The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has just published the report of its inquiry into "the use of information to manage the logistics supply chain". Media reporting highlights comments in the report that the IT systems used to manage the complex supply chain were "not adequate for the task".
As a result, the risk of failure of these warehouse inventory systems was considered "extremely high" - and was recently rated as "critical" by the MoD's Defence Logistics Board. The report said: "If these systems fail, then the result could be shortages at the front line within as little as 30 days."
Responding to the report, Defence Minister Peter Luff MP said that "Ensuring our armed forces on the frontline have all they need is a top priority and there are no shortages in Afghanistan."
It's the result of many hours of hard work and the grandest day in the Sandhurst calendar, as friends, family and VIPs gather to watch Officer Cadets take part in their final challenge - the 166th Sovereign's Parade. For the first time all of the cadets currently at Sandhurst were on parade including the junior division, with 242 passing out. BritishForcesNews reports (12 Aug).
The Ministry of Defence has become "more wasteful" and "worse at caring" for Armed Forces personnel since the Coalition took office, military staff and defence officials believe. The Daily Telegraph reports on the results of polling for the MoD's annual report:
Today's Scotsman leads with claims by former officers that the Ministry of Defence decision to move the army out of Edinburgh and sell off its historic buildings is financially driven, unpopular and gives the impression of "chaos at the top". BAFF comment: The availability of land for a new major training area is likely to be a major element in this decision, but the needs of personnel and their families also need be taken into account. The Scotsman story continues:
The Ministry of Defence has apologised after thousands of recently-retired veterans were underpaid their pensions. The former RN officer who discovered the error has criticised SPVA for "being happy to sit back and not inform them they were being paid incorrectly". The Belfast Telegraph reports that:
The Library of the House of Commons has produced a timely information note for MPs which examines the possible roles of the police and armed forces in controlling riots.
A former commander of British Forces in Afghanistan has said that bringing in the Army to help quell the riots in London, Manchester and across the country would be a step too far. A report by ForcesNews continues:
Writing in The Times newspaper, Colonel Richard Kemp said: “The last thing we want is for British troops to face rioting mobs on the streets of the UK again.”
Colonel Kemp, who himself experienced rioting firsthand during a tour of Northern Ireland, instead argued that water cannons and plastic bullets might be a feasible option.
“I have seen several situations in the past few days where these weapons would have saved injury and destruction of property,” he said.
So far COBRA, the government’s emergency committee has excluded the possibility of deploying military forces onto the UK’s streets.
Last night saw comparatively less violence and disorder in London, with small skirmishes breaking out only in a few areas such as Canning town.
The Prime Minister David Cameron returned early from his summer holiday in an attempt to regain control over the capital, with an extra 10,000 police officers being deployed on the streets of London last night.
However, there were more serious incidents in the north of the country with rioting and looting occurring in Salford, Manchester and Birmingham.
A woman is to command a frontline warship for the first time in the 500-year history of the Royal Navy. Lieutenant Commander Sarah West, 39, will take control of the Type 23 frigate HMS Portland and a mostly male crew of 185 in April. BritishForcesNews reports (08 Aug).
Guardian: "There would be political and practical difficulties in deploying the army on the streets of London to tackle the riots, say academics." The story continues:
There's been lots of debate in the media about the growing problem of alcohol abuse and the problems associated with it. Interview with Dr Rob Hicks about how big a problem alcohol abuse is within the forces. BritishForcesNews reports (04 Aug).
This week is the start of Ramadan, the most holy month in the Muslim calendar. Throughout the month, Muslims are required to fast from sunrise to sunset. The only Muslim Chaplain to the Armed Forces explains how Muslim service personnel cope. BritishForcesNews reports (05 Aug).
MPs are warning that cuts to the armed forces may leave them unable to deliver what is asked of them after 2015. In a toughly-worded report, the Defence Select Committee says it rejects the Prime Minister's assurance that Britain retains a "full spectrum" defence capability, and warns that without firm commitments to improved funding in the very near future, Britain's politicians risk "failing" the country's military. BritishForcesNews reports (03 Aug).
The local staff safety issue has been coming up again lately, with new reporting by The Times's Deborah Haynes. BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat says that hundreds of Afghan interpreters are worried they'll be killed after British forces leave Afghanistan -
The Telegraph reports that Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, is facing new calls to reopen the Coalition's controversial defence review and restore military capabilities axed to save money:
Fifty senior former military commanders, experts, campaigners and politicians have backed an open letter calling on ministers to rethink cuts to Britain's naval and air power.
The Strategic Defence and Security Review last year made cuts that will leave Britain without a working aircraft carrier until 2020, scrapping HMS Ark Royal and all of Britain's Harrier jump jets.
Recent turmoil in Libya has focused attention on those decisions, and ministers are under mounting pressure to revisit the some of the SDSR's cuts.
Some Whitehall officials believe David Cameron will be forced to "review the review" within months.
Dr Fox has insisted that he has no choice but to make deep cuts, blaming a financial deficit he inherited from Labour. New cuts are expected within weeks.
"We accept the need for savings to be made in the defence budget," the commanders' letter says. "However, the Strategic Defence and Security Review seems to have been driven by financial rather than military considerations."
Highlighting recent events in north Africa and the Middle East, the signatories conclude: "The security landscape has radically changed and some of the assumptions on which the review was based should be reconsidered."
The signatories to the letter include General Sir Michael Rose, a former SAS chief who commanded United Nations Forces in Bosnia during the 1990s.
Other signatories include two former RAF chiefs, Sir Michael Graydon and Sir Peter Squire.
Among the military experts supporting the letter was Michael Codner, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute.
Dr Fox rejected the criticism of the review, insisting that ministers had no choice but to cut defence spending.
"Difficult decisions had to be made to get the defence budget onto a stable footing after Labour left the MoD with a £38bn black hole. The previous Government failed to have a defence review for 12 years and presided over financial mismanagement where the MoD were spending more than its budget," he said,
"The SDSR has allowed us to reshape the Armed Forces to face future threats, making our military more adaptable and flexible in the future.
"We have the fourth largest military budget in the world and are investing in modern cutting edge equipment such as the Joint Strike Fighter, new submarines and new Aircraft carriers."
- Source article, by James Kirkup, Political Correspondent: Former military chiefs call on Liam Fox to reconsider cuts to Armed Forces
- Telegraph.co.uk - Defence news and UK military news
Interviewed this morning, Armed Forces Minister Nick Harvey acknowledged that defence personnel were being "worked harder", but he rejected the Defence Committee's claims that cuts will affect the military's capability to fulfil its tasks.
The cross-party House of Commons Defence Committee has issued a hard-hitting report following its inquiry into the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) and the National Security Strategy. In the report's 46 conclusions and recommendations -
The Independent on Sunday reports that James Blunt, the award-winning singer and former Life Guards officer, has "run into trouble" with military top brass after he complained about "gross incompetence" in the Royal Air Force. RAF chiefs have protested that they were not "helping to lose the war" in Afghanistan, after Blunt criticised the transport delays that forced the cancellation of his "morale-boosting" trip to entertain British troops in the country. The aircraft involved was not an RAF aircraft, although that factor tends to be of little interest to stranded passengers.
Parliament's Defence Select Committee has now warned that the imposition of defence cuts while British forces are still engaged in operations in Afghanistan could mean the remaining servicemen and women having to deploy for an extra three months. The Daily Mail reports that:
In a meticulous search after receiving information from a local, South Korean soldiers have unearthed human remains which could be those of a member of the Gloucestershire regiment who fought in the Imjin battle in 1951.
Amid the speculation and debate about the the findings of the Future Reserves 2020 Study (FR20), this is a message from the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Nick Houghton.
To what extent should human rights laws apply to British forces personnel when deployed on operations overseas?
Review: Sean Rayment on Losing Small Wars by Frank Ledwidge, "an account of why Britain fared so badly in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan":
Despite earlier complaints by Ministry of Defence media staff that speculation about closures had been distressing families and putting lives at risk by distracting soldiers on operations, there has been increasing discussion about Army units being cut more quickly than previously expected. The Daily Telegraph now reports that:
Defence Secretary Liam Fox has announced a £1.5 billion investment in UK reserve forces over the next 10 years as part of a wide-ranging shake-up of the UK's military. Dr Fox told MPs that the Territorial Army would form around 30% of a 120,000-strong Army by 2020. In a statement to MPs Dr Fox announced major changes in the basing of forces, with RAF installations set to be taken over by Army units returning from Germany. BritishForcesNews reports (18.07.2011).
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The Welsh Affairs Committee of the House of Commons has announced a new inquiry into support for armed forces veterans and their families in Wales. The Committee has asked for written submissions by Monday 12 September. BAFF members and supporters who have something to contribute to the inquiry are encouraged to submit their own submissions - BAFF assistance available on request. If there are issues on which you would like BAFF itself to submit written evidence, please contact us as soon as possible.