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:

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).

Philip Hammond gave his first newspaper interview as Defence Secretary on Friday, during a visit to British troops who have been involved in the Libya campaign from Italy's Gioia del Colle airfield. From MoD Defence News:

The German Radar Commission Report concluded that during the operation, maintenance and repair of radar units operated by the Bundeswehr and the former DDR's Nationale Volksarmee (NVA), exposures to ionizing radiation and high-frequency radiation can occur and that this ionizing radiation arises from stray sources such as component parts and electron tubes, in some cases resulting in serious health problems. The report was first published in 2003, but an English translation of its summary has only recently been produced, and has been circulated by EUROMIL to its member and observer associations, including BAFF.

The Daily Telegraph reports that State funding for the children of Armed Forces personnel to attend independent schools is at risk from last-minute cuts in the defence budget. While CEA is a major expenditure item about which there is inevitably a range of views amongst our serving members and supporters, the Telegraph story is a welcome corrective to some recent media reporting of CEA as no more than a "lavish perk" of "pampered military chiefs".

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 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

Twenty years on from the commencement of offensive air operations in the liberation of Kuwait, campaigners say that more than 9,000 British veterans are still suffering from a cocktail of war-related health problems. Sky News reports (16 Jan 2011) that:

The British Armed Forces Federation takes the view that the Baha Mousa Inquiry chaired by Sir William Gage has made a fair and thorough job of a difficult and painful investigation. In addition to the fullest possible implementation of the recommendations, BAFF regards it as a further test of our system that any further investigation, prosecution or administrative action be conducted fairly, and not in the atmosphere of a witch-hunt or for reasons of political expediency.

While there can be no excuses for the criminal or undisciplined mistreatment of anyone in the custody of British forces, comparatively junior individuals must not be left to take all the blame after what the Inquiry found to be a clear “corporate failure” by the MoD to adopt a proper and consistent doctrine for detainee holding and questioning. Failures to plan and provide adequate resources for the occupation also played their part.

According to a story in the Telegraph (09 Sep), "Nineteen soldiers could face criminal charges for their role in the death of an innocent Iraqi man after a public inquiry found he was the victim of “appalling and cowardly” violence while in British custody":

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: