26 Jul 16. Political Appointments: Ministry of Defence (MoD). Ministerial appointments within the MoD, following the change of Prime Minister, were announced (26 Jul 16):-
. Secretary of State for Defence (Defence Secretary): The Rt. Hon MC Fallon MP.
. Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Armed Forces. Minister): The Rt. Hon MA Penning MP.
. Minister of State in the House of Lords: The Rt. Hon Earl Howe PC.
. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence Veterans, Reserves and Personnel
(Personnel Minister): JM Lancaster Esq TD MP.
. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence Procurement (Defence Procurement Minister): Mrs. HMM Baldwin MP.
Comment: The MoD now has five ministers, replacing the previous six. Two Ministers of State have replaced three Ministers formerly at this level.
(Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 16/30, 01 Aug 16)
25 Jul 16. Iraq and Syria: OP SHADER. On 20 Jul 16 Tornados bombed a Daesh position North of Mosul and on the next day Tornados destroyed a terrorist strongpoint in Northern Iraq. Typhoons eliminated a Daesh team operating a pair of mortars in the Euphrates Valley on 22 Jul 16. On 23 Jul 16 a Reaper provided close support to Iraqi forces in Northern Iraq and on the following day a Reaper supported Syrian opposition forces. (MoD, 25 Jul 16.)
Comment: Reaper remotely piloted aircraft were said to have been “very active in both their surveillance and attack roles over Iraq and Syria.”
(Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 16/30, 01 Aug 16)
22 Jul 16. NATO: New Deputy Commander. The Defence Secretary announced (22 Jul 16) that Lieutenant General Sir James Everard KCB CBE has been
appointed NATO’s Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR). Sir James will be promoted to General and succeeds General Sir Adrian Bradshaw KCB OBE in March 2017.
Comment: General Everard’s appointment is said to come “at a crucial time for the Alliance”. The UK has
already announced that it would deploy around 500 soldiers to Estonia in early 2017 “in order to provide further reassurance to allies and deter any potential threats.” (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 16/30, 01 Aug 16)
28 Jul 16. Type 26 Frigates: Gun System. The Defence Procurement Minister welcomed (28 Jul 16) the signature of a £183m contract for a weapons system to be deployed on Type 26 frigates. The Maritime Indirect Fire System (MIFS) is to be integrated onto the Type 26 currently being designed by BAE Systems. MIFS includes the Mark 45 Mod 4 Naval Gun System
and ‘qualified’ ammunition. The contract covers the manufacture of three systems and one trainer together with an option on a further five systems (for the remaining Type 26 frigates). Deliveries of the gun are expected to start in 2020.
Comment: BAE Systems states that the Mark 45 is in service with the US Navy and 10 other allied nations. Over 240 Mark 45 guns have been delivered into service globally. The UK MoD is committed to buying eight
Type 26 frigates (or Global Combat Ships). (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 16/30, 01 Aug 16)
13 Jul 16. Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA): Personnel & Replacement Ships. The Armed Forces. Minister indicated the strength of the RFA (13 Jul 16). On 1 Apr 16 there were 740 Officers of whom 50 were female and 1,220 Ratings of whom 80 were female. By way of comparison, the figures for 1 Apr 07 were 920 Officers (40 female) and 1,430 Ratings (70 female).
An MoD spokesman said (25 Jul 16) that there is to be an international competition to build the Fleet Solid Support supply ships, with a separate UK-only competition for customisation work and trials. “This approach ensures the best value for money for taxpayers.”
Comment: The 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review included a Government commitment to build three new solid support ships to replace Fort Rosalie, Fort Austin and Fort Victoria. The vessels are expected to enter service “from the mi