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22 Jan 21. UK Armed Forces now working in hospitals, vaccine centres, and testing across all four nations.
Armed Forces now working in hospitals, vaccine centres, and testing across all four nations of the UK to support the coronavirus response
- Over 5,000 Armed Forces personnel are now deployed on the largest ever peacetime resilience operation, across all four of the home nations and focused on three strands of the Covid response – testing, vaccines and clinical support for the NHS.
- 20 Vaccine Quick Reaction Force teams have now been deployed and a further 21 are standing-up to double the Armed Forces support available for vaccinating.
- A further 800 defence medics are joining NHS workers on the front line of hospitals across the UK
- 2400 personnel continue to support community testing across England, representing nearly half of the deployed force
Vaccines
As efforts to vaccinate all priority groups continue, 20 Vaccine Quick Reaction Force teams have now been deployed in support of the NHS. These mobile teams have deployed to help administer vaccines wherever requested, including Ashton Gate in Bristol and Southend University in Essex.
The number of teams available to provide short notice vaccine support to the NHS has now increased from 20 to 41 in order to ensure further support can be immediately provided if required by the NHS as it continues to accelerate the vaccine rollout.
This is in addition to the 28 military planners that the MoD has deployed to assist the Vaccine Task Force in Skipton House – including Brigadier Phil Prosser, Commander 101 Logistic Brigade – and a further 200 personnel working across the UK to support organisational and logistical components of the Vaccine Deployment Programme.
In Scotland 88 soldiers from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards are building 80 new vaccine centres for NHS Scotland, and in Wales 90 personnel are deployed to support Health Boards rapidly establish and operate vaccination centres.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said, “Defence medics are now deployed on the homefront in the highest numbers during peacetime, supporting the NHS in testing, vaccinating, and hospitals. Earlier this week, I spoke with Armed Forces personnel deployed in all four corners of the United Kingdom, helping communities across the country to combat the effects of this virus. They are working hard alongside colleagues in the NHS and local authorities, but are ready to do more if and when the call comes.”
Hospitals
Hundreds of defence medics are deploying to NHS hospitals across the UK to work in intensive care units and other patient facing roles, providing vital care alongside NHS professionals, and supported by general duties personnel to fulfil non-clinical roles and help relieve pressure on NHS colleagues wherever they are needed most.
A further 800 medics will join the 1,600 already embedded within the NHS, in a number of locations where support has been requested, including:
- 110 defence medics deploying to support the Department of Health in Northern Ireland
- Over 100 defence medics supporting hospitals in the East of England and Kent
- Over 200 defence medics supporting five hospitals in London
- Around 120 working in NHS hospitals in the Midlands
- Over 100 defence medics supporting hospitals in the South West
- Around 30 defence medics supporting the North West Nightingale hospital
- Driving ambulances for Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust and supporting the vaccine rollout in Wales
- Over 600 general duties personnel are supporting these deployments in non-clinical roles, providing logistics and administrative support to NHS colleagues.
The majority of the 800 defence medics supporting hospitals are trained as Combat Medical Technicians, who in their day job deploy on overseas operations and exercises as medics, work in defence medical centres and provide medical training to fellow Service Personnel.
The standing up of hundreds of defence medics is being achieved without drawing on those personnel who are already working in NHS trusts and with minimal impact to Defence activities, including training and supporting the recovery of military personnel.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, “With over 4.9 million people vaccinated so far across all four corners of the UK, we’re on track to meet our target of offering a vaccine to the most vulnerable groups by February 15th. Everyone can play a part in our fight against the virus and I’m grateful to the extraordinary efforts of our armed forces who are doing their bit to help deliver the biggest medical deployment this country has ever seen. Working alongside our healthcare heroes and local partners, they will help support the roll out of the vaccine as quickly as possible across the UK.”
Testing
Deployments continue in support of community testing across England, with 2,400 military personnel deployed on tasks in Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Kent. The testing programmes are drawing on lessons from last year’s Liverpool pilot, helping to identify asymptomatic cases in specific cohorts and break chains of transmission, helping to keep key workers safe and able to undertake their essential jobs in support of the wider community.
The military have also helped schools and colleges set up testing processes to keep safe the staff, vulnerable children and the children of key workers. There are also c.320 military personnel who are supporting the Department for Transport to test hauliers. Armed Forces personnel have helped to keep millions of tonnes of freight moving between the UK and the continent. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
20 Jan 21. UK to engage with aerospace sector over tariff issues after Brexit. Britain’s Northern Ireland minister said he would engage with the aerospace sector over tariff issues on raw materials.
Asked by a lawmaker about concerns from aerospace companies about an additional tariff which is being placed on goods considered to be ‘at risk’ for the sector which when processed are allowed tariff-free access to the European Union.
“There should not be any tariffs on internal UK trade,” Northern Ireland Minister Brandon Lewis told parliament. “I will be very happy to engage with the sector directly.” (Source: Reuters)
21 Jan 21. New European Parliament report calls for hemming in use of military AI on battlefield. The European Parliament has set out its definitive position on the military uses of artificial intelligence (AI) in a newly adopted report. Noting that the technology can replace neither “human decision-making nor human contact”, it also insists on the need for an EU strategy to prohibit lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS).
“Faced with the multiple challenges posed by the development of AI, we need legal responses,” declared Gilles Lebreton, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from France and author of the new 18-page report, following its overwhelming adoption on 20 January by 364 in favour versus 274 against (with 52 abstentions).
“AI must always remain a tool used only to assist decision-making or help when taking action,” he said, adding that human operators “must be able to correct or disable it in case of unforeseen behaviour”.
His report stresses that human rights must be respected in all EU defence-related activities, with AI-enabled systems allowing humans “to exert meaningful control, so they can assume responsibility and accountability for their use”.
Moreover, it opines that the use of LAWS “raises fundamental ethical and legal questions on human control” and calls for their prohibition as well as a ban on so-called killer robots.
“The decision to select a target and take lethal action using an autonomous weapon system must always be made by a human exercising meaningful control and judgement, in line with the principles of proportionality and necessity,” says the report, adding that the anthropomorphisation of LAWS should be prohibited “in order to rule out any possibility of confusing humans with robots”.(Source: Jane’s)
19 Jan 21. Joint Statement on Carrier Strike Group 2021 Joint Declaration Signing. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and US Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher C. Miller have co-signed the UK-US Joint Declaration for the Carrier Strike Group 2021 deployment.
The Joint Declaration supports UK Carrier Strike Group, led by the UK’s aircraft carrier, HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, on its inaugural deployment this year. The Carrier Strike Group will be complemented by US Marine Corps and US Navy personnel and equipment, including a detachment of US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft and the US Navy’s destroyer, USS THE SULLIVANS (DDG-68).
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said, “This joint declaration paves the way for the US Navy and Marine Corps to be joining the HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH Carrier Strike Group this year for the inaugural Carrier Strike 21 deployment. I am delighted that the UK now possesses a 21st century Carrier Strike capability, which has been greatly assisted by the unswerving support and cooperation of the United States at all levels over the past decade. This deployment embodies the strength of our bilateral ties and reflects the depth and breadth of this vital defence and security partnership.”
The UK reached a major milestone in December when it declared its Carrier Strike programme had achieved Initial Operating Capability following a series of multi-national exercises throughout 2020. This Joint Declaration paves the way for a successful inaugural operational deployment of the UK Carrier Strike Group alongside its allies. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
15 Jan 21. E3 Statement on the JCPoA: 16 January 2021. The governments of France, Germany and the United Kingdom respond to Iranian plans to produce uranium metal. Statement by the governments of France, Germany and the United Kingdom: “We, the governments of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, are deeply concerned by Iran’s announcement that it is preparing to produce uranium metal.
Iran has no credible civilian use for uranium metal. The production of uranium metal has potentially grave military implications. Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), Iran committed to not engaging in production of uranium metal or conducting research and development on uranium metallurgy for 15 years.
We strongly urge Iran to halt this activity, and return to compliance with its JCPoA commitments without further delay if it is serious about preserving the deal”. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
15 Jan 21. Erdogan hopes for positive steps on F-35 jet programme in Biden term. President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday he hoped positive steps will be taken on Turkey’s role in the F-35 jet programme once U.S. President-elect Joe Biden takes office, describing Ankara’s exclusion for purchasing Russian defences as a “serious wrong”.
Last month, Washington imposed long-anticipated sanctions on Turkey’s defence industry over its acquisition of S-400 missile defence systems from Moscow, in a move Turkey called a “grave mistake”.
The United States has also removed fellow NATO member Turkey from the F-35 programme over the move.
Washington says the S-400s pose a threat to its F-35 fighter jets and to NATO’s broader defence systems. Turkey rejects this, saying S-400s will not be integrated into NATO and purchasing them was a necessity as it was unable to procure air defence systems from any NATO ally on satisfactory terms.
“No country can determine the steps we will take toward the defence industry, that fully depends on the decisions we make,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul, adding Ankara was in talks to procure a second shipment of S-400s from Russia and would hold talks on the issue later this month.
“We don’t know what the Biden administration will say at this stage (on the S-400s),” he added. “Despite having paid a serious fee on the F-35s, the F-35s still have not been given to us. This is a serious wrong the United States did against us as a NATO ally,” he said.
“My hope is that, after we hold talks with Biden as he takes office, we will take much more positive steps and put these back on track.”
Biden will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, replacing incumbent Donald Trump, with whom Erdogan had a close relationship. Ankara has said it hopes for better with Washington then.
Erdogan hopes for positive steps on F-35 jet programme in Biden term
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday he hoped positive steps will be taken on Turkey’s role in the F-35 jet programme once U.S. President-elect Joe Biden takes office, describing Ankara’s exclusion for purchasing Russian defences as a “serious wrong”.
Last month, Washington imposed long-anticipated sanctions on Turkey’s defence industry over its acquisition of S-400 missile defence systems from Moscow, in a move Turkey called a “grave mistake”.
The United States has also removed fellow NATO member Turkey from the F-35 programme over the move.
Washington says the S-400s pose a threat to its F-35 fighter jets and to NATO’s broader defence systems. Turkey rejects this, saying S-400s will not be integrated into NATO and purchasing them was a necessity as it was unable to procure air defence systems from any NATO ally on satisfactory terms.
“No country can determine the steps we will take toward the defence industry, that fully depends on the decisions we make,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul, adding Ankara was in talks to procure a second shipment of S-400s from Russia and would hold talks on the issue later this month.
“We don’t know what the Biden administration will say at this stage (on the S-400s),” he added. “Despite having paid a serious fee on the F-35s, the F-35s still have not been given to us. This is a serious wrong the United States did against us as a NATO ally,” he said.
“My hope is that, after we hold talks with Biden as he takes office, we will take much more positive steps and put these back on track.”
Biden will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, replacing incumbent Donald Trump, with whom Erdogan had a close relationship. Ankara has said it hopes for better with Washington then. (Source: Reuters)
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Founded in 1987, Exensor Technology is a world leading supplier of Networked Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS) Systems providing tailored sensor solutions to customers all over the world. From our Headquarters in Lund Sweden, our centre of expertise in Network Communications at Communications Research Lab in Kalmar Sweden and our Production site outside of Basingstoke UK, we design, develop and produce latest state of the art rugged UGS solutions at the highest quality to meet the most stringent demands of our customers. Our systems are in operation and used in a wide number of Military as well as Home land Security applications worldwide. The modular nature of the system ensures any external sensor can be integrated, providing the user with a fully meshed “silent” network capable of self-healing. Exensor Technology will continue to lead the field in UGS technology, provide our customers with excellent customer service and a bespoke package able to meet every need. A CNIM Group Company
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