A critical report by the House of Commons Defence Committee, published today (Sunday), questions the coalition government's plan to remove troops by 2015, saying such a decision should be based on circumstances, not artificial deadlines. And it says the shortfall in troop numbers and the poor state of equipment they were given on deployment in Helmand in 2006 was "unacceptable". BAFF comment:

 In the latest speculation about the imminent release of the FR20 study  (now expected on Monday)  it is reported that thousands of regular soldiers could be sacked to boost the role of the Territorial Army. Former Labour defence minister Kevan Jones MP says that “Major changes are gong to cost money. Without that, the report will simply sit on a shelf.” The British Armed Forces Federation, which includes reservists as well as regular and retired forces personnel amongst its membership, pointed out in a recent radio interview that any defence capabilities transferred to the reserves must be adequately funded, genuinely usable and "not mere window dressing" - otherwise they must remain with the regular forces. From the Daily Telegraph:

'Inside Housing' reports that a local authority has pledged to give members of the armed forces priority access to social housing and has set aside 15 homes:

Following the 2005 General Election,  Silence in the Ranks identified "the UK's tight electoral timetable" as an important factor in the effective disenfranchisement of many members of the armed forces community, whether their postal votes failed to arrive in time or whether they did not even attempt to vote, out of lack of confdence in the system.

It is reported that Defence Secretary Liam Fox has ended speculation that the Royal Air Force could be merged with the other armed services. From Virginia-based journal, DefenseNews:

Lt Gen (retd) Sir Graeme Lamb, Former Commander of the Field Army and a key member of the team which carried out the Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) Study, writes in the Daily Telegraph (13 Jul) that the The balance between regulars and reserves in our Armed Forces should be rethought:

In its final issue after 168 years, the News of the World reports that HMS Liverpool has made the Royal Navy's first use of main armament gunnery since the Falklands Campaign:

Last year we followed the story that that women might be allowed to serve aboard RN submarines for the first time. The Sunday Mirror now reports that:

The Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox is expected to make a statement to the House of Commons next week following the review led by retired judge Lord Philips relating to the crash on 2 June 1994 at the Mull of Kintyre of RAF Chinook ZD676, killing all twenty-five passengers and four crew. From BBC News:

Dundee-based newspaper The Courier claims that the decision on future defence basing, which we were expecting early in the week, may now be delayed until Thursday (14 Jul) due to the business disruption caused by the News of the World alleged phone hacking scandal: