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12 May 12. Afghanistan: OP HERRICK. A Corporal from the RAF and a Lance Corporal from 1st Bn Welsh Guards were shot and killed by members of the Afghan Police Force near Patrol Base Attal on 12 May 12. UK deaths since the start of Operations on 7 Oct 01 thus rose to 414, of whom 374 were killed due to hostile action. (MoD, 12 May 12.)
From 1 Jan 06 to 30 Apr 12, 1,894 personnel were Wounded in Action and 5,718 were aeromedically evacuated. (DASA, 15 May 12.) For April 2012, the figures were 10 and 87. [DASA is now recording casualty figures on a monthly, rather than a fortnightly, basis.]
The 39 Squadron Reaper detachment delivered some 200 hours of full motion video during the previous week. Sentinel R1 aircraft of 5 Squadron provided about 140 hours of high quality radar reconnaissance and analysis during the week. (RAF Ops Update, 12 May 12.)
Comment: On 13 May 12 President Karzai announced the list of areas making up the third of five ‘tranches’ of transition for security responsibility from ISAF to Afghan Forces. The third ‘tranche’ includes Nahr-e-Saraj in the Task Force Helmand Area of Operations for British Forces. By mid-2013, all of Afghanistan should have started the transition process towards the ending of the UK’s combat mission by the end of 2014. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 12/20, 21 May 12)
19 May 12. HM The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee: Parade and Muster. Over 2,500 Service personnel took part in the Armed Forces Diamond Jubilee Parade and Muster in the grounds of Windsor Castle on 19 May 12, in honour of HM The Queen’s 60-year reign. The Parade was the first major national event of the Diamond Jubilee and marked the unique relationship between the Armed Forces and their Commander-in-Chief.
Comment: The custom of the Armed Forces paying tribute to the Monarch in a Jubilee year is a well-established tradition. To celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897, a Fleet Review was held at Spithead and a Grand Military Tattoo performed at Windsor. The present celebrations will continue from Sat 2 Jun to Tue 5 Jun 12, with Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant taking place on Sun 3 Jun 12. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 12/20, 21 May 12)
16 May 12. UK to push for UN arms trade treaty. Britain is pushing for a wide-ranging international arms trade treaty – the first of its kind – in an attempt to eradicate what one minister calls the “unscrupulous” side of the defence business. Alan Duncan, international development minister, says Britain has one of the world’s strongest arms control systems, and that UK defence companies would welcome a global accord on the arms trade. Mr Duncan will announce on Thursday that London will push for a treaty that ensures arms exports satisfy human rights criteria, will not have a detrimental effect on development and will not exacerbate conflict or corruption. He wants the treaty to cover everything from fighter jets to ammunition and for the accord – subject to a month of UN talks in July – to be transparent and to include the publication of a national export control list. The British government estimates that illegal small arms and light weapons kill at least 400,000 people a year, while armed violence is responsible for more than 740,000 deaths annually. (Source: FT.com)
19 May 12. U.K. Armed Forces minister Nick Harvey is conducting a government review exploring whether Britain could downgrade its nuclear arsenal, it was revealed. Mr Harvey’s review will consider whether £20bn plans to rebuild the Trident-based deterrent at Faslane on the Clyde should be replaced with a cheaper, more flexible nuclear option – but one which lacks the same range and firepower. Mr Harvey, a Liberal Democrat, has refused to speak publicly about his review, but yesterday his party co