EUROPE
10 May 07. Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR): Delayed. A spokesman for HM Treasury said (10 May 07) that the CSR is not expected to be presented until “the Autumn”. The Review will set Defence and other Departmental budgets for 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11.
Comment: The CSR had been expected to be published in the second half of July, as was the case with previous Reviews. With Parliament in recess from 26 Jul to 8 Oct 07, the CSR is not now expected before October 2007. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 0719, 14 May 07)
07 May 07. Iraq: OP TELIC. A Private from The Royal Logistic Corps died on 6 May 07 from injuries sustained on 3 May 07 in the Basrah area, when his vehicle was hit by an Improvised Explosive Device. (MoD, 7 May 07.) UK deaths since the start of hostilities thus rose to 148. 30 UK helicopters have been hit by small arms fire over Basrah during the past year. (Flight, 8 May 07.) Project Osiris is the name given to the scheme for the transfer of weapons and vehicles to the Iraqi Security Forces. (Ministerial Answer (MA), 8 May 07.) Members of 19 Light Brigade conducted a series of successful search and arrest operations around Basrah on 8 May 07. (MoD 8 May 07.) The number of friendly fire incidents in Iraq since 2003 [other than those affecting UK Forces] is not held centrally. (MA, 10 May 07.) From January 2003 to April 2007, 2,887 individual medical specialist and non-medical support personnel have served in Field Hospitals in Iraq of whom some 43% were Reservists. (MA, 10 May 07.)
Comment: The MoD has re-classified the causes of UK deaths. 119 of the 148 were Killed in Action, of whom 21 Died of Wounds. The remaining 29 died as a result of illness, non-combat injuries or accidents.
Within the 148, DR&A has identified six fatalities due to friendly fire. However, the Defence Secretary said on 10 May 07 that eight UK Service personnel had “died as a result of actual of suspected friendly fire incidents in Iraq since the start of OP TELIC”. Doubtless the matter will be clarified in the fullness of time. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 0719, 14 May 07)
09 May 07. Afghanistan: OP HERRICK. “There are no reliable means of ascertaining the numbers of Afghan civilians killed during the period since the conflict began. The UK makes every effort to minimise the impact of military action on the Afghan population.” (MA, 9 May 07.) The Hercules detachment based at Kandahar has a mixture of C-130J and C-130K aircraft. Command of the detachment has recently passed from OC 70 Squadron to OC 30 Squadron. (RAF News, 11 May 07.)
Comment: Reports of civilian casualties continue. Air strikes called in by US Special Forces in Helmand Province on 8 May 07 were said to have resulted in at least 21 civilian deaths (possibly as many as 80). An earlier incident in Herat was said to have resulted in 51 civilian deaths. The US has apologised and paid compensation to the families of 19 killed by US Marines in Eastern Afghanistan in March 2007. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 0719, 14 May 07)
10 May 07. Galileo firms miss key deadline. The Galileo spacecraft would be launched in batches. The private consortium asked to run Europe’s satellite navigation system, Galileo, has missed a key EU deadline for moving the project forward. The European Commission (EC) said the companies had made “insufficient progress”, resulting in unacceptable delays and risks for public finances. This is likely to mean European taxpayers stepping in to cover an advance payment for construction costs. The EC is expected to present new plans to overhaul the project on 16 May. These will be sent for approval by the EU’s transport ministers in June. The consortium comprises leading aerospace and telecom concerns: EADS, Thales, Inmarsat, Alcatel-Lucent, Finmeccanica, AENA, Hispasat, and TeleOp. The Commission set the 10 May deadline for them to come forward with a single company structure to run Galileo, a chief ex