NEWS IN BRIEF
EUROPE
04 Jul 08. Iraq: OP TELIC. From 1 Jan 06 to 15 Jun 08, 314 personnel were categorised as Wounded in Action and 1,500 were aeromedically evacuated. (MoD, 4 Jul 08.) From 1 to 15 Jun 08, the figures were nil and 15.
“The port of Umm Qasr is gradually growing into a thriving area of commerce as it fulfils its role as Iraq’s only deep water quay facility.” (MoD, 1 Jul 08.)
Comment: The Defence Procurement Minister confirmed (30 Jun 08) that the Government was in discussion with the Government of Iraq and Coalition Partners over the legal requirements which would follow the expiry of UNSCR 1790 on 31 Dec 08. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 0827, 07 Jul 08)
29 Jun 08. Afghanistan: OP HERRICK. A Lance Corporal from 5th Bn The Royal Regiment of Scotland was killed by an anti-personnel mine in the Lashkar Gar area on 28 Jun 08. UK deaths since the start of Operations in October 2001 thus rose to 110, of whom 83 were killed as a result of hostile action. (MoD, 29 Jun 08.)
From 1 Jan 06 to 15 Jun 08, 376 personnel were categorised as Wounded in Action and 1,098 were aeromedically evacuated. (MoD, 4 Jul 08.) From 1 to 15 Jun 08, the figures were six and 30.
Apache helicopters from 664 Squadron Army Air Corps conducted a missile strike against the Taliban leader Sadiqullah and some of his followers on 26 Jun 08. (MoD, 30 Jun 08.)
There are seven Battalions, or Kandaks, of the Afghan National Army (ANA) based in Helmand Province. (Ministerial Answer (MA), 30 Jun 08.)
The size and composition of the UK’s military commitment to Afghanistan is kept under regular review.
(MA, 30 Jun 08.)
The current “assigned strengths” are around 58,000 for the Afghan National Army and 80,000 for the Afghan National Police. (MA, 1 Jul 08.)
UK-led Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams (OMLT) deployed across Helmand Province are helping to train Afghan soldiers. (MoD, 2 Jul 08.)
Soldiers from 2nd Bn and 3rd Bn The Parachute Regiment were involved in a successful Operation against insurgent compounds near Kandahar City on 1 Jul 08. (NATO, 2 Jul 08.)
Comment: A six-week trial of alternative routing arrangements for the OP HERRICK airbridge started on
1 Jul 08. TriStar aircraft are making an additional stop, in both directions, at RAF Akrotiri in order to refuel and to change the crew. A report of the trial is due to be submitted to Permanent Joint HQ in September 2008. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 0827, 07 Jul 08)
09 Jul 08. French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s plans to build up European defense
capacity relies on continued support from Britain, a leading London-based military think-tank said July 10. Sarkozy wants European nations to be able to deploy 60,000 troops simultaneously, he announced shortly before France took over the rotating six-month EU presidency at the start of this month. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said in a dossier that any effort to build European capacity to respond to world crises needed backing from both France and Britain, the EU’s two biggest defense spenders. “While the moves proposed by President Sarkozy have the potential to increase European capabilities, care needs to be taken to avoid wasteful duplication and ensure the closest possible coordination between NATO and the EU,” the dossier’s co-author Alex Nicoll said. “Progress will depend on how other countries – particularly the United Kingdom – respond to new French initiatives.
“It’s notable that Britain has given a general welcome to Sarkozy’s approach and
that the United States now argues that the world needs a stronger Europe.”
Last week, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband backed Sarkozy’s European
defense proposals, saying they would not pose a threat to the North Atlantic
Treaty organization (NATO) nor constitute a European army. (Source: Defense News)
05 Jul 08.Labour is to order virtually all of its Scottish MPs and MSPs to campaign in Glasgow East as it pre