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EUROPE
30 Nov 10. Afghanistan: OP HERRICK. From 1 Jan 06 to 15 Nov 10, 1,536 personnel were Wounded in Action and 4,015 were aeromedically evacuated. (DASA, 30 Nov 10.) From 1 to 15 Nov 10 the figures were 16 and 43.
Soldiers from 5th Bn The Royal Regiment of Scotland joined with members of the Afghan National Police to drive out insurgents from the Hoorzai area. (Media Ops, 28 Nov 10.)
A four-week Operation in Gereshk was successfully concluded. The Operation was conducted by the Afghan National Army, supported by ‘mentors’ from 1st Bn Irish Guards. (MoD, 29 Nov 10.)
The Afghan Peace and Reintegration Programme has a budget of US$782m (£503m) for a five-year period. Donors to the Programme include Australia, Germany, Japan, Korea (RoK), Spain, the UK and the US. (Ministerial Answer (MA), 29 Nov 10.)
The first contingent of troops from the Tonga Defence Services is completing its pre-deployment training at RAF Honington. The RAF is training 220 Tongan troops, with the first batch due to deploy to Camp Bastion in mid-December 2010.
As at 1 Oct 10, 95,160 members of the UK Armed Forces had deployed to Afghanistan. The figure does not include those who deployed between 1 Jan 03 and 14 Oct 05. (MA, 30 Nov 10.)
Members of 5th Bn The Royal Regiment of Scotland are deployed as the Police Development Advisory Training Team with Task Force Helmand. (MoD, 30 Nov 10.)
Solders from 2nd Bn The Royal Regiment of Scotland have been working with members of the Afghan National Police to clear an insurgent stronghold in the area of Loy Adera. (MoD, 1 Dec 10.)
As at mid-November, the strength of the Afghan Army was around 144,000 and the Police around 116,000. The growth in both capacity and capability of the Afghan Forces is on track to meet the target of transferring lead responsibility for security by the end of 2014. (MA, 2 Dec 10.)
Comment: The Danish Ministers of Foreign Affairs and of Defence visited Camp Leatherneck (29 Nov 10) and received progress reports on Helmand. The Ministers were complimentary about “working with the British”.
The MoD reported (2 Dec 10) on a visit to Afghanistan by the newly-appointed Chief of the Defence Staff and the Permanent Secretary. The aim of the visit by the two ‘top people’ in the MoD “was to meet as many civilian and Service personnel working in as many different roles as possible”.(Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 09/47, 10 Dec 10)
01 Dec 10. Defence Exports Support Group (DESG): Membership. The Defence Secretary said (1 Dec 10) that the DESG had been established on 22 Oct 10. The core membership of the Group is: the Defence Secretary, the Defence Equipment Minister, the International Security Minister and the Head of the Defence and Security Organisation at UK Trade and Investment. Other Ministers and/or senior officials will be invited to attend as appropriate. The DESG “will be a forum through which Ministers will plan and focus their support to UK Defence exports”.
Comment: A Ministerial reply on 1 Nov 10 confirmed that the Government intended “to increase Defence exports through an active and innovative programme for Defence diplomacy”.