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09 Nov 17. International Development Secretary: Replaced. The Rt Hon Priti Patel resigned as International Development Secretary and was replaced (9 Nov 17) by the Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt. Miss Mordaunt was elected to Parliament in 2010 and served as Minister of State for the Armed Forces, from May 2015 to July 2016, and thereafter as Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions until her present appointment.
Comment: The resignation of the International Development Secretary was preceded by a Statement in the House of Commons (Hansard Column 1346, 7 Nov 17) from the Minister for the Middle East. However, the Statement
failed to save Ms Patel from resignation. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 17/41, 13 Nov 17)
07 Nov 17. Iraq and Syria: OP SHADER. The Foreign Secretary made a Statement to Parliament (7 Nov 17) which included an update on the campaign against Daesh. Over 600 British soldiers are in Iraq, where they have helped to train 50,000 members of the Iraqi Security Forces while the RAF has delivered 1,352 air strikes against Daesh in Iraq and 263 in Syria. On 20 Oct 17 the Global Coalition confirmed the fall of Raqqa.
The Defence Secretary said (9 Nov 17) that UK Forces are “working tirelessly” to defeat the evil of our time. Daesh is weakened and in retreat, having now lost its last remaining major strongholds in Iraq and Syria.
Comment: The MoD drew attention (9 Nov 17) to the meeting of the Defence Secretary with the Counter-Daesh Coalition, while “the UK remains steadfast in its commitment to destroy Daesh militarily and to counter its poisonous propaganda”. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 17/41, 13 Nov 17)
08 Nov 17. Syria: Chemical Weapons. The Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, the UK and the US issued (8 Nov 17) a Joint Statement on the use of chemical weapons in Syria. It was recalled that on 26 Oct 17 the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism (OPCW-UN JIM) concluded that the Assad regime was responsible for the use of sarin in Khan Shaykhun on 4 Apr 17. The Ministers described the incident as a “heinous act” and demanded that “the Syrian regime immediately cease any and all use of chemical weapons”.
Comment: The Statement followed a brief (7 Nov 17) by the Head of the OPCW-UN JIM on the organisation’s findings. The work of the JIM is guided by terms of reference agreed by the UN Security Council. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 17/41, 13 Nov 17)
08 Nov 17. NATO: Further Commitments. During the NATO Defence Ministerial (8 – 9 Nov 17) the Defence Secretary confirmed that the UK will commit
four RAF Typhoons to the Southern Air Policing mission in Romania next Summer (2018). A battalion (600 soldiers) will also be held at high readiness from 2018 to respond to any situation in the Western Balkans.
The commitment of forces to the region is in addition to 30 troops deployed in support of NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) since April 2017.
Comment: NATO Defence Ministers also agreed (8 Nov 17) adaptations to the NATO Command Structure with the establishment of two new commands to improve the movement of troops across the Atlantic and within
Europe. In addition, the establishment of a new Cyber Operations Centre was agreed along with a set of principles for integrating cyber capabilities into Alliance military operations. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 17/41, 13 Nov 17)
29 Oct 17. HMS OCEAN: Return to NATO Tasking. Following redeployment to the Caribbean in September 2017, HMS OCEAN assumed (29 Oct 17) the Flagship role of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) in the Mediterranean. SNMG2 is set to undertake a number of exercises over the coming months during which time HMS OCEAN will host both US Marines and Royal Marines (