MANAGEMENT ON THE MOVE
LOCATIONS
17 Dec 07. Type 22 Frigates: Decommissioning Dates. The Armed Forces’ Minister confirmed (17 Dec 07) that the planned decommissioning dates for the four remaining Type 22 frigates are: 2015 for HMS CORNWALL; 2017 for HMS CAMPBELTOWN & CUMBERLAND and 2018 for HMS CHATHAM.
Comment: There has been endless, tedious media speculation that the Type 22s were about to leave service. HMS CUMBERLAND (also known as The Mighty Sausage) is moving from ‘low readiness’ as she returns to the Fleet after an extensive refit. ‘Navy News’ (January 2008) places HMS CHATHAM in the Mediterranean and HMS CAMPBELTOWN in the Gulf. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 0801, 31 Dec 07)
07 Jan 08. The UK-based Caparo group on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Andhra Pradesh government for setting up an automotive, engineering and aerospace park and a component manufacturing cluster in the coastal district of Nellore. Caparo India managing director Sunil Pahalijani said the company would invest around Rs 3,500 crore in the facility that will provide 10,000 jobs in the next 15 years. The state government is providing 2,000 acres at the rate of Rs 1 lakh per acre for the proposed component manufacturing park at Naidupet in Nellore, besides offering a 14-year tax holiday and other incentives to the company, according to state major industries minister J Geeta Reddy. The company would also create a special economic zone (SEZ) on 500 acres in the location apart from focusing on the domestic tariff area for its manufacturing operations. (Source: Google)
03 Jan 08. Indian Energy Giant May Transfer Defense Business. As part of a strategy to consolidate its business, India’s Tata Power likely will transfer its defense production to another Tata group of companies, Nelco. Tata Power took a 50 percent stake in Nelco in 2005. Nelco supplies unattended ground sensors to the Ministry of Defence. Though no official confirmation is available on the new plan, Tata Power sources said that an internal committee is studying the option to transfer its defense production business to Nelco. The shift would be part of a bid to consolidate Tata Power’s efforts into energy, including nuclear energy once the Indo-U.S. nuclear cooperation agreement becomes law. (Source: Defense News)
JOB LOSSES AND STRIKES
27 Dec 07. The outlook for the UK jobs market is the worst for a decade with unemployment and redundancies expected to rise in the wake of the international credit crisis, according to research by a leading employment organisation.
Unemployment is forecast to rise by 150,000 to 1.8m next year, the highest level since 1997 when Labour came to power, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. (Source: FT.com)
PERSONNEL
MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT
EUROPE APPOINTMENTS
28 Dec 07. New Year Honours: Permanent Secretary Knighted. In the New Year Honours (28 Dec 07), the MoD’s Permanent Secretary was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB).
Comment: Sir William Jeffrey’s elevation is reflected in the republished list of Defence Council members at
page 3. The opportunity has also been taken to correct the Defence Equipment Minister’s Ministerial grade. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 0801, 31 Dec 07)
28 Dec 07. DEFENCE COUNCIL
Politicians
1. Secretary of State for Defence (Defence Secretary), Chairman of the Council: The Right Honourable D H Browne MP.
2. Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Armed Forces’ Minister): The Right Honourable R W Ainsworth MP.
3. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Defence Equipment and Support (Defence Equipment Minister): The Right Honourable Baroness Taylor of Bolton.
4. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Veterans (Junior Defence Minister): J D Twigg Esq MP.
Military Members
5. Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS): Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup GCB AFC ADC.
6. Chief of the Naval