18 Jul 16. Political Appointments: Ministry of Defence. A full list of new Ministerial and Government appointments was published (18 Jul 16) by the Prime Minister’s Office. The Rt Hon MC Fallon MP was confirmed as Secretary of State for Defence. MoD Ministers of State are The Rt Hon MA Penning MP and The Rt Hon Earl Howe. MoD Parliamentary Under Secretaries of State are JM Lancaster Esq TD MP and Mrs HMM Baldwin MP.
Comment: The allocation of Ministerial responsibilities within the MoD had not been confirmed at the time of writing. There will be a certain amount of upheaval since the number of junior Ministers in the MoD has been reduced (from five to four). (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 16/29, 25 Jul 16)
20 Jul 16. Iraq and Syria: OP SHADER. On 14 Jul 16 Typhoons destroyed a Daesh armoured vehicle and a maintenance crane in Northern Iraq and on
the following day Typhoons attacked a terrorist mortar position in North Western Iraq. On 17 Jul 16 Typhoons bombed a Daesh weapons store near Ramadi and on 18 Jul 16 the aircraft struck a group of terrorist targets in Western Iraq. On 19 Jul 16 Tornados attacked a mortar position near Qayyarah while Typhoons engaged another mortar position South East of Mosul. (MoD, 20 Jul 16.)
In his first visit to the US since the forming of the new Government, the Defence Secretary met Counter-Daesh coalition partners. UK Forces have helped to train 19,000 Iraqi troops and the deployment of additional trainers is anticipated. The Defence Secretary said that the UK had steadily increased its contribution to ensure Iraqi successes since the start of the Coalition campaign in 2014. (MoD, 20 Jul 16.)
Comment: According to the MoD, the Defence Secretary used his trip to the US to discuss the implications of the UK’s exit from the European Union and to reassure allies that the UK will continue to lead on the international stage, through its membership of: NATO, the G7, G20 and the Commonwealth and the UN Security Council. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 16/29, 25 Jul 16)
18 Jul 16. Nuclear Deterrent: Debate. The House of Commons debated (18 Jul 16) the UK’s Nuclear Deterrent. The Prime Minister reminded the
House that the number of deployed warheads on each submarine had been reduced from 48 to 40. The UK is reducing its stockpile of nuclear weapons and has some one percent of the 17,000 of such weapons in the world. In summing-up for the debate, the Defence Secretary said that the Successor programme will be managed by a new delivery body for the procurement and in-service support of all nuclear (powered) submarines. The motion to retain the deterrent was carried by 472 votes to 117.
Comment: A record of the debate is to be found in Hansard for 18 Jul 16, starting in Column 559. The issue of ‘The Week’ dated 23 Jul 16 includes a useful summary of ‘Britain’s nuclear deterrent.’ (See: BATTLESPACE ALERT Vol.18 ISSUE 12, 18 July 2016, MPs Vote To Renew UK Trident System) (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 16/29, 25 Jul 16)
20 Jul 16. HMS AMBUSH: Another Incident (!). The MoD confirmed that at approximately 13.30hrs local time on 20 Jul 16 HMS AMBUSH, “while submerged and conducting a training exercise was involved in a glancing collision with a merchant vessel off the coast of Gibraltar.” Initial indications are that the merchant vessel has not sustained damage although the submarine suffered “some external damage”. The submarine was entering Gibraltar for further checks.
Comment: HMS AMBUSH appears to be an unlucky vessel: details of her earlier encounter with a fishing trawler can be found in Hansard for 16 Sep 15 (‘Submarines and the Fishing Industry’). (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 16/29, 25 Jul 16)
18 Jul 16. UKTI Defence and Security Organisation: Ministerial Department. As announced by the Prime Minister (18 Jul 16) a new Department for International Trade has been established with responsibility for promoting British trade across the