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04 Jan 19. UK considers 5km drone exclusion zone around airports. Ministers urged by pilots union to expand restrictions following disruption at Gatwick. A 1km drone exclusion zone was introduced around UK airports in July. Ministers are considering the introduction of a 5km drone exclusion zone around commercial airports as they seek to tighten rules governing the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in the wake of the Gatwick disruption at Christmas. The government will issue a response to a consultation on drones before the end of February and is set to publish a draft bill on the issue by May, almost a year after it was originally promised. One proposal being studied is from Balpa, the pilots’ union, which wants the current 1km exclusion zone around airports, brought in last July, to be extended to 5km in order to keep drones “well away from other aircraft”. “
A drone at 400ft, 1km away from an airport, is still directly in the flight path and that is plainly not safe and yet is allowed under the new legislation,” the union said. “Therefore, Balpa will continue to argue for a drone exclusion zone around airports of 5km in the interests of safety.” The Airport Operators Association, a trade body, said 1km was “not sufficient from a safety perspective” and that it wanted the government to implement a “no-fly zone” for at least 4km around an airport. It also called for “mandatory geofencing”, which would electronically prevent drones from entering restricted airspace. While ministers are drawn to the proposition, they are aware that it will infuriate drone users as it would effectively prohibit their use in many urban parks in Britain: “It would virtually amount to a ban on drones within the M25,” said one person familiar with the discussions. As a result, the final proposal could extend the 1km radius but stop short of Balpa’s 5km proposal. One European military official expressed doubt at the effectiveness of even a larger exclusion zone, saying it was unlikely to stop people with malicious ambitions. “The challenge is that there is not really the technology that can enforce it,” the official said. “At the moment unless you wipe the entire radio frequency around Heathrow or Gatwick then there’s not a lot you can do. This may act as a deterrent for most people but a protester or terrorist is not going to be put off.” The drones bill will also feature proposed powers for the police to enforce the law relating to drones, which they currently lack. These include being able to seize drones or access relevant data in relation to crime scenes and large events at risk of a terrorist attack.
Gatwick chaos highlights the risks of the drone Drones have become a serious problem for aircraft in the UK. The consultation noted that the number of incidents “involving objects believed to be drones” reported to the independent board that investigates aircraft safety had risen from six in 2014 to 93 in 2017. The government announced last year that any operator of a small drone would have to take an online safety test and register their drone from November 2019. The Department for Transport said last May that a draft drones bill would be published in the “summer”. Officials now say that will not happen until this spring. But a spokesperson said there had been “no delay” in enacting legislation because the bill would not have been presented to parliament until this May at the earliest in either case. About 140,000 people had their travel plans disrupted in the busy period before Christmas after Sussex Police said witnesses reported “numerous instances of illegal drone activity”. The police have nearly a hundred “credible witnesses” — including a pilot and airport staff — and Gatwick offered a £50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. But the police have not announced any progress. Gatwick has spent about £5m on anti-drone equipment, and Heathrow, the country’s busiest airport, confirmed it had also bought technology to combat the unmanned craft. (Source: FT.com)
20 Dec 18. Iraq and Syria: OP SHADER. On 23 Nov 18 Tornados and Typhoons struck seven Daesh targets near Hajin and a six terrorist positions were struck in the same area on the following day. On 3 Dec 18 Tornados attacked three Daesh targets North of Hajin while Typhoons bombed two terrorist positions North-West of Hajin on 5 Dec 18. Typhoons and Tornados attacked further Daesh positions near Hajin on 6, 7, 8 and 9 Dec 18. On 10 Dec 18, a Reaper conducted three attacks on terrorists in Hajin and provided support to four coalition air strikes. Reapers also undertook attacks against Daesh on 11 and 12 Dec 18. On 13 Dec 18 Tornados and Typhoons supported the Syrian Democratic Forces clearing terrorists from Hajin. Reaper, Tornado and Typhoon operations continued in the Hajin area on 14 and 15 Dec 18. A Reaper supported coalition airstrikes near Hajin on 15 Dec 18 and engaged four groups of terrorists. On 16 Dec 18 Reapers and Typhoons carried out seven attacks on Daesh to the South-East of Hajin and on the following day Typhoons delivered three attacks in the same area. (MoD, 20 Dec 18.)
Comment: Following comments by the US President on the withdrawal of US troops from Syria, a UK Government spokesman said (20 Dec 18): “We remain committed to the Global Coalition and the campaign to deny Daesh territory and ensure its enduring defeat…”. As reported by the media (31 Dec 18) the US President appears to have indicated subsequently that US troops are being withdrawn “slowly”. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 19/01, 07 Jan 19)
31 Dec 18. New Year Honours 2019: Chief of the General Staff. Chief of the General Staff General M Carleton-Smith CBE has been honoured as a Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (KCB) in the New Year Honours and is given the honorary title ‘Sir’.
Comment: The Defence Secretary announced a number of new military senior appointments on 3 Dec 18. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 19/01, 07 Jan 19)
31 Dec 18. Border Force Fleet: Reinforcement. Following concerns about an increase in attempts by migrants to cross the Channel in small boats, the Home Secretary announced (31 Dec 18) that Border Force capabilities will be strengthened by the addition of two cutters: HMC Seeker and HMC Protector. The vessels are being withdrawn from Gibraltar and from the Mediterranean respectively. Following a Home Office request (3 Jan 19) for MoD assistance in supporting Border Force and the Maritime Coastguard Agency, the RN’s Offshore Patrol Vessel HMS MERSEY has been tasked to the Channel as an interim measure until the cutters return to UK waters.
Comment: The Border Force has five cutters and six Coastal Patrol Vessels (CPV). Currently the cuttersHMC Vigilant and HMC Searcher are deployed in the Channel along with three CPVs. HMC Seeker is in Gibraltar while HMC Valiant and HMC Protector are deployed to the Mediterranean. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 19/01, 07 Jan 19)
18 Dec 18. Modernising Defence Programme (MDP): Statement. In a Statement to the House of Commons (18 Dec 18) the Defence Secretary provided an update on the MDP. The MoD is to launch new ‘Spearhead’ innovation programmes addressing sub-surface threats, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and command and control in the Land environment. The Defence Secretary added that £160m of the MoD’s budget is to be ring-fenced for new “innovative” military capabilities and that he would “look to make a further £340m available as part of the Spending Review”.
Comment: Aside from the above announcements, the Statement mostly repeated the headline conclusions which were delivered by the Defence Secretary to the House in July 2018. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 19/01, 07 Jan 19)
22 Dec 18. Ukraine: Continued Support. The MoD reported (22 Dec 18) that the Defence Secretary visited Odesa for talks with the Ukrainian Defence Minister. During a visit to HMS ECHO, which is being deployed to the Black Sea, the Defence Secretary reaffirmed the UK’s “unwavering support both to Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty and freedom of navigation”. The UK will also be offering support and mentoring to the Ukrainian Navy and dispatching a training team comprising RN and RM personnel. In addition, Army trainers will deploy during January and March 2019.
Comment: The Defence Secretary announced in November 2018 that the survey ship HMS ECHO would deploy to the Black Sea during 2019. This mission has been brought forward. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 19/01, 07 Jan 19)
20 Dec 18. Poland: Joint Communiqué. During the third annual UK-Poland Inter-Governmental Consultations (20 Dec 18), the two countries’ Prime Ministers agreed key areas of progress in a Joint Communiqué. In particular, it was agreed to begin joint consultations on cyber security and Russia early in 2019 and to push for the reforms necessary to make NATO an effective deterrent against such challenges. Commenting on the consultations, the Foreign Secretary said “…this marks one of the first and most significant international partnerships aimed at curbing Russian malign activity across the continent”.
Comment: The Joint Communiqué recorded that “good progress” had been made on the Defence and Security Co-operation Treaty signed during the UK-Poland Intergovernmental meeting held in December 2017. The Communiqué can be accessed via the Government web portal (www.gov.uk). (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 19/01, 07 Jan 19)
20 Dec 18. Defence and Security Organisation: Workforce and Budget. In answer to a Written Question (20 Dec 18) the International Trade Minister (for Investment) confirmed that, as at 1 Apr 18, 155 people were employed by the Defence and Security Organisation (DSO) which has a current net budget of £9.9m for 2018-19.
Comment: During 2017 the UK won Defence orders worth £9,000m, compared with £5,900m in 2016. The UK share of the global Defence market was estimated at 12% with the Middle East, North America and Europe being the largest markets. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 19/01, 07 Jan 19)
20 Dec 18. Future Nuclear Deterrent: Annual Update. The Government published its seventh annual update on the progress of the Dreadnought Class submarine programme on 20 Dec 18. The United Kingdom’s Future Nuclear Deterrent: The 2018 Update to Parliament is available via the Government web portal (www.gov.uk). (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 19/01, 07 Jan 19)
03 Jan 19. Germany picks up two thorny defense and diplomacy assignments in 2019. Germany begins the new year with two prominent defense and diplomacy assignments: leadership of NATO’s highest-alert combat formation, and a two-year seat on the United Nations Security Council.
The two new responsibilities follow recent pledges by Berlin to play a more active role in global affairs, offering German Chancellor Angela Merkel an instant test to make good on those proclamations during the final years of her tenure.
As of Jan. 1, Germany is on the hook to provide 5,000 soldiers for NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, or VJTF. The formation must be ready to fight wherever it is needed within 48 to 72 hours. Partner nations for this year’s rotation include the Netherlands, Norway, France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Lithuania, bringing the total package to about 8,000.
A key rationale for the quick-reaction force is to display to Russia the ability to rapidly ferry combat power across Europe at a time when speed is believed to be a Russian advantage. European governments are still wary from the 2014 Russian annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea, and more recently from a naval standoff between the two countries in the Sea of Asov. Both incidents fit into a pattern of Russia steering clear of outright war while trying to shake up the post-Soviet order around its borders, according to issue experts.
The German Defence Ministry’s logistics planning for the VJTF role takes into account the need to quickly move combat gear if needed. Its acquisition office last month announced a $110m support contract to ensure rapid access to military rail transport from civilian providers during Germany’s one-year tenure. The Bundeswehr, plagued by equipment shortfalls, management problems or both — depending on who is asked — has had to dig deep to assemble the needed equipment for the task force lead. In the end, funneling supplies from across the force to the tip of the spear appears to have worked, but it has depleted the readiness of many units, said Christian Mölling, an analyst with the Berlin-based German Council on Foreign Relations.
“It means the rest of the Bundeswehr is no longer the kind of deterrent it is meant to be,” he said in an interview.
With the task force now on high alert, Mölling said, the thing to watch will be Germany’s national decision-making process in the event that it will be called up. Parliament and the government, he argues, lack a well-rehearsed process for assessing whether a given conflict warrants deploying the task force, potentially kicking off a comprehensive national debate that would negate any hope of a rapid reaction.
That is especially the case because of Moscow’s penchant to keep its activities just below the conflict threshold that would trigger Article 5, NATO’s clause for collective defense when one member is attacked.
Amid deepening global crises and a deteriorating relationship between Europe and the U.S., a German government debating the definition of a worthy VJTF deployment would probably lead to Russian President Vladimir Putin “grabbing a bag of popcorn,” Mölling quipped.
“We just don’t have the necessary routine for a case like that,” he said.
As a nonpermanent member of the U.N. Security Council, it’s easy to foresee the animosity between Germany and the Trump administration in Washington coming to a head in New York, said Ulrike Franke, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank.
Many Germans are deeply wary of the U.S. president and his knocking of NATO and other multilateral institutions that have brought Berlin back from the devastation of World War II. That is even more the case since Jim Mattis, a vocal believer in America’s global alliances, called it quits as defense secretary last month.
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Jan. 1 tweeted a list of objectives for Germany during its Security Council tenure. They include countering climate change and related global security effects, and a commitment to arms control and disarmament — issues that the Trump administration has dismissed.
When it comes to the voting pattern of Berlin and Washington, often aligned on the Security Council stage, things could get a little awkward, Franke predicts.
In practical terms, however, “I’m pessimistic that a lot will change,” she said. But Germany’s term holds the promise that government leaders here will get into the habit of developing truly global foreign policy positions and selling them to audiences foreign and domestic, she said. (Source: Defense News)
03 Jan 19. Defence Committee. Oral Evidence Session – Statute Of Limitation – Veterans Protection. Tuesday 8 January 2019 The Wilson Room, Portcullis House.
At 11:45am:
- Martyn Day, Senior Partner, Leigh Day
This is the third evidence session of the Committee’s inquiry into the question of how former service personnel can be protected from the spectre of investigation and re-investigation for events that happened many years, and often decades, in the past. This session will take evidence from Martyn Day, the senior partner and co-founder of Leigh Day solicitors.
03 Jan 19. Poland takes over Nato air policing mission in Baltic states. The Polish Air Force is taking over the command of the Nato air policing mission in the Baltic states from the Belgian Air Force. The handover ceremony that will see the Polish F-16 detachment take responsibility for the Nato mission will be held at the Lithuanian Air Force Air Base in Šiauliai. The latest deployment of four F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft represents the eighth time Poland is deploying a rotation of the Nato air policing mission in the Baltic states. Poland’s first contribution to the Baltic mission began in 2005 with MiG-29 Fulcum fighter aircraft. For the subsequent rotations, it used F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets. The country is planning to deploy another air policing detachment in 2020. Meanwhile, the German Air Force will continue to provide the augmentation to this rotation with five Eurofighter Typhoons to be flown from Estonia. Germany and Belgium took over the Nato-led Baltic air policing mission from France, Spain and Portugal in August last year. The German Air Force replaced French Air Force Mirage 2000-5 fighters with Eurofighter aircraft to augment the Baltic peacetime mission, which began in 2004 when Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia became members of Nato. Belgium has been supporting Nato’s mission in securing the skies over the three nations since it began. To date, the Belgian Air Force detachment has deployed a total of eight rotations. The Nato mission was launched to offset the absence of necessary air capabilities among the airforces of the three Baltic states. Baltic airspace has been safeguarded by 17 allies. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
02 Jan 19. Nuclear submarines threaten to sink UK defence budget. National Audit Office warns of £15bn funding gap in equipment programme. Britain’s decision in 2016 to renew the country’s nuclear deterrent and build four new state of the art submarines at a cost of £31bn is threatening to sink the UK defence budget. Gavin Williamson, defence secretary, won an extra £1bn for the military in October, allowing him to stave off further immediate cuts to the armed forces. But analysts say he will need to fight for yet more money in next year’s comprehensive spending review to help cover what the National Audit Office has warned could be a funding gap of up to £15bn in the ministry of defence’s equipment programme over the next decade. The financial pressure stems mainly from Dreadnought, as the nuclear deterrent renewal programme has been named. It is the biggest and most complex defence project the UK has undertaken — one official described it as “the engineering equivalent of building a space shuttle”. “Nuclear subs are the most demanding defence project,” said Trevor Taylor, a naval specialist at the Royal United Services Institute, a think-tank. “You do not get to build a prototype — you have to get it right first time.” A review of the UK’s defence capabilities and ambitions, published just before Christmas, restated Britain’s commitment to the deterrent, describing Dreadnought as “the ultimate guarantee” of UK security. The problem for defence officials is that the cost of maintaining the nuclear deterrent — which includes the four new nuclear powered Astute class attack submarines as well as the Trident nuclear warhead missile system — makes up a quarter of the MoD’s 10-year equipment plan and faces a £2.7bn affordability gap, the difference between forecast cost and expected budget. In turn, Dreadnought accounts for one-fifth of the overall nuclear deterrent budget, according to NAO figures for 2018-19. To keep the programme on track and ease early pressures, the MoD was allowed in March to draw down £600m from a £10bn contingency pot held by the Treasury. “Can Dreadnought sink the defence budget? The answer is yes,” said Mr Taylor. BAE Systems, which is building the new submarines at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria alongside industrial partners Rolls-Royce and Babcock International, described the programme as “one of the world’s most complex engineering challenges”. The submarines will be 152.9m long — slightly longer than the current Vanguard class submarines which carry the Trident missiles — with a weight of 17,200 tonnes. For the first time the boats will be powered by a new nuclear reactor, a Rolls-Royce PWR3. This poses one of the biggest risks to the project, according to analysts, because it will not be tested in a prototype. Dreadnought will have 12 Trident missile tubes, a reduction from the 16 carried by the Vanguards; most of the remaining details about the new submarines are a closely guarded secret. With the boats still 15-20 years from operational service they will also have to continually evolve their defence systems to deal with the growing sophistication of cyber attacks. “The technologies Dreadnought will be facing in 15 years, we can only dream of,” Paul Ingram, an analyst from arms control think-tank Basic, told ministers recently. To contend with the myriad uncertainties, the MoD has changed the way the programme is run, creating the Submarine Delivery Agency — inspired by the authority the government set up to build the venues for the London 2012 Olympics. Whereas recent large infrastructure projects, including Crossrail and the HS2 high-speed rail programme, have been undertaken by standalone delivery companies, the SDA should allow the MoD greater control over cost and timings. But the targets are high, with the MoD committed to finding efficiencies of £3bn from its nuclear deterrent budget over the next 10 years and recent experience from the already delayed and over budget Astute programme fresh in the memory. Richard Scott, naval consultant editor at Jane’s, a defence magazine, said: “There is an understanding across the MoD and BAE Systems that they have continually failed to meet project milestones on Astute and need to do better.” Next April will mark half a century since Britain launched its so-called continuous at sea deterrent — meaning it has not missed a single day on patrol. Recommended Global trade The cold war revival will be very expensive In the decades since the cold war ended, the threat of nuclear warfare has appeared to subside, allowing campaigners to argue that the Trident missiles and submarines required to carry them on patrols of the North Atlantic were expensive relics from a bygone era. But escalating tensions between the US, Russia and China have led to renewed fears of nuclear Armageddon and a breakdown in international treaties signed to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Despite this, analysts said the pressure which Dreadnought applied to the UK’s defence budget had led to renewed doubts over its long-term viability. Mr Scott said that for the first time in the past two to three years in private conversations with senior officials in the Royal Navy and the MoD, “you hear comments about the disproportionate impact the deterrent has on the overall defence budget”. “Some people are asking, ‘can we really justify this’?” Mr Taylor sees the situation differently. He said the nuclear deterrent cost just 2 per cent of Britain’s gross domestic product, a relatively small amount even if the economy were hit hard after Brexit. “At what point does an independent British deterrent become unaffordable?” said Mr Taylor. “For me, there is such a commitment to this that they would spend whatever was needed.” (Source: FT.com)
28 Dec 18. Italy PM backs halting arms sales to Saudis. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Friday his government was in favour of halting arms sales to Saudi Arabia and it intended to take a formal position on the matter.
“We are not in favour of the sale of these weapons and so now it is only a question of formalising this position and acting accordingly,” Conte told reporters at the prime minister’s traditional end-year news conference.
He was answering a question on Italy’s ongoing arms exports to Saudi Arabia in the light of its involvement in the conflict in Yemen and the murder of journalist Jamal Kashoggi. (Source: Reuters)
27 Dec 18. German army ‘could recruit EU citizens.’ Seven years after Germany scrapped conscription, its defence chief has said employing EU citizens is “an option” to fill expert posts. Army general inspector Eberhard Zorn said the forces had to “look in all directions in times of a lack of qualified personnel”, such as doctors and IT specialists.
The armed forces have been beset by years of under-investment.
Germany aims to increase its military by 21,000 personnel by 2025.
It has also pledged to raise its defence budget from 1.2% to to 1.5% of its gross domestic product by 2024, in the face of criticism from President Donald Trump that it does not meet the Nato target of 2% of GDP. Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview on Thursday that 182,000 uniformed soldiers were now employed by the army, a rise of 6,500 in two years. Within seven years, that should reach 203,000.
She said the army was now made up of 12% women and this year alone one in three people applying to be an officer was a woman.
What does the defence chief propose?
Gen Zorn told the Funke newspaper group that “of course the Bundeswehr needs personnel” and the army had to “push hard for a suitable new generation”, although EU citizens in uniform were “an option” to be examined only in specialist fields.
The media group said the government had already consulted EU partners and that most had reacted cautiously, particularly in Eastern Europe.
- ‘Big gaps’ in German army, report says
- Germany: Reluctant military giant?
- Reality Check: Which countries have military service?
Under post-World War Two laws, soldiers in the German military have to be German.
Parliament’s commissioner for the armed forces, Hans-Peter Bartels, said recruiting EU citizens was already a “kind of normality” as many soldiers already had dual nationality or an immigrant background.
According to the Funke group, more than 900 foreign citizens are already employed by the military in civilian roles.
Last month the UK said more foreign nationals would be able to join its armed forces without having lived in the country in a bid to meet a shortfall of 8,200 soldiers, sailors and air personnel.
How unprepared is the German army?
Germany aims to have 70% of its fighting capacity ready for combat at any time, but recent reports show it is falling short:
- Only about a third of 97 newly manufactured tanks, fighter jets and helicopters was combat-ready, Die Zeit reported in October (in German)
- No submarines or large transport planes were available for deployment at the end of last year, a military report said in February
- The same report said existing fighter planes, tanks, helicopters and ships were in “dramatically bad” condition
- About 21,000 officer posts remained unfilled, Deutsche Welle reported
How did shortages hit Merkel’s G20 trip?
The spotlight fell on military shortages late last month when Chancellor Angela Merkel had to fly to the G20 summit in Argentina by passenger plane because of a technical failure involving one of the military’s two long-haul planes. (Source: BBC)
27 Dec 18. Germany would oppose new nuclear missiles in Europe – Foreign Minister. Germany would strongly oppose any move to station new medium-range nuclear missiles in Europe if a key Cold War-era arms control treaty is scrapped, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told DPA.
“Under no circumstances should Europe become a stage for a rearmament debate,” the German news agency quoted him as saying in an interview published on Wednesday.
“Stationing of new medium-range missiles would be met with broad resistance in Germany,” he said.
The United States has threatened to pull out of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which bans Moscow and Washington from stationing short- and intermediate-range, land-based missiles in Europe.
Russia has said it was planning for a U.S. deployment of new nuclear missiles in Europe following Washington’s planned withdrawal from the treaty. Germany’s Maas said: “Nuclear rearmament is most certainly the wrong answer.” (Source: Reuters)
27 Dec 18. Authorities must do more to meet airport drone threat – Met police chief. Government and security officials must “up their game” to tackle the illegal use of drones at airports which brought chaos to London’s Gatwick airport in the run-up to Christmas, Britain’s most senior police officer said on Thursday. Three days of drone sightings at Britain’s second busiest airport lead to about 1,000 flight cancellations and disrupted the travel of 140,000 passengers in what is thought to be the most disruptive incident of its kind. London’s Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said no police force around the world could be sure of preventing the problem posed by drones at airports.
“I think the whole country and certainly the government will have watched what’s gone on and said we need to up our game here,” Dick told BBC radio.
“You won’t find a police service in the world I think who would be sitting complacently thinking: ‘well we could always deal with a drone’.”
The drones were first spotted at Gatwick on Dec. 19. Every time the airport sought to reopen the runway, the drones returned and authorities only regained control over the airfield after the army deployed military technology to guard the area.
Security Minister Ben Wallace said on Monday that Britain’s security forces now had detection systems that could be deployed across the country to combat the drone threat.
“The drone technology is always changing. We have to keep up with that. There are a whole variety of tactics and technologies that we are now using, can use and in the future they will have to change again I’m sure,” said Dick.
“I’ve been talking to colleagues around the world. I can tell you this is not an easy problem. We are doing our very best here and going into the future I’m sure working closely with others we will get better and better.”
The police investigation into the Gatwick incident is ongoing. Detectives on Sunday released without charge two people they had suspected of flying the drones. (Source: Reuters)
27 Dec 18. UK defence minister says he has grave concerns about Huawei – Times. British Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said he had “grave concerns” about Chinese company Huawei HWT.UL providing technology for Britain’s planned 5G telecoms networks, the Times newspaper reported on Thursday. Huawei, the world’s biggest producer of telecoms equipment, is facing intense scrutiny in the West over its ties to the Chinese government and concerns its equipment could be used by Beijing for spying. The company has repeatedly denied the allegations. Williamson said a closer examination of security threats was needed before Huawei could be allowed to participate in the upgrade of Britain’s mobile network, becoming the first senior British minister to have aired such concerns, the Times said.
“I have grave, very deep concerns about Huawei providing the 5G network in Britain. It’s something we’d have to look at very closely,” Williamson was quoted by the paper as saying.
“We’ve got to look at what partners such as Australia and the U.S. are doing in order to ensure that they have the maximum security of that 5G network and we’ve got to recognise the fact, as has been recently exposed, that the Chinese state does sometimes act in a malign way.”
The United States has been taking action to cut Huawei out of the U.S. market while in August Australia banned it from supplying equipment for its 5G network.
The chief of Britain’s MI6 foreign intelligence service Alex Younger said earlier this month that 5G reliance on Chinese technology was something Britain needed to discuss, though a bigger issue was the likely Chinese future dominance of emerging technologies. (Source: Reuters)
22 Dec 18. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s commitment to working closely with Ukraine in the face of shared threats when he met Ukrainian Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak on a visit to Odesa. Mr Williamson visited Royal Navy vessel HMS ECHO, whose planned deployment to the Black Sea and Ukraine he accelerated. This is a clear demonstration of the UK’s unwavering support both to Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty and freedom of navigation. This followed the latest in a pattern of Russian hostile acts, the illegal seizure of Ukrainian vessels and 24 servicemen by Russia last month.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “The UK is a steadfast partner to Ukraine as it faces continued illegal acts of aggression against its sovereignty. HMS Echo’s deployment is a further demonstration of our resolute support and commitment to cooperate with the Ukrainian military.”
While in Odesa the Defence Secretary also gained an insight into the personal cost Russia’s actions have wreaked on the people of Ukraine when he met with families of the detained servicemen. He reaffirmed that the UK stood shoulder-to-shoulder alongside the international community in calling for their immediate release. In conversations with Mr Poltorak the Defence Secretary discussed the progress being made on the UK’s military training mission to Ukraine Operation Orbital, which he announced would be extended until 2020 on his last visit in September. Further to the deployment of HMS Echo – whose passage through the Black Sea was notified to regional authorities through the Montreux Convention – the UK will also be offering support and mentoring to the Ukrainian Navy and deploying training teams made up from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and the Army in January and March 2019. The UK and Ukrainian Armed Forces will also gain further opportunities to develop capability and share expertise by committing to bilateral exercises next year. Since the start of 2015, British personnel have trained over 9,500 of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. (Source: U.K. MoD)
20 Dec 18. Italy’s F-35 Program Review Kicked Into 2019. Italy’s participation in the F-35 fighter program is still being reviewed, Italian news agency ANSA reported from Rome on Thursday, quoting unidentified defense ministry sources.
“The program will be revised while respecting commitments made and also taking into account the national interest,” they said.
The sources said the outcome of the assessment will be made public in the first few months of next year, which probably means during the first quarter but could also stretch into the second quarter.
“We believe talks with the USA are a priority,” the sources said, adding “so far this government has not spent a single euro to buy new F-35s” as they had promised during the election campaign during the spring.
But rifts are appearing within the government about what Italy should do about the program. Angelo Tofalo, one of two Undersecretaries of Defense, spoke of “distorted conceptions” about the aircraft and their technologies, which he said are considered among the best in the world. This statement prompted an immediate reaction by Luigi Di Maio, one of two deputy Prime Ministers and the leader of the Five Stars Movement that has formed a coalition government with the League of Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.
“We continue to be very, very perplexed by the F-35 fighter program,” Di Maio said, adding that “praising a technology is not necessarily a commitment to pay for it.”
Since it took office in June, the current Italian government has been struggling to reconcile Italy’s historical commitment to the F-35 program, the disappointing industrial return it has received on its very large investment, and the attraction of the program’s claimed technological advance with the Five Star Movement’s pre-election promise not to spend another euro on the program.
Conflicting statements by Defense Minister Elisabetta Trenta and her two undersecretaries on whether Italy would at least complete current orders, and the fact that no clear policy has emerged after seven months, clearly show the government’s dilemma, as it wants to benefit from the F-35’s technologies without increasing its investment. At the heart of the problem lies the uncomfortable fact that the 5 Stars Movement seems to have misunderstood the program’s status when it first made the pledge not to spend another euro. At the time, Italian ministers remained committed to buying 90 (down from the original 138), which most Italians assumed had already been ordered, whereas only 13 had, with the rest due to follow spread over a decade or so. The issue is more uncomfortable for the government that, since the conclusion of the full-scale development phase, program participants are no longer under any obligation to the program, and so can freely determine the size and the timing of their orders. The fact that the F-35 review, commissioned by Trenta during the summer, has now been kicked into the first quarter of 2019 shows clearly that the 5 Stars has still not finalized its position, and that its partner in the governing coalition, the League, does not appear to be particularly hostile to the F-35 program. In fact, little has changed since June 15, when we last looked at Italy’s status in the F-35 program, except that order numbers have changed slightly, as Italy has ordered three additional aircraft (Two F-35As and one F-35B) in the Lot 12 initial production contract, awarded Nov. 14 and worth $22.7bn. (Source: defense-aerospace.com)
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About Lincad
Lincad is a leading expert in the design and manufacture of batteries, chargers and associated products for a range of applications across a number of different sectors. With a heritage spanning more than three decades in the defence and security sectors, Lincad has particular expertise in the development of reliable, ruggedised products with high environmental, thermal and electromagnetic performance. With a dedicated team of engineers and production staff, all product is designed and manufactured in-house at Lincad’s facility in Ash Vale, Surrey. Lincad is ISO 9001 and TickITplus accredited and works closely with its customers to satisfy their power management requirements.
Lincad is also a member of the Joint Supply Chain Accreditation Register (JOSCAR), the accreditation system for the aerospace, defence and security sectors, and is certified with Cyber Essentials, the government-backed, industry supported scheme to help organisations protect themselves against common cyber attacks. The majority of Lincad’s products contain high energy density lithium-ion technology, but the most suitable technology for each customer requirement is employed, based on Lincad’s extensive knowledge of available electrochemistries. Lincad offers full life cycle product support services that include repairs and upgrades from point of introduction into service, through to disposal at the end of a product’s life. From product inception, through to delivery and in-service product support, Lincad offers the high quality service that customers expect from a recognised British supplier.
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