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14 Jan 22. Drop your Tsarist ambition to invade Ukraine or face sanctions, Ben Wallace warns Vladimir Putin. Defence Secretary threatens to impose ‘severe’ economic penalties if Russian president orders troops to attack neighbouring country Ben Wallace has accused Vladimir Putin of Tsarist ambitions as he said there will be “severe economic sanctions” if Ukraine is invaded. The Defence Secretary made his comments after high-stakes talks this week between Nato and Russia failed to find a solution to the Kremlin’s increasingly threatening behaviour towards its neighbour. Citing a 5,000-word essay that the Russian president wrote last summer entitled “On the historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians”, Mr Wallace said that he had been unable to “separate” himself from Mr Putin’s belief that “Ukraine really is Russian”.
“I’m concerned that what this is really about is President Putin’s legacy; that is about a false vision, a Russia that even the Tsars failed to create and consolidate – that is the Russia of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia,” he said.
In a stark warning, Mr Wallace said that this “motto of the tsars for the Russian Empire” had “far deeper consequences for the security of Eastern Europe, because it doesn’t stop at Ukraine”.
He likened Mr Putin’s further ambitions to “ethnonationalism”, cautioning that “in our history of Europe, ethnonationalism has led to some of the worst conflicts in the last millennium”.
Vladimir Putin told: ‘The world is watching’
The Defence Secretary added that “the consequences for Russia invading a sovereign nation need to be taken seriously, because the world is watching, the Chinese are watching”.
He said if Mr Putin were to invade, then any economic sanctions and consequences would be “severe” and “go way beyond the sanctions of 2014”, when Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.
It is understood potential economic sanctions that are on the table as punishment if Russia does invade include trade restrictions, including limiting the right of Russian nationals to trade in the financial hubs of G7 countries.
Mr Wallace spoke to The Telegraph as part of a whistle-stop tour of Stockholm, Helsinki and Oslo this week in a bid to show solidarity with Nordic countries who are all too aware of what an encroaching Mr Putin is capable of.
Mr Wallace explained that the purpose of travelling to northern Europe was to offer reassurance from the UK that “we are here for you, we are next to you, we are in Europe”.
“Countries like Sweden and Finland are genuinely worried about the current behaviour of Russia and the consequences of an invasion of Ukraine,” he said.
Britain has ‘not left the security of Europe’
He added that it was important to stress to these countries that while the UK has left the European Union, “we have not left the security of Europe and that we both want to find a solution and de-escalate and to allow Russia to move forward in a way that their people can benefit from”.
After the Nato talks ended on Wednesday – which were held against a backdrop of a 100,000 strong build-up of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border – Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary general, warned of “a real risk for a new armed conflict in Europe”. Russia described the talks as having culminated in a “dead end”.
The Kremlin last month demanded that Ukraine and other former Soviet bloc nations, including Finland and Sweden, never be allowed to join Nato and that the alliance should withdraw its troops from Eastern Europe. However, the bloc has rejected both proposals.
Mr Wallace said: “Freedom to choose is actually more important than what you choose,” as he cautioned that any conflict risked an unwelcome legacy for Mr Putin that could leave him remembered as the “Russian president who got Russia into another Chechnya or Soviet Union in Afghanistan”.
He warned Mr Putin that “the world is watching” and “the West won’t turn a blind eye to what he [Mr Putin] does”.
“Russia risks getting bogged down in a conflict that potentially will cost the lives of young Russian men and they should not underestimate the Ukrainian people’s desire to protect their sovereign states,” he added.
Fear of people being killed ‘plays on my mind’
Mr Wallace, who has served as Defence Secretary since July 2019, is no stranger to the threat of war and the consequences of its aftermath. Only recently, he oversaw Operation Pitting, the UK’s effort to rescue 15,000 people from Afghanistan.
The mission was personal for Mr Wallace, a former Scots Guardsman. In one interview during the height of the airlift, he broke down in tears as he admitted that “some people will be left behind” following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
Today, it is this fear of people being killed if war breaks out between Russia and Ukraine that plays on his mind.
“My biggest fear is that President Putin miscalculates and it leads to a massive loss of life on all sides of the country,” Mr Wallace said.
The concern of miscalculation is that Mr Putin “thinks either he could get away with this, or that he thinks the Ukrainians won’t fight, or that he thinks this somehow strengthens Russian security, rather than the fact making more people anxious and therefore more people taking security steps, that escalates”.
Mr Wallace added that “as in 2014, any invasion would have the opposite of the desired effect”.
‘Highly unlikely’ British troops will be sent to Ukraine
Previously, he has said it would be “highly unlikely” that the UK would send troops to defend Ukraine in the event of an invasion.
Reflecting on the question again, Mr Wallace said: “Nato members would be most likely to reinforce or deploy new forces. The UK would consider carefully all Nato requests in light of such actions by Russia.”
While Mr Wallace said “Putin risks being completely isolated in Europe” through its aggressive behaviour, he stressed that the UK is not “anti-Russian”, citing historic partnerships from medicine to military as being “deep” that had lasted for hundreds of years.
“No one is out to get Russia,” he added.
Asked if he had a message for Mr Putin, Mr Wallace said: “This is not the way to resolve your perceived fears. Massing forces on borders and threats will not fix the problem. Potentially, it could create more fear and more response by countries who need to protect.” (Source: Daily Telegraph)
13 Jan 22. MI5 spy service warns lawmakers over Chinese agent of influence. Britain’s domestic spy service MI5 has warned lawmakers that the Chinese Communist Party has been employing a woman to exert improper influence over members of parliament.
MI5 sent out an alert and picture of the woman named Christine Lee on Thursday alleging she was “involved in political interference activities” in the United Kingdom on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.
Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, who circulated MI5’s alert to lawmakers, said MI5 had found that Lee “has facilitated financial donations to serving and aspiring parliamentarians on behalf of foreign nationals based in Hong Kong and China”.
Hoyle said Lee had been involved with the now disbanded all-party parliamentary group, Chinese in Britain.
Britain’s interior minister Priti Patel told reporters that Lee’s behaviour was currently below the criminal threshold to prosecute her, but she said that by putting the alert out the government was able to warn lawmakers about Lee’s attempts to improperly influence them.
Patel said it was “deeply concerning” that an individual working on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party had targeted lawmakers.
Lee is the founder of a law firm, which has offices in London and Birmingham, according to a government official. A woman who answered the phone at the Birmingham office said: “We are not taking any calls now”. A request for comment left at the London office went unanswered.
The law firm lists on its website one of its roles as legal adviser to the Chinese embassy in Britain.
The Chinese embassy in London said in a statement that China does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.
“We have no need and never seek to ‘buy influence’ in any foreign parliament,” it said. “We firmly oppose the trick of smearing and intimidation against the Chinese community in the UK.”
POLITICAL DONATIONS
Barry Gardiner, a lawmaker for the opposition Labour Party, said he had received hundreds of thousands of pounds in donations from Lee and said he has been liaising with intelligence services “for a number of years” about her.
“They have always known, and been made fully aware by me, of her engagement with my office and the donations she made to fund researchers in my office in the past,” Gardiner said.
Gardiner employed Lee’s son as a diary manager but he resigned on Thursday.
Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of Britain’s governing Conservative Party who has been sanctioned by China for highlighting alleged human right abuses in Xinjiang, called for an urgent update from the government on the issue.
He questioned why the woman had not been deported and called for a tightening of the accreditation process for people gaining access to parliament, which he said was too lenient.
Lee is listed under the Christine Lee & Co law firm as a British national in financial filings with Companies House, Britain’s corporate registry.
Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood told parliament of her alleged activity: “This is the sort of grey-zone interference we now anticipate and expect from China.”
Britain’s relations with China have deteriorated in recent years over issues including Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
Last year MI5 urged British citizens to treat the threat of spying from Russia, China and Iran with as much vigilance as terrorism. read more
British spies say China and Russia have each sought to steal commercially sensitive data and intellectual property as well as to interfere in domestic politics and sow misinformation.
The Chinese ambassador to Britain was banned from attending an event in the British parliament last year because Beijing imposed sanctions on lawmakers who highlighted alleged human right abuses in Xinjiang.
China placed the sanctions on nine British politicians in March last year for spreading what it said were “lies and disinformation” over the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in the country’s far west. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Reuters)
14 Jan 22. Sweden to withdraw from French-led special forces mission in Mali – minister. Sweden has decided to withdraw its troops this year from a European special forces mission to the Sahel region, and will review its U.N. contribution after the arrival of private Russian military contractors in Mali, its foreign minister said.
“We have already decided that this year we will withdraw (from) the force of Takuba,” Ann Linde told reporters on Friday on the sidelines of an EU foreign ministers meeting in western France.
“The question is what do we do with Minusma,” she said, referring to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali.
The Swedish parliament approved the deployment of up to 150 soldiers to Takuba in 2020 and it has some 250 military personnel as part of Minusma.
Takuba was established as a partial successor to Barkhane, France’s counter-terrorism operation in the West African Sahel region that French President Emmanuel Macron has started to reduce from its initial 5,000-strong force.
It comprises some 14 European countries, which provide special forces, logistical and tactical support to work alongside regional forces for targeted operations against Islamist militants.
French officials have said it will discuss with its partners how to respond operationally, but have acknowledged that some countries in the mission are particularly uneasy after the arrival in Mali of private military contractors from the Russian Wagner Group, whose members are mostly ex-service personnel.
Most of Takuba’s operations are in the west African country.
Mali’s military-led interim government, which wants to extend its mandate for five years, has accused Paris of abandoning it and contracted Wagner, a move France and its allies have said was incompatible with their military presence.
Linde said the confirmed arrival of the Wagner group and the junta’s efforts to stay in power were unacceptable.
“We now know (there) is the Wagner group … and if they have a stronger impact then it will not be possible to continue with those large numbers of troops from us,” she said, adding that the Swedish parliament would debate Mali next week.
“Of course it will have consequences.”
A French military source said Sweden had always planned to withdraw troops after two years and that its mandate ended in March. The source said Swedish officers would remain part of the mission.
The European Union will impose sanctions on Mali in line with measures already taken by the ECOWAS grouping of West African states over the junta’s delay in holding elections following a 2020 coup, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Reuters)
14 Jan 22. New research demonstrates the value of defence in boosting UK prosperity. Research by Oxford Economics has revealed the extent to which BAE Systems contributes to the UK economy through jobs, research & development and national supply chains. In addition to developing skills and technologies critical for the defence of the nation, the research highlights that BAE Systems’ operations are helping to drive increased productivity and support the Government’s levelling up agenda.
The Company’s significant UK footprint across more than 50 sites and extensive supply chain mean that in 2020, it supported 143,000 jobs across the country and contributed more than £10 billion to UK GDP, equivalent to 0.5% of the domestic economy.
Charles Woodburn, BAE Systems Chief Executive, said: “Our sector not only supports our national defence and security, but also provides unparalleled economic value which drives the UK’s prosperity. The investment we make in highly skilled jobs, research & development and our extensive supply chain supports thousands of companies and tens of thousands of people and the communities in which they live.”
Minister for Defence Procurement, Jeremy Quin MP, said: “In every region of the UK, Defence is driving prosperity, protecting the economy, providing jobs and building skills.
“BAE Systems is a leading light in that progress, helping us level up the country by supporting tens of thousands of jobs as we build back better from COVID-19. Through the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy, we are deepening the relationship between government, industry and academia to bolster British innovation.”
Data published in the ‘BAE Systems’ contribution to the UK economy’ report, shows that in addition to the Company’s own 35,300 highly skilled UK employees, nearly 59,000 jobs are supported across the supply chain with more than 49,000 jobs supported through employee and supplier spending.
The Company has 5,000 UK suppliers from Scotland to the south west of England who benefitted from £3.8 billion worth of spend in 2020. With more than 40% of its employees based in the UK’s most deprived local authorities, BAE Systems also spent £700 million with companies in these areas, making a significant impact to the local communities where it operates and playing a key role in ‘levelling up’.
More than two-thirds of the Company’s UK employees are in engineering-related roles and the research found that the highly skilled and technical nature of their work results in an average productivity of £83,000 per employee. That’s 17% higher than the UK manufacturing sector and almost 30% higher than the average across the whole economy.
To ensure a robust pipeline of talent for the future, the Company invested £93 million in skills, training and development activities in 2020. That included more than 2,000 apprentices and nearly 600 graduates in training across a wide range of roles from electronics and electrical, structural, software and research engineers, to manufacturing, operations and project management. Continuing its support for young people, BAE Systems will this year recruit almost 1,700 apprentices and graduates across the country – 25% up on last year and the largest intake it has offered in a single year.
As well as investing in people, BAE Systems continues to invest in research & development, self-funding more than £100 million of research in the UK and being the ninth largest patent applicant in the UK. The Company also delivered more than £1.1 billion of research activity on behalf of the UK Government, helping the country to drive technological innovation.
The global nature of BAE Systems, which has operations in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and the US means that the Company was able to export £3.9bn worth of goods and services from the UK – equivalent to 0.7% of all UK exports in 2020.
BATTLESPACE Comment: BATTLESPACE Editor Julian Nettlefold asked the question about the problems SMEs have in protecting their Intellectual Property when dealing with large companies such as BAE and Dstl. Stephen Phipson of Make UK said that there was certainly a perception that failure to protect IP was deterring SMEs to create JVs with big companies, but they are working on this developing new ways of contracting. Luke Georgiou of Manchester University said that establishing a framework agreement with BAE in particular had streamlined any IP concerns.
13 Jan 22. Duke of York’s military titles ‘returned to the Queen.’ Buckingham Palace said the move has been given “with the Queen’s approval and agreement”. The Duke of York’s military titles and royal patronages have been returned to the Queen, Buckingham Palace has announced.
In a statement, the Palace said: “With the Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to the Queen.
“The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”
The Duke’s military titles which have been returned to the Queen are: Colonel of the Grenadier Guards; Honorary air commodore of RAF Lossiemouth; Colonel-in-chief of the Royal Irish Regiment; Colonel-in-chief of the Small Arms School Corps; Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm; Royal colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers; Deputy colonel-in-chief of The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths’ Own); and Royal colonel of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
He also had several overseas honorary roles, including: Colonel-in-chief of the Queen’s York Rangers; Colonel-in-chief of The Royal Highland Fusiliers Of Canada; Colonel-in-chief of the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment (The Duke of York’s Own); and Colonel-in-chief of the Princess Louise Fusiliers (in Nova Scotia, Canada).
The Ministry of Defence said it would not be commenting.
Prince Andrew is facing the prospect of a court appearance in a sexual assault civil trial in the United States.
Virginia Giuffre is suing the duke in the US for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager.
The duke has strenuously denied the allegations.
(Source: forces.net)
12 Jan 22. Royal Navy has ‘lost its ambition’, says outgoing Sea Lord in parting shot. Vice-Admiral Nick Hine turns his guns on ‘pedants and naysayers’ as he criticises a ‘self-censoring, risk averse’ culture.
The Royal Navy has “lost its ambition”, the outgoing Second Sea Lord has said, as he criticised “traditionalists” reluctant to embrace new technology and AI.
In his valedictory letter, Vice-Admiral Nick Hine, the Second Sea Lord, turned his guns on “pedants and naysayers” holding the Navy back.
The note, addressed to all Navy personnel, Royal Marines and civil servants, did not single out individuals but instead praised those who “strive so hard for the success of the organisation today, tomorrow and always”.
Vice-Adml Hine said: “Those of you who have known me for a long time will have heard many times my bugbear that our great Navy has lost its ambition.
“I have despaired at times that collectively, we had become self-censoring, risk averse, and lacking in curiosity, confidence and critical thinking skills.
“We have these qualities but have allowed a rose-tinted view of tradition, and a spurious belief that you can avoid risk by sticking to a failing status quo, to avoid driving transformation.”
‘Be bolder in the face of the future’
Vice-Adml Hine, who retires after 37 years of service, has spoken in the past of the Navy’s need to sacrifice “organisational sacred cows” blocking progress, as well as how a tradition of caution is part of Royal Navy culture.
He is known to admire Adml Jackie Fisher, a Royal Navy legend seen as an outstanding innovator whose reforms helped transform the fleet into a modern fighting force at the start of the 20th century.
Speaking exclusively to The Telegraph, Vice-Adml Hine said the ingrained bureaucracy of the military sometimes gets in the way of progress.
“The one thing you can’t buy is time,” he said.
Vice-Adml Hine said transforming the Navy would rely on changing its culture. “I don’t need people to pull ropes,” he said. “I need people to pull data.”
His critical comments are directed at those who have failed to embrace new technologies such as drones, robotic mine hunters and artificial intelligence.
Handing over as deputy head of the Royal Navy to Vice-Adml Martin Connell, Vice-Adml Hine said he had made it his mission during his two and a half years in post to challenge all naval personnel “to grasp the nettle, to be bolder in the face of the future and to truly be the people that you can be”.
“I have been heartened that there are so many people prepared to give their all to move the service in the right direction and at the pace needed,” he said.
“As I go, I say to those who would prefer to have the brakes on, the pedants and naysayers, remain critical (always) but please understand that the need for, and the value of change is not a fantasy – if we don’t transform we will fail and we will lose. It is that simple.”
The Telegraph understands the First Sea Lord – the head of the Royal Navy – saw the letter before publication and is happy with its contents, as it emphasises the need to be more efficient and use money more wisely.
A naval source said: “The transformation programme has delivered some successes, but there are some in the older generation who are resistant to change. They know what they bloody well like and like what they bloody well know.”
“If they don’t get on the bus, they’ll get run over by it.”
Vice-Adml Hine said he was “saddened” he had “not been able to realise the level of ambition that I know is possible and needed”.
He called on all personnel “to be braver and more audacious to help lead this great service to the position that it and all of you deserve…to be ready in all respects to win whenever and wherever”.
He added: “Strive to leave the service in a better place than you found it.
“Be better than yesterday. I hope that remains any legacy I have.” (Source: Daily Telegraph)
13 Jan 22. Nato honesty on Ukraine could avert conflict with Russia, The alliance should affirm it has no plan to accept Kyiv’s membership bid, in return for a drawdown of Moscow’s forces. Monday’s US-Russia talks over the Ukraine crisis resolved little. Yet they did lay bare the core disagreement driving the most dangerous tensions in Europe in recent memory: the question of Ukraine’s aspirations to Nato membership. After the meeting, Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s chief negotiator, said it was essential that Ukraine “never, never, ever becomes a member of Nato”. Wendy Sherman, US deputy secretary of state, countered: “We will not allow anyone to slam closed Nato’s open door policy, which has always been central to the Nato alliance.” The difference appears irreconcilable. After all, Nato’s founding document leaves open the option of inviting new members “in a position to . . . contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area”. For Nato, Russia’s demand as formulated is a non-starter.
But Nato has not invited Ukraine to join, and the allies have no intention of doing so. If it can defuse this crisis, the alliance should describe its actual policy, rather than continuing to joust with Moscow over abstract principles. The dispute over Ukraine has a long vintage. As early as 1997, former Russian foreign minister Yevgeny Primakov told his counterparts that Nato’s admission of Ukraine would cross a “red line”. When Ukraine and Georgia’s membership bids began to seem more plausible in the 2000s, Russia’s opposition became more vocal. This created a vicious cycle. The louder Moscow protested, the more determined western capitals became to deny Russia what was seen as a veto over alliance decision-making. The issue was no longer the merits of Kyiv and Tbilisi’s bids for membership, but the perception that Russia could determine alliance policy. Events reached a peak at Nato’s Bucharest summit in 2008. The George W Bush administration had been pushing hard to grant Ukraine and Georgia Membership Action Plans (MAPs), road maps to eventual accession. Germany and France believed that Ukraine and Georgia were not ready, but all allies wanted to avoid being seen as bowing to Russian pressure. In an unusual compromise, allied leaders stated in a summit communiqué that Ukraine and Georgia “will become” Nato members — without saying when — but denied them MAPs. After the summit, it became clear that this declaration was the worst of all worlds. It provided no increased security to Ukraine and Georgia, but reinforced Moscow’s view that Nato was set on incorporating them.
Since Bucharest, the assertion that the two former Soviet republics “will become” members has calcified into Nato dogma, largely because Russia continues to reject it so stridently. Leaders reiterate it at every summit. But the reality is that Nato has no plan to offer membership to Ukraine or Georgia — or even grant them a MAP. Nato cannot and should not accept being told what to do by Russia. But Moscow’s inflammatory rhetoric should not distract from the fact that Nato is not prepared to offer Ukraine membership. If doing so could avert a war, why not find some way to say out loud what any Nato official would say behind closed doors: that Ukraine’s membership in Nato is not being considered? Some object that such a step would violate the principle of a state’s “right freely to choose its own security arrangements”. Yet even if Russia were not massing a huge force on Ukraine’s borders, it is disingenuous for Nato to insist on this principle while remaining unwilling to grant Kyiv its choice. Continuing to do so amid the present tensions does nothing to help Ukraine, and could make things worse. Regardless, Nato would not be acting contrary to this principle if it were to declare that, while Ukraine is free to pursue membership, the alliance is not offering it membership at present. That is a factually accurate statement. Such a declaration of restraint would not be unprecedented. In December 1996, Nato allies declared they had “no intention, no plan and no reason to deploy nuclear weapons on the territory of new members” — the so-called “three no’s”. This declaration was made before any of the new members joined the alliance. If it was acceptable for Nato to make such a commitment to self-restraint 25 years ago, it should be acceptable today. A statement that the alliance has no intention to offer Ukraine membership at present should only be made in return for a tangible drawdown of Russian forces on the border. It concedes nothing to declare that Nato is not planning to do something it has no intention of doing anyway. If acknowledging this reality averts a conflict that might destroy Ukraine and destabilise Europe, that seems like a small price to pay. (Source: FT.com)
11 Jan 22. New UK military air traffic management suite falls far short of savings goals. The first element of a major overhaul of Britain’s military air traffic management system has gone fully operational, but the Ministry of Defence has admitted the projected savings expected from the program are drastically reduced. The Royal Air Force base at Shawbury, Shropshire, the home of British military helicopter flying training, is the first of more than 60 sites in the U.K. and abroad to begin using updated systems and support as part of a £1.5bn transformation of air traffic management awarded to Aquila Air Traffic Management Services in 2014. The introduction of cutting-edge technology as the result of what is known as the Marshall Programme will be a major step forward for Britain’s aging defense air traffic management capabilities, but it has come at a greater-than-expected cost. In other words, the savings achieved from the program during its 22-year life will amount to only one-third of the forecast at the time of contract signing.
At the time of the award to Aquila, an industry partnership of Thales UK and National Air Traffic Services, the MoD forecast savings of up to £1bn, or $1.36bn.
In the announcement Jan. 7, 2022, the MoD said savings would be no more than £317m, or $432m, over the course of the program.
“Programme Marshall will save hundreds of millions of pounds for the taxpayer as it continues to deliver for U.K. Armed Forces by providing cutting-edge air traffic management technology,” said a spokesman.
The MoD hasn’t given a reason for the savings discrepancy, but sources say several factors were behind a revision of the optimistic figures in late 2014.
These are thought to include an increase in the number of staff required to deliver the program and a government decision that value-added tax for contracted services needed to be applied on the deal.
The timing, such as meeting the initial operating capability, also has been an issue.
At the original program approval in 2014 the completion of the equipment installation was scheduled for March 2021.
Against a background of mounting program difficulties the schedule was reset in 2017-2018, to December 2024.
Full operating capability across more than 60 MoD sites remains on track for 2024.
Despite the savings and scheduling setbacks the MoD announcement appears to set the seal on a significant turnaround in the fortunes of a program which at one time was heavily criticized by the government’s powerful Infrastructure and Projects Authority as appearing to be “unachievable” due to the difficulties it was in.
By last year, the Authority, which reports to the Cabinet Office and the Treasury, said that it was “probable” the project would be successfully completed.
The new capability includes a £400 m ($545 m) investment in new surveillance radars and a wide range of equipment such as tower systems, new surveillance and navigation aids and radios.
The deal between Aquila and the MoD saw the industry partnership contracted to supply, maintain and install new and updated air traffic management equipment and train maintainers and operators over a 22-year period.
The program combines into a single deal what was previously more than 70 individual contracts in the defense air traffic management sector.
Aside from sites in the U.K. the British are installing the Marshall equipment at overseas bases as well, including Gibraltar, the Falklands and Cyprus.
Gibraltar is expected to be the first overseas location to benefit from Marshall. Supply of equipment to upgrade the Falkland Islands military air traffic management system is also en route. Two new systems for deployed operations are also included in the program. (Source: Defense News)
11 Jan 22. French defence victory could mean a defeat for European co-operation. UAE’s Rafale deal tilts balance of power in combat air systems project towards Paris. UAE’s order will guarantee production of the Rafale until 2031 and work for more than 400 French companies in the supply chain. There were two reasons for France’s defence industry to celebrate when the United Arab Emirates agreed to buy 80 Rafale fighters from Dassault Aviation last month. First, it was sweet revenge for the humiliation last autumn when Australia walked away from a submarine deal in favour of an alliance with the US. There must have been a frisson of satisfaction in Paris when Abu Dhabi, days after agreeing to buy the French fighter, suspended talks with the US on the purchase of Lockheed Martin’s F-35. Second, the UAE’s order — worth an estimated €14bn — will guarantee production of the Rafale through to 2031, as well as work for more than 400 French companies in the supply chain.
It will also help fund France’s investment in future upgrades to the Rafale, which is now expected to be in service through the 2050s. Yet, while the deal has a lot going for it from a French perspective, it risks destabilising Europe’s efforts at defence collaboration. For it strengthens Dassault’s hand in the still-troublesome negotiations with Airbus’s German-based defence division over Europe’s proposed Future Combat Air System (FCAS). The last time Dassault — and by extension the French defence ministry — felt it wasn’t getting what it needed from a European fighter programme, it walked away. The result was Dassault’s Rafale. Launched in 2017 by former German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron, FCAS was an overtly political project. It showed both countries’ determination to bolster Europe’s sovereign military capability after Britain’s exit from the EU. In 2019, Spain joined the programme. The problems began when politicians handed it to industry. From the start, it was marked by squabbling over technology sharing and leadership of the most critical parts of the programme. The fighting was exacerbated by fundamentally different ideas of what collaboration meant. “French collaboration is making sure you get the most effective output,” generally under French leadership, says one European defence executive. “In Germany, it is partly about the best athlete, but also about industrial workshare.” The project also forced together two bitter rivals — Dassault and Airbus Defence and Space. But last year it seemed Europe’s political ambitions had gained the upper hand.
A deal on basic principles was struck and industrial agreements were reached on six of the project’s seven pillars, spanning manned and unmanned aircraft, space and terrestrial communications, cutting-edge stealth technologies, artificial intelligence and more. But divisions remain on the seventh pillar — the next-generation fighter jet itself — and there is no sign of imminent compromise. Both sides have logical reasons for digging in their heels. Dassault, standard bearer of France’s sovereignty in combat aircraft, argues it needs to develop and manage the crucial flight-control system itself, for example. But Germany understandably expects its industry to have access to the technology, having pledged billions for the project. It is in this context that the UAE’s Rafale deal could tilt the balance, argues Francis Tusa, consultant and editor of Defence Analysis newsletter. “It has changed the equation,” he says. “France no longer needs Germany. The profits they get from the UAE deal will finance upgrades to Rafale.” “The days for the project are numbered unless the Germans understand where they are in the pecking order,” Tusa adds. “They are not equals in industrial capability.” Meanwhile, the new German government’s plans to codify into law the country’s tougher restrictions on arms exports — potentially limiting them to just Nato and the EU — is adding to tensions. Such constraints on exports “would be a deal killer”, said one French defence executive. It would be a significant blow to Europe’s defence ambitions if France chose to walk away again from a European fighter. It would be a failure, too, for Macron, who has prioritised collaboration during France’s presidency of the EU. But presidential elections are looming in April and the Dassault family does not just control a key French defence company. It owns the politically influential Le Figaro newspaper. Ultimately, while only politicians on both sides can resolve the stand off, that may have to wait until France goes to the polls. But the longer the stalemate continues, the greater the risk for Europe that its latest test case of co-operation begins to fall apart. (Source: Google/ FT.com)
11 Jan 22. Royal Navy assumes command of key NATO task force. The Royal Navy today took charge of NATO’s most important task force with a ceremony aboard aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales in Portsmouth. For the next 12 months it is responsible for leading the alliance’s Maritime High Readiness Force – an international task group formed to deal with major global events. The most senior sea-going staff in the Royal Navy – Commander UK Strike Force, headed by Rear Admiral Mike Utley – takes charge of the force, with HMS Prince of Wales serving as NATO Command Ship, ready to deploy in support of NATO exercises and operations throughout the year. Those will include major workouts for British and allied forces in the Arctic at the end of the winter, Baltic in the summer, and an extensive deployment to the Mediterranean in the autumn. To mark the formal transfer of command from the French Navy, the NATO flag was raised aboard the carrier today during a ceremony where Fleet Commander, Vice Admiral Andrew Burns, supported by Captain Steve Higham, Prince of Wales’s Commanding Officer, inspected some of the ship’s company before addressing them. Commander UK Strike Force underwent thorough training and preparations for the complex challenge of directing a large, multi-national naval force.
“Our battle staff have been preparing for this responsibility over the last 12 months by exercising and developing the capabilities required, which culminated in NATO’s Dynamic Mariner exercise in September 2021,” Admiral Utley said.
“This exercise demonstrated to our NATO allies that the UK’s carrier strike capability will strengthen NATO countries’ long-term ability to work side-by-side and our commitment to each other.”
As well as a test of the battle staff, it will be the first test of HMS Prince of Wales since the carrier was declared fully operational at the beginning of autumn following two intensive years of trials and training.
The ship is due to sail tomorrow, raising the curtain of a demanding year in the waters of the Atlantic, northern Europe and Mediterranean.
“This year, as the NATO Command Ship, we will spend over 200 days at sea operating globally with our allies. We are ready to lead UK carrier operations for NATO over the next 12 months,” said Captain Steve Higham, Prince of Wales’s Commanding Officer.
First up is leading naval involvement in Cold Response 22, a large-scale Norwegian led NATO exercise which will be used to evaluate Rear Admiral Utley and his staff as the Commander of the NATO Response Force.
“NATO is the cornerstone of the UK defence and our commitment to the alliance is absolute and it is a privilege to be the UK Maritime Component Commander moving into our vital role this year,” Admiral Utley stressed. “The Royal Navy is global, modern, ready and well placed to support NATO in all its endeavours.”
As the year moves on, the staff will also help train and ready the Turkish Navy who will assume command of the NRF from the UK in 2023.
Commander UK Strike Force (COMUKSTRKFOR) is the Royal Navy’s deployable 2* operational battle staff at five days’ notice to deploy and command operations, and Commands the UKSTRKFOR Enterprise. The latter comprises the Maritime Battle Staff; the 1* Commanders of the UK Carrier Strike Group, Commando Force HQ, as well as the Mine Warfare Battle Staff, the Royal Navy’s Forward Logistics Site and the Maritime Deployed Hospital Group; 1* Maritime Warfare (MARWAR), including the Maritime Warfare Centre and Maritime Capability, Trials and Assessment; and has an administrative function over Commander Flag Officer Sea Training (COM FOST). (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
10 Jan 22. How chic Parisian lunches led to bribery claims over a crucial French fighter jet deal. Thales court battle threatens to take shine off France-India defence agreement. Laurent restaurant in Paris’s chic eighth arrondissement has long been a draw for the Parisian establishment. Nestled behind the Champs-Élysées in what was once Louis XIV’s hunting lodge, the Michelin-starred restaurant is a few minute’s walk from the Élysée Palace, official home of the French president. It was here that in the summer of 2011 key figures from France’s multi-billion euro defence industry are alleged to have met to try and push forward a lucrative defence deal that would help their company and strengthen France’s ties with a fast-growing economic power in the east.
Sanjay Bhandari, a self-described “well-known commercial intermediary” in the defence sector, claims he was invited here in 2011 to meet with Francois Dupont, managing director in India of Thales, the French defence giant which makes parts for Dassault Aviation’s Rafale fighter jet, and Guy Delevacque, formerly senior vice president of global sales at Thales.
Bhandari and Dupont had earlier met at the nearby five-star Plaza Athénée Hotel, Bhandari says.
In court papers, he claims he had “a longstanding commercial relationship [with Thales] since 1996” and the company now needed his help to win a €1.5bn (£1.2bn) deal with India to modernise the Mirage 2000 fleet of fighter jets that India had bought from France in 1982.
Bhandari says he set up a meeting in Paris between Delevacque, Dupont and KP Singh, India’s then defence secretary, who was visiting Paris. On July 29, 2011, the Indian government announced it had handed the £1.25bn deal to Thales and Dassault.
Reports trumpeted the “long-tradition” of co-operation between the Indian and French forces, and France’s “pride in contributing to India’s defence for over half a century”. More than 10 years later, however, questions are being raised that may take the shine off the deal.
In a commercial court in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre, Mr Bhandari, who now lives in Britain where he is seeking political asylum, is suing Thales.
He claims he was promised €20m to help Thales secure the contract, but has only been paid €9m. A source close to Mr Bhandari told The Telegraph he was in a “David versus Goliath” fight and “we know who won that fight in the end”.
Defensive manoeuvres
The claim – strongly rejected by Thales – comes at a sensitive time for France and its defence industry. President Emmanuel Macron is still smarting from Australia’s abrupt cancellation in September of a $90bn [£66bn] dollar deal with Paris to build a fleet of submarines, opting for a deal with the US and Britain instead.
It caused a major diplomatic rift, with France recalling its ambassadors from Australia and the US, and French president Emmanuel Macron accusing Scott Morrison, Australia’s prime minister, of lying.
Mr Morrison retorted that “we did not steal an island. We didn’t deface the Eiffel Tower”.
France has been trying to deepen its defence ties with India in the meantime.
In September, France’s foreign affairs minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, agreed to promote “a truly multilateral international order”, highlighting the “relationship of political trust between two great sovereign nations of the Indo-Pacific”.
France is keen to sell India more of its Rafale jets, having delivered almost all of the 36 Rafales that India ordered in 2016 – a $9.3bn deal itself mired in controversy.
On a visit in December, Florence Parly, France’s defence minister, stressed that using the same aircraft was a “real asset and strength”, adding: “I am sure that there is room for new developments.”
India is an “incredibly ripe” market for France, says Francis Tusa, the leading defence analyst. “Can you see France selling submarines to India? Yes, absolutely. Will they sell more Rafales? I would be astounded if they didn’t.”
Le Drian had, Tusa added, “made the Indians believe and understand that France could offer things which India wanted without the sort of overbearing nature of the relationship with the US”.
Fighter jet’s future
Things have been looking up for the Rafale, following years of questions over its success and a blow in June when Switzerland plumped for the US’s F-35 instead.
The UAE went in the opposite direction, ordering 80 Rafale jets along with 12 military helicopters from France in December, and suspending discussions to buy the US’s F-35s, citing technical requirements, operational restrictions, and the costs.
The $20bn deal with France was struck despite concerns over human rights in Yemen, and Abu Dhabi’s dismissal in 2011 of France’s offer of 60 Rafale jets as “uncompetitive and unworkable”.
Overall in 2021, France struck $28bn worth of export defence deals, amounting to an “amazing year”, says Tusa. “The UAE deal is fascinating because it’s actually partly the UAE’s rejection of the United States,” he adds.
What impact Bhandari’s case will have remains to be seen. The case is ongoing, with a judgment expected this year.
Bhandari left India for London in 2016. He is seeking asylum in Britain and fighting extradition to India, where he is wanted on tax evasion and money laundering charges, unrelated to the Thales suit.
He claims the charges are a plot by supporters of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to discredit him due his closeness with the previous Indian administration under the Indian Congress Party, which was ousted in elections in 2014.
In court papers, he describes himself as a “well-known commercial intermediary involved in arms and defence in India”. He adds: “In this capacity, he has worked with major international defence companies to assist them in negotiating arms contracts with the Indian Ministry of Defence.”
A spokesman for Thales said: “Thales firmly denies the claims by Sanjay Bhandari regarding the sums allegedly due or any other payments to him by Thales SA.
“Thales never signed a contract with Mr Bhandari or his companies in connection with this project.
“Thales complies with the law and applies a zero tolerance policy on corruption and influence peddling. The Group’s integrity programme is regularly evaluated and amended to reflect changes in applicable legislation and best practices.” (Source: Daily Telegraph)
10 Jan 22. US SOCEUR to locate forward-based SOF headquarters in Albania. The forward HQ will allow increased interoperability with SOCEUR’s Albanian partners. US Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR) is set to establish a forward-based Special Operations Forces (SOF) headquarters (HQ) in Albania. The latest move is part of an ongoing effort to improve SOF capabilities as a cornerstone for stability within the region. The forward HQ’s location, which will operate on a rotational basis, will allow increased interoperability with SOCEUR’s Albanian partners, and offer key access to transportation hubs in the Balkans region. It will also offer greater logistical flexibility. According to the US European Command (EUCOM), the location reduces travel times and increases the flexibility of the region’s special operations and conventional forces. Special Operations Command Europe commander major general David H Tabor said: “The ability to rapidly move and train within the Balkans, in close coordination with other allied and partner forces, made Albania the best location for this effort.
“Albania remains an important Nato Ally and a valued security partner, both regionally and globally.” (Source: army-technology.com)
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