Category: News

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British soldiers protected under human rights law, supreme court told

By Sharon Black

Families challenging ruling that soldiers conducting operations outside their base are not covered by convention British soldiers have the right, enshrined in European human rights law, to expect the government to take all reasonable steps to prevent them getting killed, the supreme court heard on Monday, in a case with profound implications for military commanders and their conduct of future operations. Families of soldiers killed in Iraq by roadside bombs while travelling in vulnerable Land Rovers and by “friendly fire” when in a Challenger tank accuse the Ministry of Defence of breaching the European human rights convention by not providing adequate equipment.

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British and Irish troops to set up infantry training team in Mali

By Sharon Black

Joint operation will be the first time soldiers from the two countries have worked together since Ireland won independence British and Irish troops will be involved in a joint operation for the first time since Ireland won independence after bloody uprisings and civil war. Six Irish soldiers and 21 British will be deployed in Mali to set up an infantry training team led by troops from the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment, the Ministry of Defence announced on Monday.

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The lonely soldier and the moral scars of war | James Jeffrey

By Sharon Black

Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan find little ethical defence in the ‘just war’. Each of us struggles to make peace with our actions In trying to understand the ongoing suicide epidemic among soldiers and veterans a third factor in addition to physical injuries and PTSD is now being discussed: the moral injuries they bring back

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I survived the bombing of Dresden and continue to believe it was a war crime | Victor Gregg

By Sharon Black

As a prisoner of war held in Dresden, I still suffer the memories of those terrible events and my anger refuses to subside I wasn’t new to murder and bloodletting. I had enlisted two years prior to the outbreak of the second world war and by the time I was 21 I had taken part in one major battle and various smaller ones. I had been in fights where the ground in front of me was littered with the remains of young men who had once been full of the joy of living, laughing and joking with their mates

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Spies chilled about Spooks but military heated over memoirs

By Sharon Black

Suppressed passages from official history of D notice committee reveal concern over special forces talking to media and ex-MI5 chief’s memoirs Britain’s top military brass and senior Whitehall officials were agitated about special forces talking to the media, concerned about a former MI5 chief writing her memoirs – but the spies were relatively relaxed about the BBC spy show Spooks, hitherto secret documents reveal. The newly released files give details of passages that were removed from the original manuscript of Secrecy and the Media, the official history of the defence, press and broadcasting advisory committee (DPBAC), where Whitehall officials oversee a system of voluntary self-censorship with the media.

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Letters: Blinkered view of the first world war

By Sharon Black

As a historian, I initially wondered whether your report was a Guardian April fool ( Poignant kickabout that captured futility of conflict to be replayed for WW1 centenary , 9 February). Only a specially selected bunch of conservative academics and generals would think of celebrating the military genius that organised the Somme, Passchendaele and Dardanelles campaigns

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Nearly 450 British military drones lost in Iraq and Afghanistan

By Sharon Black

Ministry of Defence releases figures for crashes, breakdowns and missing vehicles, including loss of half of Hermes 450 fleet Almost 450 drones operated by the British military have crashed, broken down or been lost in action during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq over the last five years, figures reveal. The Ministry of Defence has disclosed for the first time the five Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems used in the conflicts and the number that have perished due to pilot error, technical faults or the undesirability of retrieving them from hostile areas. The figures highlight the military’s increasing reliance on technologies that are regarded as a way of minimising risks to frontline troops.

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The secret history of drones

By Sharon Black

The prototype of the drones now used in Afghanistan was actually conceived in 1916, even if it was a monoplane made of wood and tin The drones now snooping over Afghanistan have a longer history than you might think. In 1916, a military scientist conceived of an “aerial torpedo” designed to be loaded with explosives and steered into the deadly Zeppelins on their bombing raids over southern England. In a lecture to the Royal Aeronautical Society on Monday evening Michael Draper, author of Sitting Ducks & Peeping Toms , will lift the wraps off the secret century of unmanned air vehicles, starting with the prototype referred to by the innocuous initials “AT”

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Kickabout that captured futility of first world war to be replayed for centenary

By Sharon Black

Exclusive: Christmas truce matches to be recreated on Belgian battlefield in 2014, with £50m set aside for school trips and exhibitions Britain’s plans for commemorating the centenary of the first world war include recreating the football match played against German troops to mark the Christmas truce which remains one of the most poignant moments of the conflict. The proposal is one of a number of initiatives being supported by ministers in anticipation of public interest in a war during which 956,000 members of the British army were killed, including 250,000 from countries which were then part of the Empire

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First world war commemorations ‘will be like Titanic anniversary’ – minister

By Sharon Black

WWI centenary likely to stir old controversies as Andrew Murrison says ‘Great War will be woven into everything’ The commemorations for the first world war will involve sombre reflection, proper consideration for the millions who died, and opportunities for a new generation to explore what happened and why. But focusing the world’s attention on a conflict that was supposed to have ended all wars is unlikely to pass off without controversy, as new generations question the decisions that led to millions being slaughtered. It will also stir emotions in the countries of the former British empire

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Britain to announce closer military co-operation with Libya

By Sharon Black

New defence links with Somalia and Burma will also be revealed as part of shift in military strategy Britain will announce it is has agreed closer military co-operation with Libya, as well as establishing new defence links to Somalia and Burma, as the armed forces begin a significant shift in strategy. The hope is that fostering better relations in areas where the UK has security and business interests will head off future conflicts, prevent terrorism and give Britain a better foothold in north Africa and the Horn of Africa over the next 20 years. The UK has agreed to help train the Libyan military, especially its navy and air force, and will also help to establish bomb disposal and defence language schools

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News article: 2 PARA plough on through snowy exercise

By Sharon Black

In the depths of a Northumbrian winter, soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment ( 2 PARA ) are braving the snow to take part in Exercise Eagle’s Nest at Otterburn Ranges. The two-week-long training, which began last week, is designed so that troops can practise live firing, manoeuvring across hostile countryside, working with fire support from artillery and helicopters, and living in the field for prolonged periods.

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Celebrities give morale-boost to injured personnel

By Sharon Black

David Beckham and Ray Winstone both dropped into the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham to see injured Service personnel and the medical staff who treat them and show their appreciation for the jobs that they do. Ray was the one who instigated the visit and invited his friend David to join him.

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System of Systems Approach (SOSA) open systems strategy

By Sharon Black

The SOSA open systems strategy describes the ‘open systems’ vision and the roadmap for achieving the required level of ‘openess across the defence enterprise’. Related information * The defence training and education capability programme * Aquisition Operating Framework (AOF)

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Professor awarded knighthood for service to military healthcare

By Sharon Black

Sir Simon Wessely, Professor of Psychological Medicine, Director of King’s College London’s Centre for Military Health Research and Vice Dean for Academic Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry ( IoP ) at King’s, has been given the honour for services to military healthcare and psychological medicine. His academic work has led to a better understanding of Gulf War Illness and to more effective psychological support for the Armed Services. In 2003, Professor Wessely’s team was asked to investigate whether personnel returning from Iraq had any of the symptoms associated with what had been dubbed ‘Gulf War Syndrome’