EUROPE
08 Jun 07. Iraq: OP TELIC. A Corporal from 4th Bn The Rifles died on 7 Jun 07 following an attack on his patrol in the Al Atiyah district. (MoD, 8 Jun 07.) UK deaths since the start of hostilities thus rose to 150, of whom 96 have been classified as Killed in Action and 20 as Died of Wounds sustained in action.
Some 600 members of 2nd Bn The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment returned to the UK following a seven-month tour in Iraq. Eight soldiers were killed in action during the tour and “a number” injured. (MoD, 4 Jun 07.)
Over 2.0m Iraqis are believed to be displaced inside Iraq and a further 2.2m are sheltering in neighbouring states. (UN Refugee Agency, 5 Jun 07.)
The Commander of 1 Mechanised Brigade held a joint Press conference with the Commander of the Iraqi
10th Division during which 2007 was confirmed as “the year of transition”. (MoD, 5 Jun 07.)
Comment: “Widespread media speculation” over UK withdrawal from Iraq (3/4 Jun 07) was played down by the MoD. The MoD emphasised that “any withdrawal requires the conditions on the ground to be right”.
(MoD, 4 Jun 07.) The Sunday/Monday newspaper reports were contradictory and so obviously speculative as to be a waste of newsprint.(Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 0723, 11 Jun 07)
06 Jun 07. Afghanistan: OP HERRICK. A Lance Corporal from 1st Bn The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment was killed on 6 Jun 07 while taking part in an offensive patrol in the Upper Gereshk Valley. (MoD, 7 Jun 07.) UK deaths since the start of Operations in November 2001 thus rose to 59, of whom 33 have been classified as Killed in Action and three as Died of Wounds sustained in action.
As at 24 Apr 07, 15 Desert Hawk air vehicles had been lost on Operations and one was damaged beyond economic repair. (Ministerial Answer, 4 Jun 07.)
OP LASTAY KULANG, which began on 30 May 07, had seen UK and Afghan troops “clearing the Sangin Valley of the main pockets of Taliban resistance”. (MoD, 4 Jun 07.)
The Commander of British Forces in Helmand Province responded to media allegations of low morale among his troops. (MoD, 5 Jun 07.)
26 Engineer Regiment launched a mine awareness programme for the Afghan National Army in Gereshk. (MoD, 5 Jun 07.)
At Camp Sharabak members of 1st Bn Grenadier Guards are involved in “mentoring” soldiers of the Afghan National Army. (MoD, 8 Jun 07.)
Comment: 1st Bn The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (1 WFR) is due to become 2nd Bn The Mercian Regiment (2 MERCIAN) when The Mercian Regiment forms on 24 Aug 07.(Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 0723, 11 Jun 07)
08 Jun 07. Astute Programme: First of Class Launched. HRH The Duchess of Cornwall named (8 Jun 07) ASTUTE as the First of a new Class of attack (SSN) submarines. The ceremony at BAE Systems’ yard in Barrow-in-Furness was also attended by the Defence Equipment Minister and the First Sea Lord.
Comment: The overdue and over cost Astute programme finally appears to be under control. ASTUTE should leave Barrow in March 2008, prior to being delivered in August 2008 and entering service in January 2009. With HMS SUPERB and TRAFALGAR being decommissioned in 2008, the number of SSN will fall to seven until ASTUTE enters service. If all goes well, AMBUSH is expected to enter service in November 2010, ARTFUL in September 2012 and AUDACIOUS in July 2014. In accordance with Naval tradition, ASTUTE only becomes HMS ASTUTE once she is commissioned and in service. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 0723, 11 Jun 07)
11 Jun 07. Lord Woolf to head BAE’s review. Lord Woolf, the former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, is to head an independent review of business practices at BAE Systems. BBC Business Editor Robert Peston has learned that Lord Woolf is to chair an ethics committee to look into how the defence giant conducts its arms deals. BAE’s move comes after revelations about multi-million pound payments to help it win a Saudi Arabia deal. (Source: BBC)
08 Jun