thrashed out before her death, the Ministry of Defence had a good idea which units would have to be involved when the planning for the ceremony began. All of the regiments taking part played an important role during the conflict in the south Atlantic – a reflection of the fact that their sacrifices, and successes, underpinned the former prime minister’s significant military legacy.
The first great funeral for a commoner was for an actor, David Garrick, in 1779.
Margaret Thatcher’s funeral will cost around £10m, although we won’t know the exact figure – and how much of it is being spent by the state – until afterwards. What else can £10m pay for? Here are some ideas … •
While the pomp will be similar to 1965, the crowd reaction to this non-state event is unlikely to be as united It was, Patrick O’Donovan noted in the Observer , as if “the City was stopped and was turned into a theatre, and it was all performed as a drama that all men understand”. The funeral cortege moved slowly from the Palace of Westminster to St Paul’s cathedral, through packed streets lined with silent troops, “their heads bowed over their automatic rifles in ceremonious grief”.
Major Andrew Chatburn, the ceremonial officer in charge of choreographing the military procession at Margaret Thatcher’s funeral, says the rehearsal went very well
Protesters chain themselves to gates at Faslane after calling for Trident budget to fund welfare, education and health instead Police have arrested 47 people protesting outside a naval base where nuclear weapons are stored. Campaigners chained themselves to each other and blocked the entrance of the Faslane base in Argyll, home of the UK’s Trident nuclear weapons. The Scrap Trident coalition wants Scotland to be allowed to “lead the way to a world free of nuclear weapons” and more than 100 of its supporters demonstrated outside the base.
Guide to the funeral of Lady Thatcher, which will include a procession through the streets of central London and a ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral
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
UN report reveals rapid growth of poppy farming as western troops get ready to withdraw, which reflects badly on Britain Twelve years after the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan is heading for a near-record opium crop as instability pushes up the amount of land planted with illegal but lucrative poppies, according to a bleak UN report. The rapid growth of poppy farming as western troops head home reflects particularly badly on Britain, which was designated “lead nation” for counter-narcotics work over a decade ago
From the economy to women’s fashion, no PM in living memory has had such far-reaching influence on the social landscape 1 Transforming the City of London Until the late 1970s, the Square Mile was a genteel all-male club dominated by pinstripe suits, public school accents and a culture of long lunches. Money was made at the Stock Exchange with effortless panache, as a coterie of licensed dealers acted on behalf of stockbroker firms with redolent names such as Quilter and Co. The Big Bang blew the ancien regime apart
Annual Afghan casualty figures have fallen for the first time since the invasion. How many people have died? • British dead and wounded in Afghanistan, month by month • Get the Afghan civilian casualties data A NATO airstrike on Monday left 11 Afghan civilians (10 of whom were children) dead
Questions raised over appropriateness of such a divisive figure being escorted on her final journey by military honours Ken Livingstone: throw out the myths about Margaret Thatcher Russell Brand: I always felt sorry for her children Gary Younge: the Iron Lady is dead but Thatcherism lives on Margaret Thatcher’s legacy: roundup of the best writing Buckingham Palace raised concerns about the ceremonial funeral with military honours for Lady Thatcher that is to be attended on Wednesday by the Queen and more than 2,000 guests including every surviving British prime minister, the Guardian understands. As invitations were sent out to world leaders, including all surviving US presidents and Hillary Clinton, it emerged that concerns were expressed at the highest levels about whether it is appropriate for such a controversial figure to be escorted on her final journey by more than 700 military personnel
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?
Pallbearers will be from units associated with Falklands war, Downing Street announces More than 700 armed forces personnel drawn from all three services will take part in the funeral of Lady Thatcher, Downing Street has said.