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en-gb2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00proiect@nospam.comhourly12000-01-01T12:00+00:00U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Lansez acest topic care, cred eu, merita sa apara de mai demult in acest forum. Incep cu informatii de actualitate:Regimentul de Parasutisti (care da peste 50% din SAS si Special Forces Support Group), cele 5 batalioane de garda si Regimentul de cavalerie de garda se afla in fruntea listei unitatilor care vor fi ocolite de reducerile drastice din cadrul trupelor de uscat britanice, al caror efectiv urmeaza sa scada pana in 2020 de la circa 100,000, cat au in prezent, la 82,000. Din cele 36 de batalioane de infanterie vor ramane 25. Va mai scapa Royal Irish Regiment, fiind compus dintr-un singur batalion. Au motive sa se teama de reduceri:- Royal Regiment of Scotland, care va pierde, probabil, 1 dintre cele 5 batalioane (si asa au dificultati la recrutare)- Yorkshire Regiment - Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment- The Rifles- Royal Gurkha Rifles -Royal Logistic Corps va fi redus cu 25% pana la 12,000 de militari; -Royal Corps of Engineers va pierde 30% din efective si va ajunge la 5,500 de oameni, iar Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers va pierde un efectiv egal.-Din 15 regimente de artilerie (a se intelege batalioane/divizioane) vor mai ramane doua treimi; majoritatea autotunurilor AS90 vor fi trecute in conservare sau redistribuite unitatilor armatei teritoriale. -La fel se va intampla si cu cele 5 regimente de tancuri si cele 5 regimente de recunoastere blindate (a se citi din nou batalioane) ale Royal Armoured Corps. - Army Air Corps va pierde unele elicoptere mai vechi, preum Lynx, dar flota de Apache nu va avea de suferitPer total, vor ramane 5 brigazi de arme intrunite si brigada 16 asalt aerian ca unitate de reactie rapida a armatei. Cel mai probabil, cele 5 brigazi vor ramane in cadrul celor doua divizii ale armatei active, 1 si 3. Ultima data in istorie cand efectivul armatei britanice de uscat s-a situat in jurul cifrei de 80,000 de oameni a fost in anii 1820. Sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuEfectivele Royal Air Force vor fi reduse de la 44,000 la 39,000 de oameni, iar cele apartinand Royal Navy de la 35,000 la 30,000. Dupa cum se stie, portavioanele HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious (care deja nu mai au avioane dupa ce flota de Harrier a fost scoasa din serviciu) vor fi retrase in 2014. Cu toate acestea, pilotii din Aviatia Navala (Fleet Air Arm) nu au a se teme de reduceri. Ma intreb ce vor face daca problemele cu F-35, care am inteles ca vor echipa cele doua noi portavioane aflate in constructie, vor persista.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuCand mai aveau 10% din orele de antrenament, cam un sfert din viitorii piloti ai RAF s-au trezot pusi pe liber din ratiuni de economii financiare. Astfel, au fost vizati 20 de piloti de avioane de vantoare, 30 de piloti de elicoptere si 50 de piloti de avioane de transport. Asta in conditiile in care numerosi piloti apropiati de varsta pensionarii vor fi trecuti in rezerva. In prezent, RAF are cam 210 piloti de vanatoare, 220 de piloti de avioane de transport si recunoastere si 220 de piloti de elicopter.RAF va ramane doar cu o jumatate din avioanele de tip Tornado, adica 60, iar numarul total de avioane de tip Eurofighter va ajunge la 160, dupa care nu vor mai fi achizitionate alte avioane de acest tip. Sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuPe aceeasi tema:Army to shrink to smallest size since Boer war while reservists' role bolstered• Regulars to fall from 100,000 to 84,000 after 2014• £1.5bn earmarked to beef up reserves and fund equipment• Money to cover 14 delayed Chinooks and three spy planesRichard Norton-Taylorguardian.co.uk, Sunday 17 July 2011 23.43 BSTArticle historyThe army will be reduced to its smallest size since the Boer war under plans to be announced by Liam Fox, the defence secretary, on Monday.It will shrink from more than 100,000 regulars to about 84,000, as reforms will make reserves better trained and better paid, officials said. The shake-up will take place after British troops give up their combat role in Afghanistan in 2014.The Treasury has agreed to bolster the defence budget, with £1.5bn earmarked to help pay for beefed-up reserves and more funding for military equipment.The money will pay for 14 delayed Chinook helicopters due to come into service after 2014, three new US Rivet spy planes, and upgrades to the army's Warrior armoured vehicles.A review has proposed that the Territorial Army should retain its current strength of 36,000, but about 5,000 reservists should be trained for frontline operations. Reservists would also contribute more to "homeland security" work, dealing with the aftermath of terrorist attacks and civil emergencies.The review was conducted by General Sir Nicholas Houghton, vice-chief of the defence staff, Julian Brazier, Conservative MP and former TA officer, and Lt Gen Graeme Lamb, former head of the UK's special forces. It is understood their proposals have been accepted by Fox.The defence secretary will also announce specialist roles for the reserves, including cyber security, intelligence, foreign language skills and medical services.According to officials, the foreword to the reserves review says: "Our commission has concluded that the UK's reserve forces are in need of significant revitalisation and reorientation. Although continuing to do a remarkable job in many areas … the wider picture is one of relative neglect and decline". Britain deploys proportionately fewer reservists than other Nato countries – below 20%, compared with more than 50% for the US, 44% in Canada, and 37% in Australia.Fox is expected to announce that RAF Leuchars is to close, to house soldiers leaving Germany between now and 2020. The RAF will left with one base in Scotland — RAF Lossiemouth. The decision to transfer the two RAF Typhoon squadrons from Leuchars to Lossiemouth is understood to have been made only last Friday, though there has been speculation for months.The military already faces other major plans to change its structure.Under reforms to the Ministry of Defence published last month, senior members of the military will lose their jobs if they let costs get out of control and fail to manage budgets. The heads of the army, Royal Navy and RAF will be held accountable as never before, and responsible for cutting the number of officers.All three services have become overloaded with top brass, according to the report by Lord Levene, chairman of Lloyd's of London. His proposals have been accepted by the coalition government.Levene noted that inter-service rivalry had added to the problems and he recommended the creation of a new joint forces command, headed by a high-ranked commander, as one way of breaking down the barriers between them. Fox last month sought to calm fears within the army over possible further cuts. Though it is committed to making tthousands of redundancies, there has been speculation that the army would be in line for more in order to prick a ballooning defence budget. "We have no plans to reduce the size of the army in this parliament," Fox told MPs.sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuIn ceea ce priveste organizarea Trupelor de Uscat, s-a operat o reducere a rangului comandantilor si o reorganizare a structurilor de comanda: Higher CommandAs part of Defence Reforms, the Army has adopted a revised top level command structure which took effect on 01 Nov 2011.The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) now commands a single Army Staff which works out of a new Army HQ in Andover. CGS exercises command of the Army through three 3 star subordinate commanders: Commander Land Forces (CLF), Commander Force Development and Training (FDT) and the Adjutant General (AG).Commander Land Forces is the primus inter pares at 3 star. He acts as the Chief of the General Staff's deputy and he is the commander responsible for delivering the Army's principal outputs. The Field Army, the Reserves, the Firm Base and the Joint Helicopter Command are integrated through the establishment of a Land Force Command.The Assistant Chief of the General Staff (ACGS) provides control and coordination across the 3 star subordinate commands from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) with the Chief of Staff Land Forces (COS LF) as his representative in the Army Headquarters in Andover.This new, modernised structure was devised to enhance the Army's interaction with Defence, the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force and other UK Government agencies. It will also deliver greater efficiency while aligning the Army's peacetime practices with its operational modus operandi in order to allow the Army to continue to exploit success.sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuIn fine, zilele acestea a luat nastere o noua structura, un comandament operativ intrunit de 4 stele, capabil sa coordoneze unitati ale celor trei categorii de forte. Intrebarea este daca va mai avea ce coordona, avand in vedere ca reducerile viitoare si problemele de inzestrare ar putea afecta serios capacitatea operativa a fortelor britanice.New Joint Forces Command establishedA Defence Policy and Business news article2 Apr 12The new Joint Forces Command (JFC) achieved Initial Operating Capability today, 2 April 2012. The launch of the Joint Forces Command is a major milestone in the MOD's Transforming Defence programme - the most significant programme of Defence reform for a generation.To mark the establishment of the new Joint Forces Command today Secretary of State for Defence Philip Hammond MP, attended a ceremonial event at JFC's new Northwood headquarters. The Defence Secretary also unveiled a plaque to mark the event.The Joint Forces Command has been established to ensure that a range of vital military capabilities, functions and organisations – such as medical services, training and education, intelligence, and cyber – are organised and managed effectively and efficiently to support success on operations.By bringing together a number of joint Defence organisations, the Joint Forces Command will ensure investment in joint capabilities is appropriate and coherent, and strengthen the link between experience in operational theatres and top-level decision-making.The creation of the Joint Forces Command was recommended by the Defence Reform review, led by Lord Levene, as part of the most significant programme of change across the Ministry of Defence in a generation. The report was published in June 2011; and the Joint Forces Command has been designed and delivered from scratch in only nine months.Over the next year, the Joint Forces Command will assume the full range of its planned responsibilities in support of Defence's objectives for current operations, future contingencies, and for the longer term.Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach said:"I am delighted to be in command for the launch of the Joint Forces Command. Throughout my career I have been passionate about the effective delivery of joint capabilities, and I will ensure that, from the very start, the Joint Forces Command places this at the heart of everything it does. Since I took up post in December 2011, I have visited most of our units, overseen our organisation taking shape, and I now look forward to leading it to deliver world-class support to our military forces."Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said:"The establishment of the Joint Forces Command in such a short timeframe is a significant achievement in the delivery of Defence Reform. I look forward to working with Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach as he leads this new Command to deliver a step-change in the way that UK Defence plans, prepares and executes joint operations."On 2 April 2012, the following organisations transferred to the Joint Forces Command:• The Permanent Joint Headquarters (known as PJHQ)• The Permanent Joint Operating Bases in Gibraltar, Cyprus, British Indian Ocean Territory and South Atlantic Islands• The Joint Force Headquarters• The Joint Force Logistics Component• The Joint Counter-Terrorist Training and Advisory Team• The Directorate of Special Forces • The Defence Academy• The Development Concepts and Doctrine Centre• Defence Intelligence • Surgeon General's Headquarters and the Joint Medical Command• The Joint Arms Control Implementation Group• The Defence Centre of Training Support• The Defence Cyber Operations Group.The total number of military and civilian personnel in the Joint Forces Command will be around 30,000 - which includes forces deployed on operations under command of the Chief of Joint Operations. These personnel are at sites across the UK, overseas in the Permanent Joint Operating Bases, and on operations in military theatres around the world, most notably Afghanistan.The headquarters of the Joint Forces Command, situated at Northwood, north of London, at initial operating capability, is a lean structure, consisting of around 150 civilian and military staff.The Command will reach its full operating capability by April 2013, by when it will have assumed additional responsibilities and functions. As the new Command matures, it will continue to develop Defence foundation and joint capabilities.sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuStiu ca interesele strategice ale Marii Britanii si ale Romaniei sunt foarte diferite. Britanicii inca mai au, cat timp isi vor mai permite sa aiba, interese la nivel global. Acest fapt este, totodata, pandantul contextului geostrategic foarte diferit. Nu am pretentia de a face o analiza, ci doar de a puncta cateva diferente. Marea Britanie este o tara insulara ale carei interese vor fi mereu legate de caile maritime de comunicatie si de protejarea rutelor comerciale pe oceanele lumii. Noi, pe de alta parte, suntem o tara predominant continentala, avand, in schimb, la Est un colos ca vecin si care nu e foarte prietenos cu alianta din care facem parte. Marile diferente de potential economic dintre cele doua tari sunt iarasi un factor extrem de important. Rezulta ca, neavand interese globale, nu avem nici o capacitate de proiectie a fortei in diferitele teatre de operatii precum (mai) au britanicii. Asta nu inseamna, cred eu (e posibil sa ma insel) ca nu ar trebui gandita si la noi o structura operativa care sa reuneasca unitati ale celor trei categorii de forte. Si cred ca asa ceva ar fi necesar in orice context, ofensiv sau defensiv. Nu stiu sa existe asa ceva in armata noastra. Nu cred ca SMG poate juca un asemenea rol. Repet, poate ma insel, dar iata ce idei au stat la baza proiectului devenit intre timp Joint Forces Command.Am vazut ca la britanici, mai nou, cei trei sefi ai categoriilor de forte, Chief of the General Staff - CGS (forte terestre), First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff si Chief of Air Staff nu mai participa la consiliile militare prezidate de premier. Asta probabil si din cauza nemultumirilor exprimate in mod repetat, mai ales de catre fostul CGS, generalul Richard Dannatt. Motiv pentru care li s-au dat 'teme pentru acasa'. Rolul lor a devenit mai curand unul administrativ. Astfel, sefii categoriilor de forte vor avea ca principala misiune planificarea capacitatilor. Ei vor avea un control mai strict asupra bugetelor alocate fortelor pe care le conduc (adica vor si da socoteala la sange pentru acesti bani) si vor gestiona balanta pe care se vor afla greutati precum structura personalului, gradul de instruire, echipamentul si sustinerea materiala. Asta pentru a asigura indeplinirea cu eficient a misiunilor primite de catre fortele din subordine. Parca suna cunoscut, nu ? Singurul care isi va pastra functia de consilier militar al premierului si va participa la reuniunile cabinetului va fi seful celor trei, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) ale carui atributii sunt mai 'politice' decat ale subordonatilor sai. Rolul de a coordona problemele de ordin operativ a fost preluat de Joint Forces Command (cu rangul de 4 stele), care reprezinta o structura mai cuprinzatoare decat mai vechiul Permanent Joint Headquarters (cu rang de 3 stele). Repet, nu imi vine sa cred ca SMG-ul ar trebui sa joace un asemenea rol in mod nemijlocit. Consider ca ar fi necesara crearea unei asemenea structuri, care sa fie coordonate de un general/amiral cu 2 sau cel mult 3 stele, avand in vedere capacitatile noastre. Si pentru ca tot veni vorba despre seful SMG-ului lor, am unele observatii de facut cu privire la rotativa intre categoriile de forte la SMG. Vad ca am preluat principiul asta de la americani si de la britanici. Stiu ca il mai aplica si altii, nu are rost sa ii enumar acum. Insa daca ne indreptam atentia doar spre SUA si UK, vom vedea ca nici macar aceste doua tari nu au aplicat rigid principiul respectiv. Asta in conditiile in care generalii de aviatie (ma rog, maresali ai aerului in cazul britanicilor) si amiralii lor si-au dovedit calitatile de lider pe teatrele de operatii. Acestia au condus mari unitati sau au facut parte din structurile de comanda ale unor teatre de operatii, asa ca principiul rotativei isi gaseste justificare in armatele acestor tari. Sa nu uitam, totodata, ca fiind tari insulare, componentele aeriana si navala joaca un rol cel putin la fel de important precum cea terestra. Noi, dimpotriva, suntem o tara continentala, prin urmare componenta terestra predomina net, fapt reflectat si in structura noastra de forte. Din cate stiu, experienta in misiuni externe au avut mai ales comandantii din Fortele Terestre. Nu am auzit (iar admit ca pot sa ma insel din lipsa de informatii) ca vreun general de la Fortele Aeriene sau amiral din Fortele Navale sa fi jucat vreun rol ma insemnat. Cu tot respectul fata de aceste doua arme, mi se pare ca rolul de sef al SMG l-ar merita mai curand terestrii. Nu zic ca asta ii exclude pe generalii aviatori sau amirali. Principiul care ar trebui sa guverneze numirea sefului SMG ar fi ca acesta sa fie cel mai bun dintre cei care au 3 stele pe epoleti (nu doua cum au fost "mitraliate" actualului detinator pentru a putea fi numit in aceasta inalta functie), indiferent de arma careia ii apartine. Din punct de vedere statistic, cele mai multe sanse le-ar reveni celor din FT, al caror forte le depasesc numeric de aproape 3 ori pe cele cumulate ale FA si FN. Insa introducerea fortata a rotativei atunci cand abia ai o fasie de litoral la Marea Neagra iar aviatia mai are mai putin de 50 de avioane de lupta dintre care cine stie cate mai sunt operationale (prefer sa nu stiu) produce situatii aberante, in opinia mea, precum cea actuala, cand au venit anul si steaua. Ma intreb, cum o fi privit actualul sef al SMG la cei 47 de ani ai sai de catre omologii din NATO in varsta, de obicei, de cel putin 55 de ani ?Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00MihaisRadu,tu stii asta si or mai fi vreo 10-12 in tara asta care au observat ca MB nu e Romania,chiar daca s-au chinuit unii sa faca o copie nu prea grozava dupa tinuta DPM. Flota noastra ca flota,dar felul in care s-a facut organizarea armatei terestre in ideea ca se va asemana(privita din avion) cu armata britanica e ceva ce te pune cu mintea pe bigudiuri.Adica MB,tara insulara,in capatul alalalt al NATO,a avut nevoie de forte expeditionare si ceva COIN in Irlanda.Se merita deci o armata profesionista aproape integral.Chiar asa mai au Territorial Army.Noi insa suntem mai catolici ca papa si mai englezi ca printul Harry.Suntem chiar distractivi,daca nu am fi tragici. Legat de treaba cu Joint-ul la englezi,Tommies s-au prins cu vreo 2-3 ani mai tarziu ca americanii cum e cu razboiul in retea.Daca te uiti la structura,in afara de academie si inca vreo 2 nimicuri,e o structura extinsa a conceptului lansat acum 6-7 ani in Irak de JSOC.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuDeci tot opera 'dizgratiatului' Stanley McChrystal ! Bine ca i-au lasat macar a 4-a stea pentru ca, dupa regulament, puteau sa i-o ia. Cotind-o (insa numai pentru cateva secunde) spre gluma, de bine ce am descoperit noi DPM (am citit parca mai demult ca fabricam pentru ei uniforme DPM dar nu au corespuns masurile si nu din cauza - surpriza mare - noastra, ci a celor de la inzestrare din cadrul MoD) intre timp ei s-au desteptat si au adoptat MTP (ce-i drept, un Multicam usor modificat).Nu am studiat suficient problema, dar inainte de Joint Forces Command, UK a avut Permanent Joint Headquarters si Joint Forces Command inca din 1996, iar conceptul a fost formulat in 1994.Sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00justmeAntrenament RAF cu partenerii francezi LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuIn ceea ce priveste planurile de viitor, cred ca merita citit acest document:LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuSi uite asa au mai ramas doar doua divizii: The Army’s 2nd Division marched into military history on the morning of 2 April 2012, with a low-key flag lowering ceremony (pictured above) outside its HQ in Edinburgh; whilst a special drumhead ceremony heralded a new structure for the Army in Shrewsbury's Copthorne Barracks as the 5th Division also disbanded.The Army in ScotlandMajor General Nick Eeles, the newly installed Governor of Edinburgh Castle, became the last General Officer Commanding the 2nd Division and the first General Officer Commanding Scotland, becoming head of an new integrated HQ Scotland and 51 Scottish Brigade, in 2nd Division’s former place of work at Craigiehall.This sees the Army in Scotland once again having its own 2 star officer to represent it at the highest level in Scottish society, to oversee the future of the Army in Scotland after the implementation of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), and to engage with the Scottish Government and other Scottish official bodies to ensure the best possible future in Scotland for soldiers and their families based there.New era for Army in ShrewsburyThe Army’s 5th Division, the origins of which date back more than 200 years, officially disbanded on 2 April and a ceremony for staff and local community dignitaries marking the occasion was held on 29 March.The drumhead service conducted by the Rev Tyrone Hillary, the Army Chaplain General for 5th Division, was held on the square at the Barracks. About 100 civilian and military staff took part in the service during which the flag of the 5th Division was lowered and that of Headquarters 143 (West Midlands) Brigade was raised.HQ Support CommandThe move follows the MOD’s Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) and Project Avanti, the restructuring of the Army’s regional forces. It sees the Divisions' regional brigades re-subordinate to the newly formed Headquarters Support Command based in Aldershot.Following the earlier disbandment of 4th Division on 3 January 12, HQ Support Command is now the single 2 star command for providing direction to regional force HQs and units. However, some HQ Support Command tasks will continue to be delivered from Craigiehall (Edinburgh) and Copthorne Barracks (Shrewsbury) until at least Aug 12.Sursa: LINKCelelalte 10 brigazi, apartinand armatei teritoriale, sunt grupate in Support Command. LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00BoribumTotusi,englezii n-au e ce sa-si faca probleme : îi angajeaza australienii. Si angajeaza mult de tot.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuMai demult, am intrat pe un site australian cu tematica militara. Despre 'poms', cum ii numesc cu oarecare dispret despre englezi, australienii nu aveau parere prea buna ca militari. Singuri care se bucurau de consideratie in ochii lor erau Royal Marines si, oarecum, si RAF Regiment. Despre cei regimentul de parasutisti, care furnizeaza cam 50% din recrutii pentru SAS, vorbeau chiar cu dispret. De asemenea, din ceea ce spuneau, lasau sa se inteleaga chiar cum ca SASR ar fi mai buni decat 22 SAS. Asta desi afirmau ritos ca nu accepta o clasificare a performantelor unitatilor de forte speciale din lume.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuErata: cum ii numesc cu oarecare dispret pe englezi. Scuze.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00MihaisMai nou si canadienii.E bine sa ai colonii. Radu,nu as lua foarte in serios ce spun baietii la o bere.Cine are kung-fu mai bun e discutie gen suporteri de fotbal.Australienii fiind mai de la tara e normal sa se uite de sus la englezi,mai oraseni.Pe urma e raca intre ei si neo-zeelandezi,etc... Pana una alta englezii au trimis forte expeditionare de la nivel brigada in sus.Au avut si in Irak si in A-stan tarlaua lor.Australienii,exceptand FOS,au cam spalat blidele prin baze.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuNu zic ca nu exagerau. Dar erau atat de vehementi incat aproape ca 'maturau' cu tine daca aveai alta parere. A intrat acolo si un englez cu care am reusit sa ma inteleg civilizat. Au sarit si pe el fara mila. Spre deosebire de mine, insa, englezul avea dezinvoltura celui nascut in tara care a dat limba pe care 'aussies' o stalcesc un pic (macar ca sonoritate). Nu erau prosti deloc, dar manifestau un exclusivism agresiv si uneori chiar sovinism care amintea ca "White Australia" nu e o poveste atat de veche. Cea mai surprinzatoare opinie mi s-a parut a unuia dintre membrii cei mai experimentati si mai echilibrati ai forumului. Acesta sustinea teza inferioritatii (intelectuale !) nepalezilor gurkha doar pe baza aproximativei stapaniri a limbii engleze de catre acestia. Nu sunt deloc adeptul lui political corectness, dar ceea ce spunea el acolo mi s-a parut nu doar scandalos, dar si o dovada de obtuzitate. Independent, insa, de asta, am simtit ca le 'mirosea' ca eu, un strain, un nonanglo-saxon, un european, un civil, indrazneam sa intru in discutie cu ei. E drept ca am comis si erori, dar reactia lor mi s-a parut excesiv de caustica. Pe mail-ul privat, englezul mi-a spus ca nu are rost sa vorbesc cu ei, pentru ca nu sunt oameni deschisi. Repet, am citit opinii scrise de membrii acestui forum (mai toti militari activi sau in retragere) si am aflat lucruri instructive si interesante. Observam, insa, ca si fata de interlocutorii compatrioti de pe forum aveau uneori un sarcasm destul de pronuntat, chiar daca nu la fel cu cel adresat mie, outsider-ul. Englezul si-a luat-o si el, dar nu parea sa ii pese prea tare. Nu le ramanea dator cu riposta, care nu era, insa, la fel de abraziva ca a lor. In cea mai mare parte erau gradati si subofiteri si se 'dadeau' urat la oricine afirma ca este ofiter. Englezul, de exemplu. Aveau respect (inteleg de ce) doar pentru ofiterii care anterior ADFA servisera la trupa. Altfel a fost cand am intrat pe un site militar englezesc. Ma interesa tema Parachute Regiment, si in special, Pathfinder Platoon, elita lor inainte de aparitia Special Forces Support Group. Oarecum circumspect la inceput, unul dintre membri m-a intrebat de ce sunt atat de interesat de un asemenea subiect. I-am raspuns de ce (hobby, etc.), dupa care, plin de bunavointa (era un fost Pathfinder), mi-a raspuns la intrebari asa cum s-a priceput mai bine. M-a intrebat si el despre trupele de parasutism de la noi si i-am raspuns si eu ce stiam atunci. A fost surprins sa afle ca avem o traditie atat de veche si de bogata in materie de parasutism si a fost impresionat si de efectivele de militari din aceasta categorie de arme pe care le detineam atunci. I-am spus ca, spre deosebire de regimentul lor de parasutism, unitatile de parasutism de la noi au avut si misiuni rezervate unitatilor de operatii speciale, insa fara a intra in detalii (oricum, nu prea cunosteam nici eu).Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00MihaisRadu,nu stiu chestiunea in modul concret,pt. ca nu am fost eu in locul tau.Dar in toate armatele din toate vremile,hobby-ul preferat de subofiteri si trupa a fost sa zica de ofiteri in cele mai colorate moduri posibile. Gurkhas si limba nu sunt o problema de ieri ,de azi.Autralianul pana la un punct pare sa fi avut dreptate,pt. ca degeaba ai un IQ de 140 daca nu pricepi ce vor ceilalti de la tine din cauza barierei lingvistice.Asa ca vei actiona ''prosteste''.Boribum chiar discuta ceva asemanator la un moment dat pe topicul legiunii,doar ca el o spunea un pic mai elegant. White Australia,Apartheid si alte idei din astea retrograde poate ar merita o discutie in context.Dracul nu-i chiar asa negru(pun intended ) cum eram inclinat sa cred mai in tinerete.E doar off-topicRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00BoribumA(m) fost la Boar's head,au venit si ei la CENZUB...englezii sunt tipi valabiliseriosi si care au o atitudine foarte...gentlemen-easca fata de armata. Momentan,marina australiana are mare nevoie de specialisti,si iau englezi care fac parte din aia 17.000 care (la ei) trebuie sa plece. Textele astea de forumuri cu "noi,pe noi,ai nostri" sunt valabile pe internet. În practica,chiar si cea mai buna armata din lume e fericita sa aiba aproape un NOSA sau un marksman britani,un genist elvetian,etc.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuNecrolog pentru un baiat care a fost 'hotarat'Brigadier Tony Hunter-ChoatBrigadier Tony Hunter-Choat, who has died aged 76, was a special forces soldier who served with the SAS; his remarkable military career began, however, with the French Foreign Legion, with which he was three times decorated and took part in a coup to unseat Charles de Gaulle.6:22PM BST 23 Apr 2012Anthony Hunter-Choat was born on January 12 1936 in Purley, south London, the son of Frederick, who worked in insurance, and Iris, a schoolteacher. The family would later move to Ascot.Tony was educated at Dulwich College and then Kingston College of Art, where he trained as an architect. On holidays he hitchhiked around Europe, developing a taste for travel and an affinity for languages.In March 1957, having decided that architecture was not for him, he decided to indulge his thirst for adventure and made his way to Paris to enlist in the Foreign Legion. He was pursued by his mother, keen to get her errant son back to his studies, but by the time she caught up with him he had signed up.Hunter-Choat was sent for basic training to Algeria, then in the throes of increasing anti-colonialist insurrection, and volunteered to complete the extra training necessary to become a paratrooper. He was duly posted, on October 15, to the 1st Battalion, Régiment Etranger de Parachutistes (1e REP), with which he would be involved in continuous operations for almost five years.By the late 1950s the Algerian War of Independence had become a high-intensity conflict fought on a wide scale, and required the presence on the ground of 400,000 French and Colonial troops to maintain a semblance of order.Hunter-Choat and his comrades were involved in hundreds of operations, and suffered and inflicted considerable casualties. In February 1958, as a young machine-gunner, he took part in the battle of Fedj Zezoua, in the woods east of Guelma, in the north-east of the country. Two armed units of the rebel Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) were dug in on a hillside. The legionnaires began their attack at 7am and met stiff resistance, but after being dropped by helicopter (balancing precariously on a cliffside) in the midst of the FLN positions, they overwhelmed the enemy. Hunter-Choat was awarded the Cross of Valour – the first of three. He would also be awarded the Médaille Militaire.Less than two weeks later he was wounded as the 1e REP pursued FLN groups through the wooded territory close to the border with Tunisia.It was an odd fact of life in the Legion that one in four of his NCOs was German, and many had fought on the Russian Front. Hunter-Choat recalled that their homes had become marooned behind the Iron Curtain and that, to his brothers-in-arms named Adolf, Rolf, Hans or Karl, the Legion had “become their country”. Some of them were former SS troops and were, Hunter-Choat noted, “superb soldiers and great trainers of men”. “They would expose themselves to danger in order to bring on the young soldiers,” he said.After recovering from his wounds he was repeatedly involved in intense fighting against the FLN. But as the tide of war turned, and it became clear that Paris was preparing to negotiate Algeria’s independence, Hunter-Choat found himself fighting his own side.The Algiers putsch, as it became known, was a coup launched by four retired French generals to oust De Gaulle and seize control first of Algeria, then of Paris. Hélie de Saint Marc, commander of the 1e REP, agreed to take part, and, on the night of April 21/22 1961, Hunter-Choat was part of the plotters’ force which occupied key locations in Algiers.On April 22 the message was broadcast throughout Algeria: “The army has seized control.” The following day, however, de Gaulle appeared on television, wearing his uniform of 1940, and called for soldiers to back him. As his message was retransmitted through barracks, support for the coup collapsed. The 1e REP was disbanded; as its men were marched out of camp they sang Edith Piaf’s Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien. Shortly afterwards Hunter-Choat’s five-year term of service expired and he returned home.His father encouraged him to join the British Army, but his first application for a short service commission, in March 1962, was rejected by the War Office as he “exceeds the age limit for a commission under any existing procedures”. By April a second letter, written by his father, elicited a more positive response: “It has been agreed that you may be accepted, as a special case, for consideration.”After passing out top of his course at Mons officer cadet school he was commissioned into the 7th Gurkha Rifles (Duke of Edinburgh’s Own) and posted to Malaya. From there, in early 1963, he was sent to Brunei and on to Sarawak and Borneo, where he fought in what became known as the Indonesian Confrontation . The scale and ferocity of this war was considerably lower than Algeria, but the hostility of the climate and jungle environment made for hard soldiering. Jungle patrols often lasted several weeks and contact with the enemy, though infrequent, was frequently a vicious affair. While there Hunter-Choat took part in cross-border raids into Indonesia (officially denied at the time) as well as coastal raids.He was now keen to convert to a regular commission. Told that he was too old to do so in the infantry, he discovered that the Royal Artillery age limit was higher, and joined in early 1964. Upon transfer, he remained in Borneo, where he served as a forward observation officer until 1966, when he returned to Britain.Hunter-Choat attended staff college at Camberley in 1969-70, then served in 45 Regt RA before becoming a battery commander and second-in-command of 3 Royal Horse Artillery in Hong Kong.Between 1975 and 1977 he was on the directing staff of the junior division of the staff college at Warminster and then, unusually for an officer without a British special forces background, was offered command of 23 Special Air Service Regiment, a territorial unit. His accomplishments there were so highly regarded that he remained with special forces, in a variety of command and staff roles, for the rest of his Army career.He commanded 23 SAS until 1983, though the sensitivity of his work during this period means that, to this day, few details of his service can be published.From 1983 to 1986 he was a senior staff officer at Nato headquarters and a special forces adviser to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe. His last post was a personal liaison between the Commander-in-Chief of BAOR and his American equivalent.He was appointed OBE.After his retirement from the Army in the rank of colonel he immediately became commander of the Sultan of Oman’s special forces in the rank of brigadier. He was responsible for increasing numbers in the Sultan’s special forces from under 1,000 to more than 2,000, and for improving their equipment and capability. In 1995 he was presented with the Omani Order of Achievement by Sultan Qaboos.He retired from the Sultan’s service in 1997, and in 1998-99 he helped verify the crumbling ceasefire in Kosovo, before becoming head of security for the Aga Khan. This involved helping to create a base for the Aga Khan, famous for his interest in the Turf, at the celebrated racing town of Chantilly, France.After the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Hunter-Choat became head of security for the Program Management Office (PMO), which was involved in overseeing the distribution of billions of dollars of reconstruction funds to projects throughout the country. There he briefly became embroiled in controversy after the PMO awarded a contract worth $293 million to Aegis, a private security company headed by Tim Spicer.According to Vanity Fair, Hunter-Choat and Spicer had known each other for years. DynCorp, a rival to Aegis, lodged a protest with the US Congress, but this was rejected, and there was no suggestion that Hunter-Choat had behaved improperly.Hunter-Choat was later responsible for the security plans for US Aid in Afghanistan. He was also an accomplished lecturer on leadership and security issues.Hunter-Choat was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Freeman of the City of London. He was a former president and secretary general of the British branch of the Foreign Legion Association and also a keen Freemason.He was appointed an Officer of the Legion of Honour in 2001 and promoted Commander in 2011.Tony Hunter-Choat was regarded by his friends and comrades as an outstanding soldier and leader.He married, first, in 1964, Maureen McCabe. The marriage was dissolved, and he married secondly, in 1982, Linda Wood. He is survived by his wife and their son and two daughters, as well as by two daughters of his first marriage.Brigadier Tony Hunter-Choat, born January 12 1936, died April 12 2012sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00BoribumSi varianta franceza : LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuCorespondenta trimisa zilele trecute din Afganistan de 'Andy McNab' (fost SAS)pentru Financial Times:A personal dispatch from AfghanistanBy Andy McNabAdvised by the British, the Afghan National Army is now leading missions against the Taliban I’m lying in the dust using a mud wall as cover and overlooking a wide valley in Helmand province, Afghanistan. In front of me, the Afghan National Army is returning fire as the Taliban try to halt their advance south: it is a massive demonstration of firepower. The incoming attack stops immediately, meaning the Taliban fighters are either dead or running for cover. I am taking part in Operation Now Roz (from “nowruz”, meaning “new year” in Dari) the largest, most dangerous and most complex operation the nascent Afghan National Army (ANA) has ever conducted. The action involves more than 1,000 ANA and Afghan police, working together with 1,000 British soldiers in the Gereshk area of Helmand province. The Yakchal valley stretching out before us is the nexus of Taliban activity in Helmand. Many of the Taliban’s IEDs (improvised explosive devices) are made here, and insurgent fighters plan their operations in the valley before heading out to other parts of the province. The aim of the ANA’s mission is, quite simply, to clear the Taliban out of the Yakchal. The ANA is fighting under the watchful eyes of UK soldiers, who have spent the past six months advising them on how to become an army. It is a key test to determine the Afghans’ ability to fight for themselves.After a decade in Afghanistan, Nato’s 140,000 combat troops – mainly from the US and UK, but also from countries such as Germany and Georgia – are preparing to leave. If, before their departure by the end of 2014, they fail to train a robust Afghan army and police force, Afghanistan risks sliding back into the internecine conflict that tore the country apart. It was this conflict during the 1990s that created the fertile ground in which Osama bin Laden expanded al-Qaeda and pulled the US, UK and other Nato countries into perhaps their last big infantry conflict in history. The war in Afghanistan has taught western politicians that it costs too many lives, too much money and too much political capital to get involved in such messy and lengthy military operations. But, for the British soldiers I am accompanying, failure would mean the unthinkable: squandering the lives and limbs of their comrades and those of the nearly 3,000 coalition soldiers who have already died in Afghanistan. The Afghan soldiers are a mixed group from various tribal backgrounds – some loyal to the current government, some not. Others are deeply pragmatic, with families sending one son off to fight with the Taliban and another into the ANA so as to hedge their bets on the final outcome of the insurgency. Many are here for the money – $240 a month in Helmand, $20 more than the earnings of those in less dangerous provinces. The Afghan government pays well considering the per capita income in the country is $614 per year. Just like any other army, soldiers are paid by electronic bank transfer. But unlike other armies, biometrics are used to identify each soldier before he gets his salary.I have met many ANA on my visits to Afghanistan during the past five years, and have found their concerns to be similar to most other young soldiers. They complain about everything – part of any soldier’s job description – and always want to know when they will next be fed. But what I have witnessed above all is that the ANA are beginning to look more like soldiers. They now have body armour and helmets, even though some of them still choose not to wear them. There is no doubting their toughness. Speaking through an interpreter to a group waiting for the order to move forward, they tell me they aren’t too keen on the M16 assault rifles issued to them by the Americans – the Russian AKs they used to have didn’t break when they hit people with them. The ANA radio traffic sounds like a high-octane family argument as we watch them take control of several compounds before moving on. These buildings, made of mud and wood and surrounded by high mud walls, belong to farming families and their animals. They are the areas of habitation that the Taliban want to take over – and frequently do. I watch ANA soldiers round up all men of fighting age for questioning and, before releasing them, record their biometric details to determine if any are Taliban members. Fingerprints, irises and faces are all scanned by a hand-held device that looks like an oversized camera. (In many cases, fingerprints found on the remains of IEDs have identified the person who made them.)Already about six IEDs have gone off around us. As we move past one particular compound the ANA has just cleared, our front man Kevin Cooper, who is holding a Vallon mine detector, yells: “Stop!” We dive down among the rocks and it isn’t long before he finds the collection of buried plastic containers – “pop-and-drops” – filled with homemade explosives. These are the Taliban’s weapons of choice, responsible for hundreds of Nato deaths and injuries. Our patrol was just three steps away from becoming part of the casualty statistics, and I was just three men from the front.The British approach – letting the Afghans lead operations and acting as advisers rather than instructors – is about 18 months ahead of the US military’s efforts to train the ANA. With so little time left before the bulk of troops leave Afghanistan, the US is now considering adopting the UK model even though it would entail a cultural change among US soldiers, who see themselves more as natural commanders than management consultants. Sitting in the dust waiting for the bomb disposal unit gives me a chance to chat with Captain Terry Williams. He is the 28-year-old adviser-patrol commander whose toothy staccato laugh later helps me identify him back at camp, the only place he takes off the helmet and ballistic glasses that now hide his face.He tells me he has seen great improvement in his Afghan counterparts and attributes a good part of that success to British adviser patrols such as his letting the ANA learn through failure.“They are great fighters, but if they do not organise their own rations, for example, I do not help them by calling some in,” he says, adding that one lesson the Afghan recruits have learned is that trigger-happiness means running out of ammunition dangerously early in an operation.The ANA bomb disposal team finally arrives. In the dimming light of early evening, the IED is detonated and the patrol cheers in relief. The observing British bomb disposal adviser gives his opinion on the size of the device: “That’s 40 K-Gs, easy. You wouldn’t want to step on that, would you? Well, if you did, you wouldn’t be stepping anywhere else.” It was the 15th IED the bomb disposal team’s Afghan officer had made safe that day. The ANA now disarms all of the Taliban’s explosive devices, leaving the British to train and advise them.Before darkness falls completely, I survey my surroundings. In twilight the valley is a picture-postcard desert scene. It is March so the heat is not oppressive, but there is a layer of sweat under my Osprey body armour and helmet. My nostrils are caked with dust, as is my skin, and my hair feels like a Brillo pad.The Yakchal’s 27sq km rectangle of battle space is also poppy country: the green patches of shoots look like fields of young thistles. Helmand is the world’s largest opium-producing region, responsible for 75 per cent of the world’s opium. Thus the Taliban fights here to protect its lucrative crop: this is an insurgency of politics, guns, drugs and power, not one of ideology.For the UK government, Helmand has a wider significance. If the Taliban control the country it won’t just be poppy that will be free to grow but also al-Qaeda, which would once again have a safe haven from which to launch attacks against Britain. Or, as one of the ANA commanders puts it to me: “Taliban in Helmand means bombs in London”.I have come here from London thanks to an invitation from Lt. Col. Bill Wright, the commanding officer of 2nd Battalion The Rifles (or 2 Rifles), the infantry battalion advising the ANA. Back in my day the Rifles was called the Royal Green Jackets and I spent eight years with the regiment before joining the Special Air Service, serving for a further 10 years. During my time in the SAS I was involved in operations in the Gulf, Northern Ireland, South and central America, south-east and central Asia and Africa. I met Wright in 2007 in Iraq, well after I had retired from the SAS and written Bravo Two Zero, my personal account of an ill-fated mission I led behind enemy lines in that country in the early 1990s.Wright is now sitting in his office, a Portakabin in Camp Tombstone, which is part of Camp Bastion. The sprawling main British base in Helmand is equivalent in size to a city like Reading, with walls constructed from enormous sandbags. Wright joined the infantry in 1988 and is married with two children. Everything he says carries an air of infectious confidence, which probably comes with having a 300-year-old military family tree. Wright’s role is to shadow ANA leader Sheren Shah and his brigade of six kandaks (Pashto for battalions), letting the Afghans lead. The 2 Rifles Brigade Advisory Group, BAG for short, brings to the table brigade-level tactical advice and the high-end military capabilities that the ANA does not have. This includes provision of US Marines capable of calling down artillery, precision-guided munitions, mortars – in fact anything that flies through the air and detonates when it lands. The 2 Rifles BAG has been advising for six months; other battalions filled the same role for 12 months prior to that.Wright says that personal relationships and respect are crucial to getting things done. “We could have been seen as a threat to Sheren Shah and his kandaks. After all we are better trained and better equipped,” he tells me. “The BAG have to take that threat out of the equation, immediately, at all levels. For example, I call Sheren Shah ‘Sir’ and treat him the same as I would any other general. Besides, he has over 30 years of continuous war fighting experience and that alone commands huge respect.”Brigadier General Sheren Shah Kobadi, who is 48 (though accounts of his age vary) and married with six children, is a legend in Afghanistan. He fought alongside the Russians against the Mujahideen, but revolted after becoming disillusioned with the Russian occupation of Afghanistan – a move that landed him in jail for a year. On his release, he immediately joined the Mujahideen and fought against the Russians. After the Russians were finally defeated, he rejoined the government army and served as a kandak commander against the Taliban during the civil war that followed.When the Taliban took control of the country, Sheren Shah then fought against them alongside the Northern Alliance, the group to which Nato would lend overwhelming support in 2001 to rid Afghanistan of Taliban rule. He was then appointed to the fledgling Afghan ministry of defence before returning to operations as commander of the ANA in Helmand.When I meet Sheren Shah the day before Operation Now Roz begins, I can see his appearance fits his warring background. He is so large and imposing that when we shake hands, mine looks the size of a baby’s. However, his demeanour is laidback to say the least. As we talk through his interpreter, he flings his arms over the chair and cracks pistachio nuts. His eyes keep straying over to the TV in his office, which is showing a Pakistani soap show.It is obvious that he enjoys being in the company of soldiers and he clearly likes the fact that I am ex-SAS. Most of our conversation is about the operations the SAS carried out alongside the Mujahideen. From the late 1980s we supplied and trained the Muj on Stinger missiles to destroy Russian Hind gunships. I answer his questions as best I can. Knowing that at some point he had switched allegiances, I have to be careful to get my dates right to ensure the SAS was on his side.He tells me he has been wounded seven times in combat and I see the results of one of those fire fights in the scar running down his chin. Over our third cup of black tea, we finally get to talking about Now Roz – or rather he tells me what is going to happen: “We will make the Taliban understand they no longer own the Yakchal. We do.”Fair enough. But Now Roz, big as it is, is just one battle, and one during which the ANA still benefits from having the Brits in the wings. “What about the long term?” I ask. He takes a boiled sweet from one of the jars that are never more than an arm’s reach away and tells me his biggest concern is losing the UK’s support too soon. “It will take time to develop. Do not leave us too early,” is his blunt message.I leave Sheren Shah to visit one of the patrol bases near the Yakchal as the ANA and 2 Rifles BAG prepare for the operation. I see rows upon rows of tents and shipping containers lined up as if on the set of a Vietnam war film. There is apprehension in the air because this is to be the BAG’s last big operation before their six-month tour ends. No one wants to get killed less than a week before going home.The patrol base is Camp Bastion in miniature but much more brutal. A layer of dust and sand covers everything and everyone. There are no air-conditioned gyms, no hot or cold running water, and no purpose-built toilets. A “Desert Rose” (basically a hole in the ground) is used to urinate in, with anything else done in a Disposa-John – a plastic bag that is then placed into a binliner for burning after use. Showers are black plastic solar bags that heat up in the sun, and any furniture is made out of wooden freight pallets or steel wire sandbag frames.When the riflemen are not on patrol, they sleep, eat, and train in their make-shift gyms. I meet 20-year-old Rifleman David James Goodwin pumping iron. He joined the army at 16 as a junior soldier after listening to a presentation at his school in Liverpool.It is obvious he likes being an infantry soldier and gets “good press” among his peers in the Reconnaissance (Recce) Platoon. He doesn’t want to talk about Now Roz, but rather uses our chat to vent frustration about the way people like him are portrayed by the media. He complains about soldiers being seen as victims, even when they are not wounded. It’s a war they freely choose to go and fight. They are neither hero nor victim; they are doing their job.He says he is glad he joined up, especially as many of his mates are now in prison or unemployed. “I love it. I like getting out on patrol and when I’m not, I hit the weights. I like being a soldier and I like going home with money in my pocket as well.” As for many Afghan soldiers, the money the army pays is an important part of the equation. Goodwin’s take-home pay is £1,600 per month, plus a £5,000 bonus at the end of his six-month tour and another £1,800 for taking a 10-week course to learn Dari. Goodwin, who is on his first tour in Afghanistan, tells me his relationship with the Afghan soldiers is good. “I like eating with the ANA and practising the language. They make me laugh. They are funny f*****s when they all get together,” he says.Not all relationships between Nato soldiers and their trainers have developed so amicably. The past months have been marred by Afghan soldiers attacking the UK and US troops who are training them. At least 16 Nato troops have died at the hands of Afghan soldiers, or insurgents who have infiltrated the ANA, since the start of the year. Afghans have also been killed by members of their own units, although the UK does not release body counts.The Taliban has taken credit for some of the killings, which have come amid a series of serious setbacks that include a US army sergeant shooting 17 Afghan civilians and American soldiers burning Korans at Bagram air base. The US has insisted the burnings were unintentional. Even so, they prompted widespread riots in Afghanistan and there were suggestions that some of the shootings of US soldiers by Afghan recruits were a result of the incident. But those “green on blue” shootings have left many soldiers I talked to, including Serjeant Tom Reilly, unfazed and unapologetic. His misshapen nose and missing teeth instantly identify Reilly as one of 2 Rifles’ “old sweats”. Married with two children and in his mid-thirties, Reilly has seen it all before. Having served numerous tours of Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, he believes that fighting an insurgency means some bad guys always get under the wire either physically or by turning ordinary soldiers against their trainers through blackmail and intimidation.But there is another, simpler reason, he adds, noting that Afghans don’t always settle their differences diplomatically. “People have to remember these people know nothing but fighting. If they are pissed off about something, they sort it out the Afghan way. There are no anger management classes here. This isn’t Hampshire, it’s Helmand,” he says.That is more than evident on the patrol base where all troops carry weapons. They even take them to the showers. They also carry tourniquets so they can stop any major bleed immediately. It is likely that the ANA soldier who killed two Nato soldiers in the Lashkar Gah Main Operating Base on March 26 would have claimed many more victims had the base not been armed. But it is not just the British who are targets. Sheren Shah never moves within bases without his Close Protection personnel.I leave the patrol base and head to one of the ANA checkpoints at the northern end of the Yakchal valley battle space for the start of the operation. As I enter the operations room to meet Sheren Shah, I find he and Wright have set themselves up with tables and chairs on the roof. The third man at the table is Brigadier Patrick Saunders, Commander Task Force Helmand and the most senior British officer in the province. Sheren Shah, Saunders and Wright make up the triangle of power that is transforming the way the war is being fought in Helmand.Saunders has a liking for Old Virginia roll-ups and continuously packs tobacco into brown cigarette papers, producing something that looks like a prop for a Mexican gangster movie. As the three men listen to ANA radio traffic, pore over their maps and drink black tea, it becomes clear that Sheren Shah is the dominant force among the three. More than anything else I have witnessed during this trip, this speaks volumes about the self-confidence of the two high-ranking British officers at the table. Saunders stands up and pats his pockets for a lighter and I get the chance to ask him how he sees things.“Sheren Shah is our boss, it is as simple as that. We are not here to produce British soldiers. We are not here to replicate the British Army. We are preparing the ANA to function without us,” he tells me, giving away that his and Sheren Shah’s mutual respect has developed into friendship, with the ANA leader staying at his family home in Wiltshire. “There are problems, of course,” Saunders adds as he lights his roll-up. “All armies have them, and a particular one for the ANA is their line of supply. But that’s what we are here for – to get things sorted out.” He says there has been an increase in fighting as the ANA has ventured to areas the British had not patrolled in the past, doing things “the Afghan way” with little regard for health and safety and unencumbered by western technology.I leave Saunders up on the roof of the Yakchal checkpoint and move down below into the Improvised Operations Room as reports come in of IEDs and Taliban activity.An American army major in rectangular reading glasses and a “whitewall” haircut sits in the background, his chest tag displaying the name Redfield. He hangs back from all the radio checks and map plotting going on in the room and I become curious about what he is doing there, just looking, listening and jotting the occasional thought on his notepad.I discover that it is Jerry Redfield’s job to advise American General John R. Allen, Commander International Security Assistance Force (COMISAF), on strategic priority areas and to help improve Nato’s efforts across the entire ISAF operation. In other words he is like an Ofsted school inspector. What he tells me about Britain’s efforts to train the ANA leads to the biggest revelation of my trip. “This BAG, the Brit structure, is 18 months ahead of anything else in country,” he says. He puts it down to the British willingness not to impose a foreign structure on the Afghans, but to learn instead how best to let them do it the Afghan way.“This method will be recommended to COMISAF to adopt for the post-2014 planning,” he says. In other words, the US – to whom the UK is often the little cousin out here – may end up doing the most important job left in Afghanistan, according to the British model. I suggest this may well prove a hard sell to US commanders accustomed to being in charge. Redfield doesn’t think long before coming up with an answer:“We will have to re-educate people or they will just have to take a salt pill and say ‘Yes sir’”.Reflecting on his words as I return to the Yakchal valley, I narrowly escape an IED. Others are not so lucky. While I am in Afghanistan, the BAG suffers casualties at the hands of the Taliban. There is one fatality, two young men lose limbs, and two more suffer gunshot wounds. Each of these men had only four to seven days left before they were due to return home.Despite the heartache of those losses, I realise Sheren Shah has been proved right: the ANA do “own” the Yakchal – for now. During Now Roz, numerous Taliban were killed, 86 explosive devices were discovered, including a motorbike packed with high explosives for a suicide attack, and the ANA seized multiple explosives and bomb-making equipment.Given the steady flow of bad publicity and the general war weariness in the UK and other Nato countries, it is not a level of success I had been expecting to encounter. But in spite of the progress in Helmand, and the killing last year of bin Laden by US special forces, much can still go wrong. Afghanistan could indeed fall back into the hands of the Taliban – and the past decade could prove a waste of thousands of lives and thousands of billions of dollars. The recent spate of deadly Taliban attacks painfully highlights that Sheren Shah and his men stand little chance if he and other ANA leaders do not get the continued support they need to pose a credible threat to the insurgents.But, as it looks from here in Helmand, that failure is more likely to come at the hands of politicians eager to extract themselves from a war they can no longer afford than from the combat boots on the ground. Training Afghans to fight like an army only gets you so far. Western heads of state at Nato’s summit in Chicago next month will need to deliver sustained support to the ANA and Afghanistan as a whole if the ANA is to keep the Taliban at bay once the west’s troops head home for good. sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuSi cate ceva despre veteranii lor:Veterans find peace from horrors of war in charity's gardenApr 23 2012He said that, for many, the charity provide a respite from the effective but sometimes difficult clinical treatment they get from organisations like Combat Stress, based a few miles along the road at centre Hollybush House.Sir Clive, chief fundraiser for Combat Stress, said: “With my experience of the really damaged veterans who come to Hollybush for treatment, Hollybush deals with the deep hidden wounds and Gardening Leave is the balm afterwards.”The men find sanctuary in the sprawling grounds the charity have leased from Auchincruive Horticultural College.They have transformed the gardens and helped them blossom again, and they have restored the large Victorian greenhouse that had become derelict on the estate.The veterans suffer flashbacks, anxiety and depression and many are withdrawn from life. Some will drink to forget and they are often angry and aggressive, and unable to cope with day-to-day existence.Pamela Smith, a horticulturist and trained psychiatric nurse, acts as a therapist for the charity and each day she gauges their moods and give them tasks to suit. BEHIND a walled garden in Ayrshire, veterans of war are planting, laying paths and sowing poppy seeds.Here they feel safe from the world outside, they hear birds not bombs and the smell is of flowers and soil, not death.Above all, the men have each other and they have a mutual understanding of the mental scars they still bear from battle.Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has left them suffocated but in the green landscape of trees and fresh air, the charity Gardening Leave are helping them to breathe again.Their use of horticultural therapy has proved a simple but effective treatment.The tranquillity settles their troubled minds and the gardening provides a physical distraction and sense of achievement which helps them forget the flashbacks that have broken them inside.Sir Clive Fairweather, a veteran and former SAS deputy commander, is a trustee of Gardening Leave. He said that, for many, the charity provide a respite from the effective but sometimes difficult clinical treatment they get from organisations like Combat Stress, based a few miles along the road at centre Hollybush House.Sir Clive, chief fundraiser for Combat Stress, said: “With my experience of the really damaged veterans who come to Hollybush for treatment, Hollybush deals with the deep hidden wounds and Gardening Leave is the balm afterwards.”The men find sanctuary in the sprawling grounds the charity have leased from Auchincruive Horticultural College.They have transformed the gardens and helped them blossom again, and they have restored the large Victorian greenhouse that had become derelict on the estate.The veterans suffer flashbacks, anxiety and depression and many are withdrawn from life. Some will drink to forget and they are often angry and aggressive, and unable to cope with day-to-day existence.Pamela Smith, a horticulturist and trained psychiatric nurse, acts as a therapist for the charity and each day she gauges their moods and give them tasks to suit. She said: “The walled gardens are important because they allow veterans to feel safe.“No one needs to be green fingered, they can all find something useful to do.”The charity were founded in 2007 by horticultural therapist Anna Baker Cresswell.A centre regular is Bobby Jones, 42, from Ayr, who did two tours of Northern Ireland, served in the first Gulf War in 1991 and in Bosnia in 1994, as a private with The Queen’s Own Highlanders.He came out of the Army in 1997 and was drinking too much, couldn’t hold down a relationship and had terrible mood swings.Bobby said: “My whole personality had changed.“I had been an outgoing, sporty guy but I became withdrawn and angry in the Army. I just got worse when I got out.”His PTSD is rooted in many events that he went through in his tours of duty, but he is particularly haunted by his time in the Gulf.Three friends in his regiment were among nine British soldiers who perished when American pilots mistook them for fleeing Iraqis and blitzed their armoured car early in 1991.Bobby remains ashamed and ridden with guilt by the sights he saw and the way he felt towards the Iraqis.He said: “I remember thinking it was their fault I was there.“I looked at them through angry eyes and wanted revenge.“Now I know that they probably didn’t even want to be there and that they were all someone’s son, someone’s brother. They were as much a victim of war as we were. That war has eaten away at me, like a cancer. ”Like many Allied soldiers, he will never forget what became know as the Highway of Death, when Americans strafed and massacred Iraqis who were retreating back to Basra in a convoy out of Kuwait at the end of the war.Bobby said: “You never forget the smell of death and burning bodies. Fireworks, barbecues, the smell of diesel, are things that take me straight back there.”He was a damaged man when he left the Gulf and after another tour of Ireland, he was sent to Bosnia where he saw the dead bodies of women and children.When he plucked up the courage to tell an officer that he had recurring nightmares and was struggling to cope, he was told to “give yourself a shake”.But Bobby cracked and had to be taken out of Bosnia.He was placed in a psychiatric unit and fed antidepressants.When he came out, the grip of PTSD tightened.Bobby said: “I was so lost. I drank to forget and then sometimes to remember, to try to piece it together. I was angry and a loner and I was aggressive.”It was only through Combat Stress, a charity set up to help soldiers with PTSD, that he began to come to terms with his guilt.Through Combat Stress, he was referred to Gardening Leave and it has changed his life.Bobby said: “This place makes me feel as if I belong. I don’t go out anymore, I see the world as a minefield, but here I feel safe.“When I leave here, I can’t wait to come back. There is a large wall and behind it, I can stop looking for dangers that aren’t there. It makes me relax. It makes me feel human again.”Tam Anderson, 42, served with The King’s Own Scottish Borderers in Northern Ireland and the first Gulf War and, like Bobby, he will never forget the burned bodies of the Highway of Death, or the toys and children’s clothes scattered around blood-stained houses in Kuwait.When he found Gardening Leave, he was chronically agoraphobic. Tam said: “I wouldn’t leave the house for months at a time. I was in a really dark place.”His greatest therapy is the fly fishing the charity offer – in the river that runs through the grounds. Only the soothing, gurgling of the water silences the tinnitus left behind from the sounds of battle. Tam said: “Coming down to the river and fly fishing has saved my life.“I also do a lot of joinery that needs doing, for the first time I feel a sense of achievement.“I think I would be dead now without Gardening Leave. It has given me a reason to live.” Sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00BoribumPentru domnul Radu Patrascu,caruia îi plac englezii : o bucata de englez care nu s-a lasat fotografiat decât partialRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuMultumesc . The Shaky Boats...Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuSurprinzator de tanar comandantul celei mai mari nave a Royal Navy (HMS OCean), capitanul Andrew Betton.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00justmePentru cei interesati de statistici LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuO viata interesanta:SAS hero to storm The Grove Published on Thursday 10 May 2012 13:19FOR the first time ever a member of the legendary Special Air Service (SAS) tells his story live on stage.Pete ‘Snapper’ Winner is a larger than life character and boasts of being the last British soldier to be flogged. “I was the only sergeant in the British army with twelve stripes, three on each arm and six on my bum!”Eighteen years in the SAS saw Winner, code-named Soldier ‘I’, survive the savage battle of Mirbat, parachute into the icy depths of the South Atlantic at the height of the Falklands War, and storm the Iranian Embassy during the most famous hostage crisis in the modern world.Pete also details his close-protection work around the world, from the lawless streets of Moscow to escorting aid convoys into war-torn Bosnia. He also unveils the problems of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder faced by many Special Forces veterans, and how he battled his own demons to continue his roller-coaster career.He was amongst the eight soldiers who faced an enemy of 400 at Mirbat, one of the British army’s greatest victories since Rorke’s Drift. With the help of pictures and slides he takes the audience on a dramatic journey as Snapper tells of lost friends and great heroics during Britain’s ‘secret war’ in the Oman.In the second part Snapper reveals how he got the title ‘Soldier I’ and, with original footage, take us into the Iranian Embassy, as the extraordinary bravery and skill of the SAS is famously revealed to a TV audience of millions across the world.sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00justmeExpozitie la sfarsit de saptamana LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuNu stiu in ce masura autorul articolului exagereaza si cat are dreptate. Insa, dincolo de imaginea generala pe care vrea sa o descrie, exista detalii care sunt reale si care nasc semne de intrebare cu privire la capacitatea MoD si a Defence Staff de a gasi solutii la dificultatile pe care trupele din subordinea lor le intampina in Afganistan si, in trecut, si in Irak. Da, articolul nu este recent, dar problemele pe care le ridica sunt la fel de actuale, cred eu. A decade of failureby FRANK LEDWIDGELast updated at 3:25 PM on 8th October 2011After a decade of military operations in Afghanistan — the anniversary of the 2001 incursion falls this week — colossal expenditure and a rising death toll, the British are no nearer victory over the Taliban. Nor can they claim to have brought good governance and security to the region.As I saw during a tour in Helmand as a civilian adviser, the British forces are now widely hated in Afghanistan because of this blood-soaked mess. Among Helmandis, Britain is largely viewed as a destructive foreign invader rather than the benign liberator of fashionable political rhetoric.Even the Russians, who undertook the notorious invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s, are far less despised than the British.After decades of Ministry of Defence chiefs telling us that they run the finest military in the world, the twin failures of Afghanistan and Iraq should have come as a rude awakening to them.But instead of honestly facing up to the weaknesses of their leadership, senior officers have resorted to a mix of self-delusion, spin and buck-passing. For example, they claimed that the campaigns in Helmand and Basra were not defeats but glorious successes. It is all just a matter of presentation.Echoing his generals, David Cameron this week used his party conference speech to declare the Afghan campaign ‘a success’. But this is just a fantasy. The truth is that the British Army has inflicted huge amounts of damage, including the deaths of hundreds of civilians — while also sacrificing 382 of our own brave soldiers. Our troops have suffered more than 5,000 injuries, yet despite all the courage of our frontline soldiers, there was never any sense that the British Army has been in control. As one SAS major put it to me: ‘We hold these tiny areas of ground in Helmand and we are kidding ourselves if we think our influence goes beyond 500 metres of our security bases.’When not resorting to wishful thinking, the generals like to put the blame elsewhere. Of course, politicians are a favourite target. It cannot be denied that both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were launched during Tony Blair’s premiership, partly out of an almost neurotic determination to uphold the special relationship with Washington.However, senior figures in the British Army had their own reasons for supporting military action in Afghanistan — battered by the humiliating British retreat from Basra in 2007, they saw the war in Afghanistan as means of restoring their tarnished credibility, especially with their disillusioned U.S. allies.But the country’s military chiefs failed to subject the political policy to any real scrutiny, nor did they carry out any effective post-war planning. Equally aberrant was the failure to ensure that the necessary numbers of troops were provided for operations. What’s more, it was delusional to think that Helmand could be held with a force of 3,500 while all reliable estimates of the minimum needed for a region of that size and population was 50,000 troops. And of those 3,500 initially deployed, only 168 would actually be on patrol duties.The mismanagement went far beyond mere numbers. As someone with a relatively wide range of experience in the Armed Forces, I have been appalled at the lack of real strategic thinking in these two conflicts. In place of hard analysis and planning, there has been the usual attitude of just ‘cracking on’, even when the strategy is not working. Within the top brass there is often a feeling that any sort of action is preferable to doing nothing. So patrols are sent out or targets attacked without any real productive purpose, but just to give the illusion of progress.One classic example of this approach was the operation to transport a huge single electric turbine through 100 miles of hostile territory to the Kajaki dam on the Helmand river, ostensibly to provide electricity for the region. The task, involving 4,000 mainly British troops, was accomplished, but the turbine was never installed, partly because there was no local skilled labour to operate it, partly because no cables existed to transmit the electricity from the dam to southern Helmand. As one soldier said to me, the exercise was ‘a complete waste of time’.Despite squandering their manpower on such ridiculous plans, the generals often cite a lack of resources, particularly in regard to equipment such as helicopters and armoured vehicles, as the reason for their failure to achieve targets in Afghanistan. But this was just a distraction from the real problem: a lack of any coherent military strategy. A huge increase in the number of armoured vehicles and helicopters would have done little in Basra or Helmand against the anti-Coalition insurgents.Moreover, though Dannatt and his colleagues are fond of blaming ministers, those really responsible for procurement in the Ministry of Defence are senior officers themselves, who are supposed to have a unique insight into the needs of the military. Yet procurement in their hands has been an absolute scandal, with tens of billions wasted on flawed projects. Eager to boost its own sense of self-importance, the top brass prefer big, high-tech, advanced new pieces of equipment rather than just the basics.The price of five Eurofighter Typhoons, retailing at about £120m each (we have 56 with another 160 on order,) dedicated to the care of veterans would ensure that no wounded soldier would have to fight for proper life-long care again. This cocktail of egotism and misuse of resources can be found on an even bigger scale in the bloated, top-heavy structure of our three armed services. The scale of senior hierarchy graphically exposes the fallacy, so sedulously cultivated by the generals themselves, that our military is underfunded. The statistics of this bureaucracy are truly astounding.Today, there are more generals in the Army than helicopters or operational tanks, while the Royal Navy has more admirals than ships and the RAF has three times as many senior officers as there are flying squadrons. There are three times more senior officers than Apache attack helicopters which have played a vital role in Afghanistan. In the Army, we have only 10 deployable brigades, yet there are at least 170 brigadiers, 20 more than in 1997.Similarly, we have just two armoured fighting divisions that could be put into the field (albeit with a great deal of notice,) yet the Army feels it necessary to employ no fewer than 37 major-generals. We have just a single army corps, yet enough lieutenant-generals to command 17 of them.The absurdity of structure is made even more clear when it is compared to other armed forces. In America, for instance, the mighty U.S. Army has 302 generals compared to the British Army’s 255.Furthermore the 210,000-strong U.S. Marine Corps, larger than all our three services combined, has just 84 general officers, eight times less than the number of generals in Britain. The contrast with Israel, which has one of the world’s most formidable defence force, is striking. Though its armed services are roughly similar in size to Britain’s, 170,000 men and women, Israel has just one Lieutenant-General, 12 Major-Generals and 35 Brigadier-Generals.This obsession with swelling the top ranks reflects a love of empire building, where chiefs tend to judge the strength of their authority by the number of senior staff they have under their command. But there are a number of serious consequences to this culture of hierarchical excess.One obvious one is that there is less money available for the front-line troops, sailors and airmen. Another is that there are simply not enough operational jobs for senior officers, so they end up in a host of administrative and staff positions which could easily be filled by lower grades.Even worse is the diffusion of accountability, because chains of command are so confused in the sprawling hierarchy. In the event of setbacks, the chiefs can now find safety in numbers to avoid direct blame. The British Army used to be superb at rewarding success and punishing failure because responsibility was clear, but that tradition has been crushed under the weight of the hierarchy. It is telling that at the Chilcot inquiry into the UK’s involvement in Iraq, no fewer than 31 generals of two star rank or above gave evidence, that figure in itself an explanation of why the mission failed.Determined to look after their own, like so many professional vested interest groups in the public sector, the top brass have ensured that not a single officer has been sacked or disciplined over Basra or Helmand. Not only is no one held to account, but promotion is almost routine. ‘For far too long, we have celebrated mediocrity,’ says Colonel Tim Collins.The two wars were a microcosm of this bloated system. In Basra, at least 14 Brigadier and 14 Major-Generals served in command roles, again weakening the focus of responsibility.Many more worked as staff officers. The same is true of Helmand, which has involved ten Brigadiers and at the very least four Major-Generals. What was particularly striking for me was how, in both theatres, a vast bureaucracy accompanied each British force, making a mockery of all the complaints about resources. At Basra, the headquarters near the airport was a massive air-conditioned complex, full of offices, computers, administrators, managers, liaison personnel, communications staff, cookhouses, media operations, planners, and even a logistical office which effectively amounted to a travel agency.The support operation was so big that the front-line was almost an irrelevance. Astonishingly, out of almost 8,000 troops, only 200 would be available for patrol on any given day. Other factors in the Army’s culture have led to failure, like the practice of six-monthly tours for personnel, which undermines continuity, promotes short-termism and encourages futile but dramatic gestures, like the transport of that turbine to the Kajaki or ‘signature’ battles such as the retaking of a village.The structure of the Army has been driving the campaign, the very reverse of what should be happening. Just as disturbing has been poor intelligence and lack of cultural awareness bred of ignorance. In one classic case in Basra, an entire battle group of 600 soldiers were used to arrest several car dealers who were suspected to be insurgents.But it was soon found that they were entirely innocent. The so-called intelligence had actually been supplied to the British Army by a rival bunch of car dealers.Part of this complacency has bred an excessive reliance on the supposed lessons of the counter-insurgency campaigns in Malaya in the 1950s and Northern Ireland during the Troubles between 1972 and 1994, both of which were ultimately successful in halting terror campaigns. In fact, American officers in Afghanistan grew sick of their British colleagues harping on about Malaya and Ulster and would roll their eyes when another British officer began a lecture about patrolling the streets of Belfast.Neither place really had an relevance for Basra and Helmand, where, unlike Malaya and Northern Ireland, there was no stable government, no functioning civic structure, no effective police forces and precious little support from the civil population. The insistence on living in the past was all too indicative of how badly the Army’s commanders have lost their way. Much as our top brass might not like it, the American military has proved less inflexible and bureaucratic, and more resourceful and imaginative.Our senior officers should stop being so defensive, so concerned to protect their elaborately constructed closed shop and admit that all is not well. Otherwise we will be heading for more failures in the future.Sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuDesi stiu ca urmatorul articol abordeaza probleme care, mai curand, l-ar recomanda pentru topicul SAS, acesta fiind inchis, il voi posta aici. Cred, insa, ca el tine de o problematica mai generala, aceea a insuficientelor constatate de autorul articolului de mai sus. In cazul in care acestea sunt reale, este normal ca ele sa isi puna amprenta si asupra capacitatilor UK Special Forces. Recunosc ca articolul acesta este si mai vechi decat cel anterior, dar nu cred ca problemele semnalate intre timp sa isi fi aflat vreo rezolvare. Rescue missions are always fraught with danger, not just for the special forces but also for the hostage, and success can never be guaranteed. By a former senior SAS officer based in Kabul Published: 6:45AM BST 10 Oct 2010In order for a rescue mission of this type to be successful, you would need to have 100 per cent confirmation of the location and of the hostage – this means knowing what room in what house, because every second will count and it only takes one second to pull a trigger. Before the rescue operation is launched, the rescuers would need to establish the "threat to life" by not carrying out the raid. This will come from what is known about the kidnappers. Somali pirates, for example, will always negotiate; kidnapping for them is just business. So in that instance you might want to watch and wait. But if the judgement is that there is more than a 50 per cent chance that the hostage will be killed if the rescue isn't undertaken, then the rescue must be launched. This will establish the "go" criteria. The tactical plan will be formulated around what threats must be neutralised to save the hostage's life. This will establish how many troops will be needed and what other assets will be required to try and achieve success. Then you balance the success of saving the hostage's life versus the chance of her being moved by the captors. If the hostage is moved to another country, in this case Pakistan, there would be almost no chance of being able to attempt a rescue mission, even if you had accurate information on the hostage's location. The rescue mission becomes even more complex when dealing with al-Qaeda (AQ), or an affiliated group, or a group who might be prepared to sell the hostage on to al-Qaeda. Given AQ's past record, the chance of the hostage being killed by them is going to be close to 90 per cent; and if the probability is that the hostage could be moved in ways that mean you will lose the individual, the chances are more than 60 per cent and you have no choice but to launch the rescue mission as soon as you have a workable plan. Look at Ken Bigley, the British hostage beheaded by al-Qaeda in Iraq, it is likely that the rescue forces waited too long for the perfect moment. My view of Delta Force, who I would guess carried out the operation, is that they are outstanding. In many ways they are more capable than the SAS due to the right investment in surveillance, communications and assault helicopters. sursa: LINKSublinierea imi apartine. Nu intentionez prin acest fapt sa deschid o polemica 1st SFOD-D versus SAS. Cred ca, in absenta informatiilor din interior, ar fi, in primul rand, inutila. Apoi, desi creata dupa modelul SAS, Delta nu este identica nici ca organizare, nici ca misiuni (atentie, am zis ca nu e identica, nu ca e diferita, desi in ultimii ani 22 SAS s-a concentrat tot mai mult asupra misiunilor direct action, fapt care a apropiat-o ca profil de Delta). Mai este de luat in considerare diferenta de filosofie organizationala, desi din informatiile care au aparut in presa si in carti, schimburile de experienta, antrenamentele si operatiunile comune la care au participat trebuie sa le fi apropiat foarte mult. Insa nu acest fapt voiam sa subliniez. Mai important mi se pare disponibilitatea si capacitatea, bineinteles, a americanilor, de a investi, in raport cu cea a britanicilor. Cred ca in ambele unitati investitia in valoarea umana, primordiala de altfel, a fost foarte mare. Insa tehnologia vine firesc in completarea acestei capacitati, iar importanta ei s-a vazut in rezultatele pe care le-a inregistrat Task Force 145 si ce numea a mai purtata comandamentul aflat in subordinea lui McChrystal in Irak.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuIn fine, mai atrag atentia asupra unui studiu. Atrag atentia aici in special asupra paginilor 10-12 (980-982). Cea mai surprinzatoare informatie mi s-a parut cea din penultima (11/981) unde este mentionat faptul ca Beretele Verzi ale SUA le-au oferit asistenta trupelor conventionale britanice care au participat la invazia in Irak din 2003. Specializarea, ca rezultat al reducerii efectivelor, mai ales in misiuni de actiune directa, ar fi afectat capacitatea UK Special Forces de a purta un razboi neconventional, rol care le-ar reveni (surprinzator !) fortelor conventionale. Iata studiul: s0260210509990398a.pdfRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuImi cer scuze pentru stilul neingrijit al ultimei postari. Am apucat sa o introduc inainte de a o verifica inca o data.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00trueprideFi linistit stimate Radu, substanta postarilor tale este ceea ce ne intereseaza si te asteptam cu cu alte materiale la fel de interesante.Majoritatea forumistilor trec peste erorile de genul intelegand si ei ca timpul nu permite multora decat o expediere cat se poate de rapida a mesajelor.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuIncep sa postez fragmente dintr-o carte. Sper ca nu am mai facut asta inainte. Mentionez dinainte ca autorul ese jurnalist, scriitor si istoric militar. Dupa cum se poate afla din biografia sa postata pe Internet, a servit timp de 9 luni ca ofiter in Regimentul de Tancuri, in armata regulata si alti 4 ani in Territorial Army. Fragmentul mi se pare ilustrativ in ceea ce priveste eficienta britanicilor in Irak si perceptia americanilor asupra lor. Mi se pare de, asemenea, interesanta deosebirea dintre ritmul operational al SAS, angajat in 'masinaria' pusa la punct de Stanley McChrystal si cel al trupelor conventionale britanice. Si, nu in ultimul rand, deoarece rar razbate o asemenea informatie, diferentele de ethos dintre diferitele escadroane ale 22 SAS.Iata titlul:Mark Urban, 'Task Force Black. The Expplosive True Story of the SAS and the Secret War in Iraq', Little, Brown, London, 2010.p. 246Some, like D Squadron's OC (Officer Commmanding) the previous summer, tried to stand back a little and reflect on their target sets before throwing themselves into the fray, but the OC of A Squadron was cut from different cloth. Major Kennedy was the first squadron commander to come back into Iraq after serving there as a troop leader a few years earlier. He had been with Richard Williams's G Squadron as the insurgency got under way during the summer of 2003. Having been guided by the hard-fighting Williams at that formative stage, both men had gone up a step in rank.'[Kennedy]had been brought on by Richard Williams (locotenent-colonel si comandantul regimentului 22 SAS intre 2005-dec. 2007)...when he went back in command of A Squadron he proved to be even more operationally aggressive than Colonel Williams', comments one of those who served under Kennedy in 2007. Another frontline observer remarks that A Squadron arrived with a highly competent, experienced selection of Team Leaders, making it 'a dream team across the board'. These five or six captains and staff sergeants worked away on target packs and missions - sometimes more than one a night - were cued up for the blades (blades: nume dat luptatorilor SAS). With Task Force Knight (nume capatat de Task Force Black) operating as a highly tuned machine under a hard master, the contrast with the British effort in the southern Iraq could not have been greater.p. 247Back in February Tony Blair had confirmed in the House of Commons that Britain's plans to turn over security in southern Iraq would proceed apace. He justified this partly in terms of the success of Operation SINBAD. The military officers who sought to move on to Afghanistan and close the Iraq chapter as swiftly as possible deployed other arguments. The presence of British troops in the centre of Basra was itself attracting a great deal of militia activity. So many rockets or mortars were fired at the Palace of Shatt al-Arab Hotel, with so many missing and falling into neighbouring civilian areas that, to quote one officer at the time, 'consent is evaporating'.If this smacked of capitulation, SINBAD had at least demonstrated that the British army could not do much more, since the UK chain of command would not commit additional troops and the Iraqi security forces were keen to get the British out of the way too. All of this informed the appreciation of Major-General Jonathan Shaw, the commander of Multi-National Division South East for much of 2007. A senior American tells the following anecdote:I went down there because the situation in Basra was dire. I asked him [Shaw] 'What can we do o help ?' He told me that he didn't need any help, that he had decided to withdraw his division to the airport where it would wait the decision to pull out. I looked at him and said, 'Well, thank you for your clarity. You have at least told me exactly what you are going to do'.Continui in postarea urmatoare.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu Patrascup. 247 continuareThe British army was entering its final and most controversial phase in southern Iraq. Those who watched from Baghdad were saddened or even disgusted. One SAS man quips, 'Defeatist doesn't quite cover it.' A senior officer who worked in the capital reflects, 'The British in Baghdad actually made the intellectual (p. 248) adjustment that MND South East never made'. In his interpretation, those who acquired the Baghdad mentality had absorbed the American spirit of aggression, problem-solving and critical self-examination. The Basra crowd, by contrast, never escaped the collective cynicism of a professional group that had gone to Iraq thinking it knew better, and then blamed others for its failure.Jonathan Shaw, in his defence, was operating unde the directive of the Chief of Joint Operations back in the UK and indeed what happened next was simply the fruition of a plan laid out by the Prime Minister himself in February. The Old State Building (a small base right in the city centre) and the Shatt al-Arab Hotel were handed over to the Iraqi army and Provincial Iraq Control, or Pic, had been signed off in Maysan in April.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuO operatiune care a reusit:British medical worker among four rescued from cave by special forces in AfghanistanA British medical worker kidnapped in Afghanistan has been dramatically freed in a special forces raid. By Ben Farmer, Kabul7:22AM BST 02 Jun 2012The SAS are understood to have carried out the helicopter raid on the cave where Helen Johnston, 28, who was working for an aid project, was being held along with three other hostages. One of the other hostages is Moragwa Oirere, 26, a Kenyan-born aid worker who had previously worked with Save the Children. David Cameron authorised the rescue attempt after military forces in Afghanistan briefed him on the planned operation. Speaking outside Number 10 after the raid, he described the rescue effort as "extraordinarily brave" and "breath-taking". Miss Johnson's parents Philip and Patricia said: "We are delighted and hugely relieved by the wonderful news that Helen and all her colleagues have been freed. “We are deeply grateful to everyone involved in her rescue, to those who worked tirelessly on her behalf, and to family and friends for their love, prayers and support over the last twelve days. “We greatly appreciate the restraint shown by the media since her abduction, and ask that they continue to respect our privacy at this special time." The other two were Afghan colleagues the pair had been working with in the country. The four rescued hostages were reported to be in a "good condition". Miss Johnston and Ms Oirere were in the British Embassy in Kabul, while the two Afghans were safely in their home province. The operation happened under cover of darkness in the early hours in Badakhshan province, in the north of Afghanistan. Five heavily armed hostage-takers were killed during the rescue, officials in Afghanistan said. The kidnappers, who are believed to have been a criminal group with links to insurgents in Afghanistan, had made a ransom demand in a video. Mr Cameron said he authorised the rescue attempt on Friday afternoon after becoming increasingly concerned about the safety of Ms Johnston and her colleagues. He said all four hostages were rescued safely, no British troops were injured and a number of Taliban and hostage-takers were killed. "It was an extraordinarily brave, breath-taking even, operation that our troops had to carry out," he said. "I pay tribute to their skill and dedication." The Prime Minister added the rescue should serve as a warning to terrorists across the world who take British citizens hostage. He said: "They should know if they take British citizens as hostage we do not pay ransoms, we do not trade prisoners. "They can expect a swift and brutal end. "Above all, on this weekend of all weekends, we should say a enormous thank you to the incredibly brave forces that took part in this operation. "We will never be able to publish their names but the whole country should know we have an extraordinary group of people who work for us who do amazingly brave things." A statement from the Foreign Office added: "Helen and her colleagues were rescued by ISAF forces, including UK forces, in a carefully planned and coordinated operation. "This operation was ordered by the Commander of ISAF and was authorised by the Prime Minister. "We pay tribute to the bravery of the coalition forces which means that all four aid workers will soon be rejoining their families and loved ones. "We have worked closely with the Afghan authorities throughout and we would like to thank them for their support." The raid in the remote province of Badakhshan came less than two weeks after the women had been seized while trekking on horseback to treat villagers suffering from malnutrition. Abdel Maruf Rasekh, spokesman for the provincial governor, said the raid had taken place at 1am in Shahr-e-Bozorg district, in a large forested area near the Tajikistan border called Koh-e-Laran. In a statement American General John Allen, the overall commander of the International Security Assistance Force, which includes British and American troops in Afghanistan, said: "First, I would like to thank the Afghan Ministry of the Interior and Minister Mohammadi for their tremendous support throughout this crisis. "Second, this morning’s mission, conducted by coalition forces, exemplifies our collective and unwavering commitment to defeat the Taliban. “I’m extremely grateful to the Afghan authorities and proud of the ISAF forces that planned, rehearsed, and successfully conducted this operation. "Thanks to them, Miss Helen Johnston, Ms. Moragwe Oirere, and their two co-workers will soon be rejoining their families and loved ones.” SAS soldiers, assisted by other troops from ISAF's Joint Special Forces Group, which includes elements American Delta Force soldiers and Navy Seals, as well as local Afghan security forces, were transported to the cave by heilcopter and stormed into it, freeing the four hostages. The aid workers – Miss Johnston and Moragwe Oirere and their two Afghan colleagues - were kidnapped on May 22. They worked for Medair, a humanitarian non-governmental organisation based near Lausanne, Switzerland. Medair said its team had been abducted while "visiting relief nutrition, hygiene and health project sites" in Badakhshan province. Aurélien Demaurex, spokesman for the charity, said: “Medair is relieved that our colleagues are safe. We are immensely grateful to all parties involved in ensuring their swift and safe return.” Badakhshan is an impoverished and mountainous province in Afghanistan's far northeast, and while mainly quiet, there have been pockets of insurgent activity. Miss Johnston studied at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and had worked for the charity in Afghanistan since last year. Last December she spoke of her work and told how she had regularly seen skeletal and "other-worldly" children in Badakhshan province. The deeply conservative area, in which women are unable to go out alone and have been beaten for taking their children for treatment, has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. Miss Johnston said: "The international emergency level is a 15 per cent malnutrition rate, but here it is 30 per cent for under-fives and for the under-ones it's 60 per cent." She added: "Some of things I have seen I have had a very emotional reaction to. The children come to the clinic draped in clothes, looking quite big, but then you roll up their sleeve to measure them and you see their tiny little frames. They look other-worldly. "There was one little boy and I just thought 'what is going on?'" Miss Oirere was born and educated in Kenya and subsequently worked fro Save the Children in Africa, as well as other aid projects, before working in Afghanistan. A statement from the coalition described the kidnappers as Taliban, but local officials said they were petty criminals. A British hostage was killed in Nigeria in March when an attempted rescue involving UK special forces ended in tragedy. The successful rescue comes after a series of failed attempts to rescue other British hostages have ended in tragedy. Chris McManus, working in the country as a building firm contractor, was killed alongside an Italian colleague as Nigerian troops and British Special Boat Service commandos launched a failed mission in west Africa. The UK national had been held by terrorists associated with Islamist extremist group Boko Haram since May last year after being kidnapped from his apartment by gunmen. Prime Minister David Cameron was criticised when it emerged that Italian authorities were not notified about the covert operation until it was under way. Aid worker Linda Norgrove died during a mission to rescue her from hostage takers in Afghanistan in October 2010. Ms Norgrove, 36, was killed by a grenade thrown by a US soldier during the operation, although Wiltshire coroner David Ridley did not blame him or his comrades for the tragic mistake. Three Afghans captured with her were released unharmed a few days later. sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu Patrascu'Thank you for saving me': Moment British hostage returned to safety after being kidnapped by Afghan insurgents• Helen Johnston arrives in Kabul after her hostage ordeal came to end with a daring SAS recuse• The 27-year-old is recovering in the Afghan capital, having been flown in from the north eastern province of Badakhshan• David Cameron authorised the dramatic cave rescue of the aid worker• Troops took part in 'long march' to remote cave where hostages were held, without being spotted• SAS officers then arrived by helicopter stormed the cave in the dead of night• All four hostages rescued safe, no troops injured and a five Taliban and hostage-takers killedPUBLISHED: 22:03 GMT, 2 June 2012 | UPDATED: 15:10 GMT, 3 June 2012 British aid worker Helen Johnston beamed with joy as her rescuers delivered her safely to Kabul.The 27-year-old thanked could not hide the delight on her face as she was greeted by officials in the Afghan capital yesterday, having been flown from province of Badakhshan.Miss Johnston is recovering from her kidnap ordeal, which came to dramatic end on Friday when David Cameron sent SAS troops to free her after her captors demanded a £7 million ransom.The British soldiers – backed by US Delta Force, American Navy Seals and Afghan troops – rescued Miss Johnston and three other hostages from a cave in the north eastern province.The Prime Minister described it as an ‘extraordinarily brave, breathtaking operation’. Six of the kidnap gang were shot dead in the SAS raid.Mr Cameron gave the go-ahead for the operation when the gang threatened to kill Miss Johnston and the other hostages unless an Afghan drug baron was released from prison and the ransom paid.Miss Johnston had spent ten days inside the cave in a heavily wooded, mountainous hamlet called Asphan, nine miles from the nearest road or track.She was seized at gunpoint on May 22 by a gang associated with the Taliban. The Briton, a nutritionist who works for Medair, a Swiss-based humanitarian group, was held with Kenyan colleague Moragwa Oirere and two Afghan men, who had been acting as their guides.The gang demanded the immediate release of their leader, a drug baron and people trafficker known as Jallah, who had been arrested a month previously. They also wanted an $11 million dollar (£7million) ransom and the cessation of all activities by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the area.By Friday, Mr Cameron had no choice but to send in the SAS after the Afghan government refused to negotiate with the kidnappers.An Afghan source said: ‘The Afghan government refused to give in to their demands. The gang was told to return the hostages safely or face the consequences.’After the mission, Miss Johnston’s parents, Philip and Patricia, and her brother Peter said: ‘We are delighted and hugely relieved by the wonderful news that Helen and all her colleagues have been freed. ‘We are deeply grateful to everyone involved in her rescue, to those who worked tirelessly on her behalf, and to family and friends for their love, prayers and support over the past 12 days.’Last night, Mr Johnston, a senior tutor in theology and religious studies at Hughes Hall, Cambridge, declined to add to the family statement. He said: ‘I’m sure you’ve seen our statement. That’s all we are going to say at the moment.'The SAS mission was given the green light by Mr Cameron at a meeting of COBRA, the national security emergency committee, in London at 3pm on Friday. He took action because information gained by MI6 and US intelligence agents in the city of Faizabad over the past week helped them establish that the risk to Miss Johnston and her fellow hostages was increasing.Senior military and intelligence officials attended COBRA meetings with MI6 chief Sir John Sawers every day last week as information about the kidnapping flowed in through GCHQ, the Government’s secret communications centre. It was during the COBRA meetings that the ‘nuts and bolts’ of the rescue plan were put together, and the Special Forces team was placed on stand-by to deploy once a signal was sent from London.Mr Cameron attended three of the COBRA meetings.As the threat to the hostages became increasingly serious, Mr Cameron took advice from the director of UK Special Forces, the head of Defence Intelligence and senior MI6 officials.They made contact with their US counterparts and those working with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan before the mission was approved.The SAS and American teams were flown in a Black Hawk helicopter from Bagram air base at low level just after midnight local time on Friday. Afghan troops are understood to have followed in a second helicopter.Weighed down with bullet-proof vests, weapons and heavy backpacks, the Special Forces troops then faced a gruelling trek of at least five miles across rough, forest- covered terrain before launching their attack. They had to land several miles away from their target because the heavily wooded terrain in the area made it difficult for the helicopters to touch down. It was also crucial that the gang did not hear the sound of the engines and rotor blades.The Afghan troops were used to provide a security cordon around the area of cave dwellings where Miss Johnston and her colleagues were being held.The Special Forces troops, thought to number a dozen, moved in at about 2am, but were fired at by the kidnappers. The SAS men replied with a barrage of shots from weapons that included C8 SFW carbines fitted with grenade launchers, Heckler & Koch assault rifles, MP5 machine guns, L96A1 sniper rifles and Browning and Sig Sauer handguns.They are also thought to have carried a supply of Claymore anti-personnel mines and daggers tucked into boots to use in any close-quarters combat.Local sources said the gang was heavily armed with rocket-propelled grenades and Kalashnikov assault rifles.By the end of the gun battle, six of the kidnappers had been shot dead, a similar number were captured and the four hostages were freed unharmed in what a senior military source described as a ‘textbook operation’.None of the rescue forces was injured or killed and they and the hostages were evacuated from near the scene by helicopter.A senior military source said yesterday: ‘It’s a great day for Her Majesty’s Forces on Diamond Jubilee weekend and an even better day for Helen Johnston’s family.’Mr Cameron said: ‘It was an extraordinarily brave, breathtaking operation that our troops had to carry out. I pay tribute to their skill and dedication.’Speaking outside No 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister said the rescue should serve as a warning to terrorists across the world who targeted British citizens.‘They should know if they take British citizens as hostage we do not pay ransoms, we do not trade prisoners. They can expect a swift and brutal end.’Mr Cameron said decisions on rescue attempts were ‘extraordinarily difficult’ and ‘never rushed into’.But he said he decided the risks to the hostages lives were becoming too great.Mr Cameron added that he had spoken to Miss Johnston and to her parents and brother. ‘They are incredibly relieved about what has happened,’ he added.‘It’s just a huge joy that they are finally going to be reunited and they are all healthy and all well.’During their brief conversation, Miss Johnston thanked Mr Cameron for the efforts of all those involved in bringing her to safety. The Prime Minister said the rescue involved a number of British troops, helped by ISAF forces as well the Afghan government.He confirmed that it involved a ‘long route march’ and said the rescue team had at no time been discovered.Paying tribute to the British troops involved, Mr Cameron said: ‘Above all, on this weekend of all weekends, we should say a enormous thank you to the incredibly brave forces that took part in this operation.‘We will never be able to publish their names, but the whole country should know we have an extraordinary group of people who work for us who do amazingly brave things.’He added: ‘This weekend we’re going to remember and commemorate 60 years of extraordinary work by Her Majesty the Queen and this weekend we can also remember the frankly incredible work that people who serve in her name do on our behalf all the time.’Medair, which has worked in Afghanistan since 1996 providing relief to vulnerable and isolated communities, said it was relieved its workers had been released.Spokesman Aurilien Demaurex said that since the kidnapping, the charity had steered clear of publicity about the situation because it felt that might jeopardise efforts to secure a release.‘Medair is relieved that our colleagues are safe. We are immensely grateful to all parties involved in ensuring their swift and safe return,’ Mr Demaurex said.The success of yesterday’s rescue comes in the wake of a number of tragedies involving aid staff helping the Afghan people.In August 2010, British doctor Karen Woo was shot dead in an ambush in Badakhshan as she delivered medical supplies. The Taliban claimed they killed the 36-year-old aid worker for ‘preaching Christianity.’ But Afghan authorities said her killers were more likely to have been bandits, as they stole Dr Woo’s belongings and passport along with those of her seven colleagues.Two months later, British aid worker Linda Norgrove died during a failed mission to rescue her from kidnappers in Afghanistan.Ms Norgrove, 36, was killed by a grenade thrown by a US soldier during the operation, although at her inquest Wiltshire coroner David Ridley did not blame him or his comrades for the tragic mistake. Three Afghans captured with her were released unharmed a few days later. In Nigeria in March building contractor Chris McManus was killed with an Italian colleague as Nigerian troops and British Special Boat Service commandos launched a rescue mission. Mr McManus had been held by terrorists associated with the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram since May last year.sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuMa intreb daca britanicii nu si-au redescoperit cumva, in ultima vreme, vocatia lor de purtatori ai unor razboaie de joasa sau medie intensitate (in opinia mea, mai sanatoasa), dupa ce experientele nefericite din Afganistan si mai ales, Irak, le-au demonstrat ca nu mai au resurse pentru a se implica in conflicte mai ample. Adevarul ca din ceea ce se preconizeaza in Strategic Defence and Security Review, cu 7 brigazi (5 multi-rol, 1 de asalt aerian si una de infanterie marina), un singur portavion operational (asta cand vor primi F-35) si cu o forta aeriana care si-a epuizat munitia in ofensiva impotriva unei tari precum Libia e cam greu ca Marea Britanie sa isi mai sustina pretentiile de mare putere. Mi se pare, la o privire sumara, ca modul in care sunt structurate Fortele Armate ale UK, amintesc de veleitatile de mare putere, insa cantitativ sunt reduse. Si cred ca pe viitor vor deveni si mai reduse, iar Anglia isi va regasi 'insularitatea'. Iata, insa, despre ce vorbeam: SAS SET UP SAFE CAMPS IN SYRIAABOVE: Nearly 2,300 Syrians have been killed since the ceasefire ¬supposedly took effect in mid April Safe havens would be an invasion of Syria but a chance to save lives A senior Whitehall source3rd June 2012 By Deborah SherwoodBRITISH defence chiefs have drawn up secret plans to set up safe havens for Syrians fleeing President Assad’s killers.Special Forces will help ¬protect the refugees in Syria along the borders. Last week as the president ignored an international ceasefire, plans were being finalised to ¬rescue thousands of Syrians.SAS troops and MI6 agents are in the country ready to help rebels if civil war breaks out as ¬expected this weekend.They also have ¬hi-tech satellite computers and radios that can instantly send back photos and details of refugees and ¬Assad’s forces as the situation develops.Whitehall sources say it is vital they can see what is ¬happening on the ground for ¬themselves so Assad cannot deny atrocities or battles. And if civil war breaks out the crack troops are on hand to help with fighting, said the ¬insider. Foreign secretary William Hague has refused to rule out using ¬military action to stop Assad’s ¬regime attacking his own people. “Safe havens would be an invasion of Syria but a chance to save lives,” said a senior Whitehall source.“The SAS will throw an armed screen round these areas that can be set up within hours.“There are guys in the communications unit who are signallers that can go right up front and get ¬involved in close-quarter fighting.”The rebel Syrian Free Army has ¬dismissed the UN-backed truce as “a failure” and is ¬resuming “defensive” operations despite the ceasefire required by the peace plan. Nearly 2,300 Syrians have been killed since the ceasefire ¬supposedly took effect in mid April.Last week 108 men, women and children were slaughtered in Houla in what is widely believed to be a regime-led massacre. The British troops would be part of an international force ¬including French and Turkish soldiers and possibly Americans.Safe havens are expected to be set up around areas that are easily ¬accessible and even within walking distance of troublespots.Among them is Krak des ¬Chevaliers, a medieval castle about 25 miles west of Homs, close to the Lebanon border.It is also a World Heritage site.Another is As Suwayda, near the border with Jordan and Jisr al-Shughour near the Turkish border. Refugees gathered there have put up camps in the hills and thousands more are heading there.It is thought ¬Syrian forces would not dare to come that close to the border.There is also the safe haven of Sanliurfa in Turkey on the Syrian border.Sursa: LINKAsta imi aminteste de actiunile UKSF, desi mai putin agresive acum, din Libia.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuCe vor face unii: redevin civili sau vor fi incadrati in functiile din categoria proprie sau in alta categorie de forte unde este deficienta de personal. Intrebare: exista in Romania asa ceva ? De exemplu, daca sunt prea multi infanteristi, sa zicem, exista posibilitatea reincadrarii dupa un ciclu de instructie/formare, de specialist in comunicatii pentru Fortele Aeriene ?ArticleService personnel selected for Tranche 2 Redundancy ProgrammeA Defence Policy and Business news article12 Jun 12Personnel from all three Services will today be notified if they have been selected for redundancy in the second tranche of the Armed Forces Redundancy Programme.For many, selection will be a result of their own choice to apply for consideration to be made redundant. For others, it will be unwelcome. All notifications will be made either face-to-face or by telephone.Those personnel who will be returning to civilian life through redundancy will receive full support from their chain of command along with a comprehensive resettlement package to aid their transition. See Related Links.Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said:"Of course I regret that it has been necessary to make redundancies to deliver our plans for reducing the size of the Armed Forces. We inherited a multi-billion-pound black hole in the Defence Budget."We've now brought the Defence Budget back into balance for the first time in a generation. We will have smaller Armed Forces but we will ensure they will have the protection and equipment they need."The Royal Navy and RAF redundancy figures are smaller than anticipated due to the MOD's ability to use other measures such as slowing recruitment. No further significant reductions are expected for the Royal Navy or RAF."We still have some way to go to bring the size of the Army down to 82,000 and decisions on what is necessary to achieve this are yet to be taken, but we won't compromise the mission in Afghanistan."Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir David Richards said:"I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere thanks to those who will be leaving the Services for their contribution to our Armed Forces and to the nation's security. Some of you may see redundancy as an opportunity. Others will see it as a significant challenge."Your chain of command will support you during the redundancy process, and I would encourage you to make full use of the comprehensive resettlement package as you make the transition to civilian life. I would also encourage those who are eligible to consider applying for transfer to shortage categories within any of the three Services."Applicants will serve up to six months' notice before leaving the Armed Forces, while non-applicants will serve up to 12 months' notice. Those who wish to leave earlier can ask their Service.Those selected for redundancy, and who meet the selection criteria, will have the opportunity to apply to shortage area categories.The Royal Navy and Royal Marines are notifying approximately 170 personnel that they are to be made redundant, of whom approximately 120 (72 per cent) are applicants and 50 (28 per cent) non-applicants.The Army are notifying approximately 2,900 personnel they are to be made redundant, of whom approximately 2,100 (72 per cent) are applicants and 800 (28 per cent) non-applicants.The RAF are notifying approximately 730 personnel they are to be made redundant, of whom approximately 515 (71 per cent) are applicants and 215 (29 per cent) non-applicants.All notification letters will set out clearly the next steps and explain where Service personnel can find further advice.This will be the last major tranche of redundancies for the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force.sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuViata dupa armata pentru unii:Life after leaving the UK's Armed ForcesA Defence Policy and Business news article13 Jun 12Leaving the Armed Forces can be a daunting prospect. After years of living a structured lifestyle which could involve fighting on the front line, entering what might seem like the comparatively quieter civilian world can take its toll if the transition isn't properly handled. Report by Leigh Hamilton.Around 20,000 personnel leave the Services every year. This can be due to a natural end to their commission, redundancy, or medical discharge. Each of these individuals has access to tailored support and advice years before they are discharged, to ensure they are as well prepared as possible.The Career Transition Partnership (CTP), which is a partnering agreement between the Ministry of Defence and Right Management, provides resettlement services for those leaving the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Marines and also acts as an intermediary for employers wishing to hire Service leavers.To date the CTP has helped over 170,000 personnel with the tricky transition to civilian life by offering guidance, workshops and courses.Leaving the Armed Forces can, in some respects, be like starting again from scratch. The CTP understands how complicated creating a new life can be, and provides advice on all aspects of civilian life including; approaching the job market; how to claim benefits; housing; health and education; pensions and interviewing skills.Advice, guidance and support are available from the CTP two years before discharge until two years after leaving Service, if the individual is eligible in accordance with current policy. After receiving word that they are leaving the forces, a Service leaver is given a briefing which clearly outlines what they can expect in the coming months and they will be given in-Service resettlement advice before attending a three-day Career Transition Workshop (CTW).CTP's Marketing Communications Manager Karen Carroll said:"Obviously it's a scary time for a lot of people and we're aware of that. The first thing Service personnel need to do is get registered with the CTP through their Service Resettlement Advisor and get the process started."Then, they can go on the three day transition workshop. They'll start to work with a career consultant. "They will develop and follow a Personal Resettlement Plan which will include resettlement activities to meet the needs of the individual and aspirations for their future career."This includes further CV and interview techniques workshops, vocational training and equipping them with the tools and knowledge to market themselves to future employers."Service personnel possess a wide range of skills which make them very valuable assets to civilian employers. Their military background provides skills and a work ethos that would be an asset to any organisation.These skills include leadership, being able to work as part of a team, discipline, maturity and acceptance of responsibility. Employers often cite ex-Service employees as being flexible, and having a positive attitude. Mrs Carroll said:"Some Service leavers worry that their military skills and experience will not transfer into civilian roles. Attendance at a CTW and working with a Career Consultant will help to translate those skills and many are surprised at what they do have to offer such as leadership, teamwork, planning and motivating."These soft skills are important to employers and we work with many who are willing to train Service leavers because they value the skills they possess and they can see that they will be an asset to the company."Lieutenant Commander David Sargent is one of the many Service personnel who have benefited from the CTP. He was notified in September 2011 that he was being made redundant as part of Tranche 1 of the Armed Forces Redundancy Programme following the Strategic Defence and Security Review.After serving for almost thirteen years as a Logistics Officer with the Royal Navy, Lt Cdr Sargent relied heavily on the guidance provided by the CTP during the year before he left the Armed Forces.After initial contact with the CTP, Lt Cdr Sargent attended a CTW at the Regional Resettlement Centre (RRC) Cottesmore which set the tone for the rest of his transition experience:"When I attended I was still in shock after being made compulsorily redundant," Lt Cdr Sargent said. "So, initially I had thought very little about resettlement. The CTW was a real wakeup call and made me think very long and hard about what I needed to do. It got me into the job seeking mindset."During his military career, Lt Cdr Sargent gained extensive experience in logistics and supply chain management and also headed up a number of different departments.After beginning an MSc in Logistics Management through the Navy, Lt Cdr Sargent discussed his options with his Career Consultant, and he soon came to the conclusion that continuing with this qualification would not make the best use of his Graduated Resettlement Time (GRT).Planning to utilise his existing military skill-set, Lt Cdr Sargent set his sights on finding work in the field of Logistics. He said:"I found myself referring time and again to CTW and the notes I was provided with. Certainly as my job search continued, I found the lessons learned were more and more relevant."Although focussing on logistics vacancies, by chance, he came across an advert on the Lincolnshire County Council website for the position of School Business Manager at a local school:"I saw the job specification and realised that it was almost identical to that of a Naval Logistics Officer. A little more research showed me that the traditional Naval term for my branch, Purser, shares the same Latin root as Bursar. The case seemed to make itself!"So, on the face of it, it was a step change, but it actually saw me playing to my strengths and also looking at education, which is what I really wanted all along."Lt Cdr Sargent still uses his military experience on a daily basis, and says:"Be it management of people, things, money, infrastructure, the experience gained has proved utterly invaluable."When he moved in the civilian world of work, Lt Cdr Sargent explained that he found that his priorities changed:"I made the decision that a good job wasn't solely about the money. Locality, time off, environment, etc, were all equally important."Lt Cdr Sargent's new boss, Head Teacher at Cherry Willingham Community School, David Rice, said:"In less than two months, Dave Sargent has made a palpable impact our school. Dave's learning curve has been very steep with some rather sharp edges and he is managing the job superbly well."Changes in family circumstances can be a catalyst for some personnel to seek voluntary redundancy.After 14 years in the RAF as a Puma navigator, Sarah Murnane decided to apply for voluntary redundancy to make sure that she was able to spend more time with her young child:"I have a three-year-old daughter," she said. "The RAF was great when I was young, free and single and didn't mind travelling. I did Kosovo, Bosnia, Basra, Baghdad and Afghanistan. Having little kids and going away just doesn't suit me anymore, so I applied for voluntary redundancy which was a good way out for me."After discovering that her application for redundancy had been approved, Mrs Murnane attended a CTW a few weeks later at RRC Northolt. She said:"I found it really useful, especially the guidance on CV writing as most of us who go straight into the military have never had to write a CV. I thought I should focus on defence management jobs, but my career consultant encouraged me to think of other areas."Before I joined the Air Force I wanted to teach, so she encouraged me to look into that area as well as project management. The meeting with her was so useful, she knew so much."During the CTW, Mrs Murnane was encouraged to look for jobs online and it was during the workshop that she applied for a position as a geography teacher - which she got. Mrs Murnane said:"There were four people interviewed and the other three guys were all qualified teachers. I'm not a qualified teacher, and the others were also a bit younger than me and I just thought they're not going to want an unqualified and older person."I left thinking nothing about it and got a call the next morning offering me the job."Although she was elated to find out she had successfully made the transition into a civilian job, Mrs Murnane was put to the test as she had to move house and look after a three-year-old child on her own as her husband, who is also in the RAF, was on deployment in Afghanistan.After the pressure of changing her whole life, Mrs Murnane then had to face a classroom of rowdy children in her new job. Luckily the skills she gained during her time in the RAF ensured she was well equipped for whatever they had in store:"When kids are messing about, it's important to be able to control them. When I got hit in Baghdad, that was quite scary and it got the adrenaline pumping. Kids playing up in the classroom is comparatively not scary at all."To those who may be facing redundancy, Mrs Murnane advised:"Don't give up job hunting and don't get too demoralised. You may not find a job immediately. You've got to find a job that suits you and don't underestimate the skills that the military has given you; confidence; being able to deal with lots of different situations; and not getting phased by things."With the help, guidance and support of the MOD through the CTP, life after active service has the potential to open new doors and present new opportunities that personnel may not have expected.sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuBritish special forces inside SyriaUnconfirmed reports say that Britain’s special operations forces have crossed from Turkey into Syria advancing up to ten kilometers inside the country.DEBKAfile, an Israeli military intelligence website, has reported that unconfirmed first reports from British, French, and Turkish sources say British forces have entered Syria from Turkey, taking the lead of a western military incursion.Moreover, on Sunday 24 June, The Daily Star reported that Britain’s fighter planes were on stand-by to invade Syria in case Britain’s NATO ally, Turkey, decided to launch a strike on Syria.DEBKAfile said the British incursion was aimed at securing the start of western intervention in Syria to topple President Bashar Al Assad.Earlier this year, the Israeli website also revealed that British troops and intelligence agents were operating in the Syrian city of Homs, assisting Syria’s armed rebels in their bloody battle against civilians and the Syrian army.Moreover, earlier this month, The Daily Star reported that Britain’s Special Air Service (SAS) and MI6 agents were setting up camps in Syria to assist armed rebels if a civil war would break out in the country.This all and the recent report about the British incursion in Syria comes as earlier this month British Prime Minister David Cameron asked his fellow Tory MPs: “Where shall I invade next? I’ve done Libya” as he stopped in front of a map of the world at his Downing Street flat.sursa: LINKSublinierea imi apartine. Mi se pare, totusi, un pic cam exagerat sa atribui acest enunt lui David Cameron.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuMasuri de securitate pentru Olimpiada care incepe peste cateva zile:[Initial, firma privata de securitate G4S a fost angajata, sa asigure securitatea Jocurilor Olimpice cu 2,000 de agenti. Ulterior, s-a ajuns la concluzia ca numarul celor care trebuie angajati este de circa 10,400, contra unui contract in valoare de 284 de milioane de lire sterline. Inainte de Craciun, Ministerul Apararii a anuntat ca va mobiliza 13,500 de militari, fiind necesara inclusiv mobilizarea a 2,000 de rezervisti, pentru Olimpiada. Recent, G4S a recunoscut ca nu poate acoperi necesarul de agenti de securitate la care s-a angajat. Cu toate acestea, spune presa britanica, modificarea valorii contractului negociat nu a fost luata in discutie. Asa ca Ministerul Apararii va mai mobiliza alti 3,500 de militari pentru securitatea Jocurilor Olimpice. Aceasta decizie urca numarul militarilor angajati in operatiunea de paza si securitate a Olimpiadei de la Londra la 16,500, cu 7,000 mai mult decat trupele care participa la operatiunile militare din Afganistan. Dintre cei 13,500 mobilizati initial, 7,500 vor asigura securitatea in zonele de acces spre arenele sportive, 1,000 vor oferi suport logistic iar circa 5,000 sunt genisti, specialisti pentru depistarea bombelor si dezamorsarea acestora, ei fiind insotiti de caini care ,miros' dispozitivele explozive. Cat priveste mijloacele utilizate pentru siguranta Jocurilor Olimpice, cifrele sunt elocvente: -nava portelicopter Ocean, cu 800 de militari/puscasi marini la bord si 4 elicoptere Lynx-o nava amfibie de asalt cu 350 de Royal Marines la bord-o nava auxiliara pe coasta de sud a Angliei-3 avioane de supraveghere si avertizare aeriana E-3D ale RAF-3 elicoptere RAF Puma cu lunetisti ai RAF Regiment la bord-o baterie de rachete sol-aer de tip Rapier si lansatoare de rachete de tip Starstreak-4 avioane Eurofighter Typhoon de interventie aeriana-3 elicoptere Sea King ale RN pentru avertizare timpurieRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuAmendament: intr-o declaratie facuta cotidianului Daily Mail, premierul David Cameron a spus ca G4S ar trebui data in judecata deoarece nu a respectat termenii contractului. Compania se oferise sa angajeze pana l;a 17,500 de agenti de securitate.Sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Leul AlbLINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuMultumesc. Aici merita adaugat, cred eu, chiar daca, probabil, toata lumea il stie deja, acest filmulet:Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuIntre timp, iata ce se mai intampla in Siria. Britain’s ex-army commandos train armed rebels in Syria: UK mediaBritain’s former Special Air Service (SAS) commandos are reportedly training armed opposition groups fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, reports say.(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The Daily Mail and Sunday Express have revealed that the mercenaries have set up training camps in Iraq and on the Syrian border for the armed rebels.British army sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said the militants are receiving instructions in military tactics, weapons handling and communications systems.Groups of 50 militants at a time are being trained by two Mideast-based private security firms which employ former SAS personnel.More than 300 rebel forces have completed the commando training program, and are said to account for a number of the opposition’s combatant units fighting Syrian security forces in Damascus.Britain has also placed more than 600 troops on standby over the unrest in Syria.UK Foreign Secretary William Hague says London should be acting outside the UN Security Council and step up its support for militant groups in Syria.Syria has been the scene of violence by armed groups since March 2011.Damascus blames “outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, asserting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuCharity sad as former SAS soldier dies15 October 2012 | UK Former SAS soldier and prison inspector Clive Fairweather has died aged 68.Mr Fairweather was born and educated in Edinburgh and spent 34 years in the Army, rising from the rank of private soldier to Colonel.During his military career he completed three tours with the SAS and was also security adviser to the Iranian and Jordanian Royal Households in 1970-71. He was second-in-command of 22 SAS at the Iranian Embassy siege in London in 1980.His last job in the military was at Edinburgh Castle, where he was military security officer for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.He was appointed Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland in 1994 and held the job until 2002. He was made a CBE in 2003 for public service.Mr Fairweather was a major fundraiser for military charity Combat Stress, which helps former service personnel damaged by their military experiences. He died at the Western Infirmary in Edinburgh yesterday.Andrew Cameron, chief executive of Combat Stress, said: "It was with great sadness that we learned of Clive Fairweather's passing."Clive was a tireless servant of Combat Stress, and a wonderful advocate of our work and the issue of veterans' welfare and mental health. Over the years he raised thousands of pounds in Scotland to support Combat Stress's vital work and greatly raised awareness of the needs of Scottish veterans."Clive had a wonderful rapport with the veterans who we support and, as an ex-serviceman of considerable distinction himself, was trusted and respected by them. His energy and passion will be sorely missed and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this very sad time.""He was a true gentleman, good company and compassionate, and simply liked to get things done."He will be widely missed and our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time."sursa: Former SAS soldier and prison inspector Clive Fairweather has died aged 68.Mr Fairweather was born and educated in Edinburgh and spent 34 years in the Army, rising from the rank of private soldier to Colonel.During his military career he completed three tours with the SAS and was also security adviser to the Iranian and Jordanian Royal Households in 1970-71. He was second-in-command of 22 SAS at the Iranian Embassy siege in London in 1980.His last job in the military was at Edinburgh Castle, where he was military security officer for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.He was appointed Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland in 1994 and held the job until 2002. He was made a CBE in 2003 for public service.Mr Fairweather was a major fundraiser for military charity Combat Stress, which helps former service personnel damaged by their military experiences. He died at the Western Infirmary in Edinburgh yesterday.Andrew Cameron, chief executive of Combat Stress, said: "It was with great sadness that we learned of Clive Fairweather's passing."Clive was a tireless servant of Combat Stress, and a wonderful advocate of our work and the issue of veterans' welfare and mental health. Over the years he raised thousands of pounds in Scotland to support Combat Stress's vital work and greatly raised awareness of the needs of Scottish veterans."Clive had a wonderful rapport with the veterans who we support and, as an ex-serviceman of considerable distinction himself, was trusted and respected by them. His energy and passion will be sorely missed and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this very sad time.""He was a true gentleman, good company and compassionate, and simply liked to get things done."He will be widely missed and our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time."Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuO ironie a sortii. Iata ce a patit un sergent din 22 SAS:SAS war hero betrayed by the Army, says wifeThe wife of SAS soldier Danny Nightingale tells Sean Rayment about the impact her husband's courtmartial has had on the family. Sally Nightingale the wife of court marshalled soldier Danny Nightingale with their daughters Mara 5 and Alys 2 at home in Crewe Photo: Warren Smith By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent7:00AM GMT 11 Nov 2012Comments140 CommentsSally Nightingale is a woman who knows the meaning both of loyalty and sacrifice.As the wife of an SAS soldier, she learned to live with the knowledge that a knock on the door could bring news of her husband’s death.But she never complained and instead stood by her husband as he took part in secret operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, risking everything in the service of his government and country.In six years of marriage, the couple has effectively spent three years apart.Today, as the nation remembers its fallen heroes, she is wondering whether the worry, the pain and the sacrifice have been worth anything, as her husband languishes inside, a military prison, his career and future in tatters. “I expected to be opening a bottle of Champagne and getting our lives back on track,” said Mrs Nightingale.“Instead I had to tell my two daughters, Mara who is five and Alys, who’s just two and a half, that daddy wasn’t coming home.“I can’t bear to tell them at he’s in prison and will not be home for a long time - I still can’t believe it myself.“I feel as though I am in a horrible dream. Danny has been hung out to dry and the whole family is suffering. He is a hero who has been betrayed by the Army and the government."He is being treated as though he was a common criminal - it just doesn’t make sense.“Danny’s Army pay has been stopped - I can’t pay the mortgage and we may lose our home - the whole family is being punished.”What put Mrs Nightingale in this situation was a sequence of events which has seen her husband taken from a role at the heart of protecting his country to a military detention centre in Colchester.Even in the SAS Sgt Nightingale was something special. As well as a trained sniper, he was a qualified medic who designed a new field dressing, which is now used by the SAS, the American Delta Force, and Britain’s Ambulance Service.The device is now known as the “Nightingale Dressing” and has reputedly saved hundreds of lives.In 2007, Sgt Nightingale was serving in Iraq as part of a secret British-US counter-terrorist unit known as Task Force Black.The unit was composed of members of the SAS and Delta Force, its American equivalent, and their mission was to kill or capture members of al-Qaeda.Baghdad was then at the nexus of a violent insurgency driven by terrorists who thought nothing of killing hundreds of innocent civilians every day.Every evening Sgt Nightingale’s team, working alongside a group of Iraqi special forces known as “The Apostles”, would venture onto the streets to hunt down al-Qaeda terrorists. It was later described as the most intense period of war fighting in SAS history.Towards the end of the tour Sgt Nightingale was presented with a 9mm Glock by the Iraqis as a gift.He intended to have it decommissioned and hung on the SAS sergeants’ mess wall as a war trophy, alongside dozens of others amassed by the regiment in operations.But days before he was due to be flown home, two members of his squadron, Sgt John Battersby and Cpl Lee Fitzsimmons, were killed when their helicopter crashed. The two men were burnt to death, and Sgt Nightingale was escorted the bodies back home and helped arrange the funerals of his friends.“As soon as Danny returned home he went straight to John’s wife offering her support and arranging the funerals."He was exhausted, all of his squadron were, but he would not talk about what happened on operations - he never did and I accepted that,” his wife said.Meanwhile his operational equipment - and the pistol - was packed away in Iraq by members of the regiment and sent back to Hereford, where it remained locked away on the base in the secure “cage” which every SAS trooper uses. The couple on their wedding day and Sgt Danny Nightingale on duty Stung by the death of his two friends, Sgt Nightingale decided to raise thousands of pound for the regiment’s “Clock Tower Fund”, which supports the widows and orphans of dead SAS soldiers by choosing to take partin one of the most arduous races on earth - the Brazil Jungle Marathon where competitors race over 200 miles through the Amazon basin.But ultimately the race would prove to be Sgt Nightingale’s undoing and set him on a journey which would end with his imprisonment.On the first day of competition he collapsed. As medics fought to revive him, Sgt Nightingale’s body temperature rose to 111F and his body began to convulse in series of violent fits before he slipped into a three-day coma.He was eventually flown back to Britain, virtually unable to speak and suffering from terrible memory loss.“He was talking like a two-year-old and couldn’t even remember he had a daughter,” his wife continued..“I don’t actually think he could remember anything at all. He was sent to Headley Court but only for rehabilitation, there were no brain functioning tests or anything.“A few weeks later he was out and the SAS said take two weeks off and come back to work. In the end he was off for three months.”But Danny was not the same person. He had suffered brain damage and would later learn that he had lost pockets of memory.Crucially, one of them was the Glock pistol, locked away inside the cage within the headquarters, which had disappeared from his memory.“Danny got himself fit again but was very good at hiding his memory problems,” Mrs Nightingale said.“He would make lists so that he never forgot. He knew that if he ever admitted that he had a problem his future in the SAS would be in doubt. Danny lived for the regiment. He was totally loyal, totally committed.”As far as the regiment were concerned, Sgt Nightingale was ready to serve, and in 2010 he joined the regiment’s counter-terrorist team. It meant being on constant alert and ready at any time to go on active duty.“Danny needed to be close to the regiment’s headquarters so he moved into an Army house with one of his mates,” said Mrs Nightingale.His equipment - crucially including the pistol, locked inside a box - was taken from the “cage” and put in the Army quarters.In May 2011, both men were sent on a six month tour to Afghanistan. A few weeks after they left, his colleague’s wife complained to the police that she was a victim of domestic violence and that her husband had ammunition in his house.The complaint resulted in a raid on the house in which civilian police searched not just his colleague’s possessions, but Sgt Nightingale’s, and found the Glock pistol. It was in the box in which Sgt Nightingale had locked it in 2007.Both men were sent back to Britain and Sgt Nightingale was questioned by West Mercia Police, who did not press charges.Instead the police decided it was a matter for the military, and the case was passed to the Royal Military Police and both men who were charged with firearms offences.Last Tuesday morning he appeared at a court martial, presided over by Judge Advocate Alistair McGrigor.Sgt Nightingale knew that he could either fight the charge or plead guilty.He was told by the judge advocate that if he fought the case and was found guilty he would get a minimum of five years in a civilian prison. If he pleaded guilty, however, the court would treat him leniently.He and his family stepped outside the court to talk.Courts martial broadly follow civilian sentencing guidelines, although they are not compelled to. A civilian judge would have followed guidelines which impose a five-year mandatory sentence for possession of a handgun.Although some judges have imposed lower sentences, including one man jailed for a year for ordering a gun online which he did not actually receive, such cases are rare.Judge Advocate McGrigor, however, could have imposed a far lower sentence, and Sgt Nightingale’s legal team believed he would.“Danny’s priority was to get home to his family - five years in a civilian prison is not going to get him home to his family,” said Mrs Nightingale.“The decision to plead guilty was about creating the minimum damage. It hurts us both with every bone in our body to be forced to go back into the court and say 'I’m guilty’ but that’s what we had to do to try and limit the damage.“At that stage I didn’t think he would go to prison, never. We spent the afternoon going over the case. We went into court on Wednesday morning, the prosecution put their case forward, which was quite positive.“The prosecutor said he was an exemplary soldier but he has been found in possession of an illegal firearm and we need to deal with this appropriately.“We had testimony from two expert witnesses who supported Danny’s case and said that it was completely possible that his brain injury meant that he never knew the gun existed.“I believe that, because he never spoke about having a Glock. I never knew anything about it until he was sent home from Afghanistan.”The court accepted that the Glock pistol had been given to Sgt Nightingale as a gift and the testimony from the expert witnesses who stated that he had suffered from severe memory loss.But the judge refused to accept that Sgt Nightingale was not aware that he was in possession of an illegal firearm and sentenced him to 18 months in the Military Corrective Training Centre in Colchester, known to the military as “the glasshouse”.He will be discharged from the Army once his sentenced is complete, and will have with a criminal conviction which will make it difficult to secure employment.Stripped of the SAS career he loved, Sgt Nightingale must hope that the appeal his legal team will lodge against both conviction and sentence succeed.But until then Mrs Nightingale is determined that she will fight for the return of her husband with dedication equal to his as her fought for his country: “All I want now is justice for my husband and a future for my family and I will not stop fighting until we get it.” sursa: LINKFiguri importante ale politicii si fostul sau superior vor protesta pentru a obtine eliberarea lui Nightingale: Judge Advocate Alistair McGrigor, presiding over the court martial, could have spared the soldier prison by passing a suspended sentence. Instead he handed down the custodial term.Sgt Nightingale and his family chose to waive the anonymity usually given to members of the special forces.His wife, Sally, said her husband’s sentence was a “disgrace”. She called him a “hero who had been betrayed”. She said she and the couple’s two daughters, aged two and five, faced losing their home after his Army pay was stopped.The soldier’s former commanding officer and politicians have called for the sentence to be overturned.Lt Col Richard Williams, who won a Military Cross in Afghanistan in 2001 and was Sgt Nightingale’s commanding officer in Iraq, said the sentence “clearly needed to be overturned immediately”.He said: “His military career has been ruined and his wife and children face being evicted from their home — this is a total betrayal of a man who dedicated his life to the service of his country.”Patrick Mercer, the Conservative MP for Newark and a former infantry officer, said he planned to take up the case with the Defence Secretary. Simon McKay, Sgt Nightingale’s lawyer, said: “On Remembrance Sunday, when the nation remembers its war heroes, my client — one of their number — is in a prison cell."I consider the sentence to be excessive and the basis of the guilty plea unsafe. It is a gross miscarriage of justice and grounds of appeal are already being prepared.”In 2007, Sgt Nightingale was serving in Iraq as a member of Task Force Black, a covert counter-terrorist unit that conducted operations under orders to capture and kill members of al-Qaeda.He also helped train members of a secret counter-terrorist force called the Apostles. At the end of the training he was presented with the Glock, which he planned to donate to his regiment as a war trophy.But in November 2007, two of Sgt Nightingale’s closest friends, Sgt JohnBattersby and Cpl Lee Fitzsimmons, were killed in a helicopter crash. He accompanied both bodies back to Britain and helped arrange the funerals.In Iraq, his equipment was packed by colleagues, one of whom placed the pistol inside a container that was sent first to the SAS regimental headquarters in Hereford, then to his home where it remained unopened until 2010.In 2009, Sgt Nightingale, now a member of the SAS selection staff, took part in a 200-mile fund-raising trek in Brazil. He collapsed after 30 miles and fell into a coma for three days.He recovered but his memory was severely damaged, according to two expert witnesses, including Prof Michael Kopleman of King’s College, London, an authority on memory loss.In May, 2010, Sgt Nightingale was living in a house with another soldier close to the regiment’s headquarters when he was posted to Afghanistan at short notice.During the tour, his housemate’s estranged wife claimed her husband had assaulted her and kept a stash of ammunition in the house. West Mercia Police raided the house and found the Glock, still in its container.Sgt Nightingale’s court martial did not dispute that the pistol had been a gift. It accepted statements from expert witnesses, including Dr Susan Young, a forensic psychologist also from King’s College, London. She said that he probably had no recollection that he had the gun.The court also accepted that Sgt Nightingale had suffered severe memory loss. But the judge did not believe that he had no recollection of being in possession of the weapon. sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuMilitari din Escadronul B al 22 SAS. Fotografia a fost facuta, cel mai probabil, in Afganistan.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuSituatie paradoxala -as spune, cel putin - in Marea Britanie. In timp ce sergentul SAS Dann Nightingale sta in inchisoare, clericul Abu Qatada nu doar ca a fost eliberat, dar intentioneaza sa dea in judecata statul britanic pentru a primi o despagubire de 10 milioane de lire. Oricum, el deja sta in Uk pe cheltuiala statului britanic. Sincer, i-as da si cele 10 milioane de lire sterline, dar l-as trimite pachet inapoi in Iordania. iata ce spune fostul sau comandantSAS Commander pays tribute to jailed heroThe former commanding officer of 22 SAS, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Williams, recalls serving with Sergeant Danny Nightingale.By Lieutenant Colonel Richard Williams MBE MC7:00AM GMT 18 Nov 2012Comments13 CommentsMy lasting memory of Danny Nightingale is not on the battlefield.It is back in Hereford after the repatriation of two of his comrades, killed in Iraq during the last days of a gruelling 2007 tour.Standing in his assault uniform with his arms around the family of his fallen friends, talking to them, making them feel stronger, with his calm, steady and compassionate manner, at the most dreadful time imaginable.Not going home to his family, as much as he longed to, or sharing a pint and a story with his mates, but looking after others, with no fuss, and no sign of the strains of the battlefield he had just left: a good man doing important work for others at a very tough time.All this is how I remember Danny. Danny - Sergeant Nightingale - was part of an SAS squadron fighting the al Qaeda suicide bombers in Iraq. He and his mates spent six months facing death every night - such was the unprecedented tempo of these operations, playing their vital part in US-led special forces operation commanded by the American General Stanley McCrystal.This was relentless, exhausting, dangerous and necessary; and fate had it that his squadron’s tour was the most punishing of all those deployed since 2003.But as tough as it was, it also worked: by the end of 2007 the suicide bombing rate had fallen from a punishing 150 attacks every month in early 2006 to less than two each month. Crucially, the previously hostile Sunni population had signed up en masse to the local anti-al Qaeda militia as part of a process known as the “Sunni Awakening”.Danny had helped to make that happen.Not as one of the decorated, and inevitably noisy team leaders, but as one of the fiercely determined and skilled senior soldiers who entered the enemy’s rooms first, without flinching, or one of whose who covered his mates back from a flank with his sniper rifle.He was the first to give medical aid and carry the wounded to safety, the first to talk to frightened children woken by the assault, to search dark corners for the escaped target, the first to run back to pick up more ammunition, the first to provide the crucial piece of intelligence at the de-briefing when everyone else was too tired or too excited to bother.Danny was the servant of his team, one of those crucial men that made things work, and was always there to pick up the pieces when they didn’t, without passing judgment on those who had slipped up.Danny was a man who had learned how to quietly conquer his fear, and to suffer any doubts only privately.The quiet, tough, calm, stalwart, a great example of what the best type of British soldier can be, in the SAS and in all units.Like his farming father he is a stoical man who knew how to quietly get the job done whatever the enemy, the weather or life threw at him, requiring neither praise nor thanks.Danny is from farming stock, growing up on the plains of Kenya and in the fields of Hampshire before leaving the land to study at the Lancashire College of Nursing, where he met his wife and joined the TA, the Regular Army and the Queens Lancashire Regiment.He only spent five years in the Infantry before he passed SAS selection in the year the Twin Towers were hit by al Qaeda.By the end of 2007 he and his wife had two children born into the turbulence of the SAS life. Trained as a medic in the SAS, he helped a group of private medical consultants design a new type of bandage designed to seal chest wounds using a revolutionary gel-like substance more normally used to assist with the placing of explosives.It joined perfectly Danny’s medical background with his SAS experience. In recognition of this breakthrough it was named the “Nightingale Dressing” and used by paramedics throughout the UK.It is the mark of the man that he did not seek any financial benefit from it, and there are many who him a deep debt of gratitude for the invention.When he suffered brain damage and memory loss caused because of the stress-induced coma of 2009 - when he was competing in an event to raise money for the wives and children of the regiment - he quietly overcame it to return to operational duty, only have it curtailed by the discovery in his military accommodation of a pistol he cannot remember he possessed.Danny gave his comrades and their families support in the toughest of times and gave his all for his country: now it is time for that debt to be honoured, and for Danny to be freed.* Lt Col Richard Williams MBE MC Commanding officer 22 SAS 2005 - 2008sursa: LINKUite si ce doreste Qatada:Abu Qatada plans to sue Government for £10m, his brother saysAbu Qatada intends to sue the Government for £10 million in compensation for his “unlawful detention,” his family has disclosed. By Rosa Silverman6:30AM GMT 19 Nov 2012The extremist cleric plans to seek a pay-out for his “extended mistreatment” now that he has won his battle against deportation to Jordan to face trial and has been freed from prison.A senior immigration judge last week upheld his appeal after his lawyers claimed he would not get a fair hearing, a ruling that has reportedly boosted the hate preacher’s hopes for a large settlement.He was released on bail afterwards, subject to a 16 hour a day curfew and other restrictions.Ibrahim Othman, his brother, told the Daily Mail: “He said he hopes to get £10million for being wrongly put in jail.“He says he will make the claim when the court processes are finished for his extended mistreatment. “He has done nothing against the British people but the British authorities put him jail for many years.“He has not had any trial in Britain. It is only right that he should have the money.“He hasn’t been able to work for a long time because he has been in jail, so how could he survive without compensation when it is all over?”If Qatada’s claim is successful, he plans to spend the money on a new house in Jordan, if he is allowed to return without facing trial, his brother said.He would also want to donate some of the money to an Islamic charity to help the country’s poor, Mr Othman added.In 2009 Qatada, who was once described at Osama bin Laden’s right hand man in Europe, was awarded £2,500 compensation by the European Court of Human Rights after judges ruled that his detention without trial in the UK under anti-terrorism powers breached his human rights.In 2001 he became one of Britain's most wanted men after going on the run from his home in Acton, west London but in October 2002 he was arrested by police in a council house in south London and detained in Belmarsh high-security jail.sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuSAS sniper Sgt Danny Nightingale pays tribute to 'hero wife'The SAS hero jailed for illegally possessing a souvenir weapon, last night paid tribute to his “hero wife” and said he was looking forward to a typically hectic family Christmas. By Martin Evans, Crime Correspondent6:00AM GMT 01 Dec 2012Comments24 CommentsSergeant Danny Nightingale, 37, was dramatically freed from military detention after wife Sally swung into action to campaign for his release.With the help of newspaper publicity the 38-year-old mother-of-two organised a petition containing more than 107,000 signatures and also appealed directly to the Prime Minister.On Thursday Sgt Nightingale, who was serving 18-months detention after pleading guilty at a military court to possessing a firearm and ammunition, was dramatically set free when the Court of Appeal suspended his sentence. Yesterday with his two daughters Mara, 5, and two-year-old Alys, wrapped in his arms, the highly trained elite soldier said he owed his freedom to his “courageous” wife. He said: “Sally is the real hero here. Without her this would not have happened. She has been the catalyst. Her courage, her dignity and the way she maintained her integrity all the way through has been absolutely superb.”He added: “She has done wonders. I think common sense prevailed really and also the amount of support that has been shown by everyone. Sally is a hero in this, along with the public.” Sgt Nightingale, who has served in the Army for 17 years, more than a decade of that with the SAS, has faced death many times in operations in some of the world’s most dangerous war zones.But he said even those experiences had not prepared him for the moment he realised he was being sent to prison and taken away from his family.He explained: “I had been expecting to go home to the girls that night but Sally had to tell them that daddy was not coming home. It was shocking and gut-wrenching and I had to prepare for the fact that I might not see them until August next year.”Last night as the family headed back home to Cheshire, to prepare for the family Christmas they never expected to enjoy, they said they had been "humbled" by the incredible outpouring of public support.Sgt Nightingale said: "It has amazing and I can't thank everyone enough for their support. This will be a very special Christmas."Sally said rather than a quiet time they were looking forward to enjoying a hectic time surrounded by their family.His wife said added: “Despite Danny’s job he is normally always around at Christmas because his tours are usually in the summer. So this year we couldn’t imagine what it was going to be like without him around.“Thankfully we will all be together now and although it won’t be particularly peaceful with two little girls we can look forward to a hectic time with our family.”Despite his release, Sgt Nightingale has insisted he would not rest until he has cleared his name completely.On Monday morning he is planning to meet with his lawyers to plan the next stage of his legal battle.He said: “This weekend is family time but on Monday we will go back in with full vigour to see what we can do.” A free Danny Nightingale with his wife Sarah Nightingale and father outside the High Court (Picture: PAUL GROVER) Mrs Nightingale added: “Danny has been used as a scapegoat and they chose the wrong person to do that to they chose the wrong person to make an example of."The Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, sitting with Mr Justice Fulford and Mr Justice Bean, reduced Sgt Nightingale’s sentence from 18-months to 12-months and suspended it for a year.They also granted him leave to appeal against his conviction after his lawyers argued that his guilty plea had been made following unfair advice.Mrs Nightingale said her husband’s treatment by the Court Martial had rocked her faith in the military’s legal system.She said: “We felt that the Court Martial was a very unfair hearing because before we went in and had our case heard Danny was told if he did not plead guilty he would be facing five years and if he did plead guilty he would be treated leniently. The common sense did not prevail.“We have not got a lot of trust around that system, but my faith was restored by what happened in the civilian court.”The publicity generated during the campaign to secure Sgt Nightingale’s release could mean that even if his appeal against conviction is successful, his career in the SAS is no longer possible.But the soldier, who was praised for his exemplary record by his former SAS commanding officer, said whatever happened in the future he would always remain incredibly proud of the British Army and of the regiment.Asked if he one day wanted to resume his career in the SAS he replied: "Of course I do. The pride and everything being there, it's the best place to be. It is the pinnacle of the British forces."He added: “Joining that unit was the proudest day of my life. Any soldier who serves their country should feel proud of what they do. But the real heroes are those guys on the frontline now defending the country, rather than me." sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuForce Troops vor avea in structura: 1 brigada de artilerie, 1 brigada de geniu, 1 brigada intelligence & surveillance, 2 brigazi de transmisiuni, 1 brigada medicala, 1 brigada de sustinere logistica, 1 brigada de politie militara, si Security Assistance Group (de nivel regiment). Am uitat sa spun ca divizia 3 dispune de brigada 102 Sprijin Logistic.In varianta initiala din SDSR se preconiza dizolvarea a 11 din cele 36 de batalioane de infanterie. Noul proiect propune disparitia a doar 5:-Batalionul 2/Royal Regiment of Fusiliers-Batalionul 2/Yorkshire Regiment (fost Green Howards)-Batalionul 2/Royal Welsh (fost Royal Regiment of Wales)-Batalionul 3/Mercian Regiment (fost Staffordshire Regiment)-Batalionul 5/Royal Regiment of Scotland (fost Argyll and Sutherlands Highlanders) va deveni companie avand misiuni ceremonialeJoint Helicopter Command va pierde regimentul 9 Army Air Corps (AAC), aflat in structura 16 AAB (probabil ca cele 16 elicoptere AH-64 pe care le detine vor fi preluate de regimentele 3 si 4 AAC ?)De la 'grei' dispar:-regimentele blindate 9/12 Royal Lancers si Queen's Royal Lancers vor fuziona in The Royal Lancers- 1st Royal Tank Regiment si 2nd Royal Tank Regiment- Regimentul 39 artilerie va fi desfiintat, iar MLRS-urile sale vor fi preluate de Territorial ArmyVor disparea si regimentele 8, 23 si 24 Royal Logistic CorpsRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuArmata britanica mai pierde cateva mii de oameni. E vorba despre asa-numitele 'redundancies'. Asta inseamna ca 5300 de soldati vor redeveni civili. Recent, alti 7000 au parasit uniforma militara, ca urmare a deficitului bugetar mostenit de Ministerul Apararii. Oricum ar fi, pana cel mai tarziu in 2020, de la circa 98.000 de oameni, fortele terestre vor ajunge un efectiv de 82.000 de militari profesionisti. Asa cum am mai spus, acesta este cel mai mic efectiv al armatei britanice din ultimii 200 de ani. Un numar atat de mic de soldati nu a mai avut armata britanica din perioada de dupa razboaiele napoleoniene.Se mizeaza, in schimb, pe recrutarea unui mare numar de rezervisti (Territorial Army redenumita, dupa model american, Reserve Forces). Cifra-tinta este de 30.000, astfel ca efectivul total va fi de 112.000. Problema e ca angajatorii rezervistilor sa fie de acord. Au avut loc discutii iar acestia nu s-ar putea spune ca debordeaza de entuziasm. Au spus insa ca perspectiva li se pare 'interesanta' iar pe viitor, vom mai vedea. Insa cei din MoD, cel putin in varianta oficiala sunt foarte optimisti.Interesanta este noua structura, la a carei elaborare un rol important a fost jucat de actualul comandant al contingentului britanic din Afganistan si loctiitor al comandantului ISAF, generalul locotenent Nick Carter. Unitatile de militari profesionisti si cele de rezervisti vor fi integrate. Fata de varianta din 2011 privind viitoarea structura a armatei terestre, preconizata in SDSR din 2010, vara trecua au aparut modificari.Se renunta la structura cu 5 brigazi multirol si brigada 16 asalt aerian.Fortele vor fi impartite in:-Reaction Forces-Adaptative Forces- Force TroopsReaction Forces vor fi grupate intr-un comandament de divizie, actuala Divizie 1 Blindata, ale carei forte vor fi pana in 2020 repatriate in totalitate din Germania.Aceasta va fi compusa din 3 brigazi blindate si brigada 16 asalt aerian (16 AAB). Structura lor va fi insa diferita fata de cea actuala.Astfel, 16 AAB va avea in organica sa cele 2 batalioane de parasutisti (2 PARA si 3 PARA, 1 PARA fiind nucleul Special Forces Support Group) si doua regimente de elicoptere de atac AH-64 Apache.Cele trei brigazi blindate vor fi organizate astfel:-1 regiment de blindate cu 3 escadroane a 18 Challenger 2 MBT fiecare (actualele regimente blindate au cate 4 escadroane a 14 tancuri fiecare) si un escadron de comanda si recunoastere- 1 regiment cavalerie blindata formata din 3 escadroane a 16 vehicule blindate usoare CVR(T) fiecare, ce vor fi inlocuite de Scout Specialist Vehicle si un escadron de comanda si sprijin- 2 batalioane de infanterie mecanizata (ei ii spun blindata) fiecare cu 3 companii de masini de lupta ale infanteriei de tip Warrior (14 de companie) si o companie de sprijin- 1 batalion motorizat blindat cu 3 companii a 14 camioane Mastiff fiecare si o companie de sprijinIn fiecare moment, o brigada blindata va avea un grup de lupta de batalion in stare de pregatire avansata iar brigada 16 asalt aerian va avea un grup de lupta aeropurtat gata de intrare in actiune. Fiecare din cele 3 brigazi blindate si 16 AAB vor fi pregatite sa fie desfasurate in maximum trei luni pe orice teatru de operatii.Partea interesanta vine acum. In cazul participarii la operatii, divizia 1 primeste brigada 101 logistica iar fiecareia dintre brigazi i se aloca in functie de misiune unitatile necesare de artilerie, geniu, reparatii, transmisiuni, suport logistic, spitale de campanie etc. din cadrul Force Troops. Prin urmare, se renuntat la existenta acestor unitati de sprijin de lupta si sprijin logistic ca parti integrante din organica brigazilor. Brigazile primesc din acest 'bazin' (Force Troops) asemenea unitati doar in functie de nevoi.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuLa fel stau lucrurile si in cazul Adaptable Forces (scuze, nu Adaptative Forces). Acestea vor fi grupate in 7 brigazi de infanterie ce vor forma Divizia 3 Infanterie Mecanizata. Cele 7 brigazi au o structura mixta, integrand unitati ale armatei regulate si pe rezervisti.Fiecare brigada are urmatoarea structura:-1 regiment de cavalerie usoara a 3 escadroane formate din 16 vehicule blindate usoare Jackal, grupat cu un regiment de rezervisti Yeomanry- 1 batalion de infanterie motorizata blindata cu 3 companii in camioane blindate Foxhound si o companie de sprijin, la care se adauga un batalion de rezervisti- 1 batalion de infanterie usoara cu 3 companii si o companie de sprijin la care se adauga un batalion de rezervistiOricum, structura lor va varia in functie de obiective:-unele vor activa in zone unde Marea Britanie are misiuni permanente: in tara, in Brunei, in Cipru si in insulele Falkland- ele vor avea relatii de cooperare si instruire cu tari din Golf, Orientul Mijlociu, Asiade SE si AfricaUnitatile de sprijin si sprijin de lupta vor proveni din acelasi bazin, fiind gestionate centralizat de Forces Troops.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuRoyal Navy va fi redusa de la 35,000, in prezent, la 30,000 de oameni. RAF isi va reduce efectivele de la 44,000 la 39,000 de oameni. Deci UK Armed Forces vor numara, in 2020, 151,000 de militari de profesie. RN va avea 6 distrugatoare si 13 fregate, 2 portavioane (se pune problema ca doar unul sa fie operatonal, iar celalalt tinut in rezerva sau chiar vandut) 6 vase amfibii, 7 submarine de atac Astute, 14 vase de patrulare si dragoare. Se pune problema inlocuirii celor 4 submarine purtatoaere de rachete balistice, dar liberal-democratii din coalitia de guvernamant se opun din cauza costurilor prea ridicate. Durata de operare a actualelor submarine de tip Vanguard va fi extinsa pana in anii 2020 sau chiar 2030. Numarul focoselor imbarcate pe fiecare submarin va fi redus de la 48 la 40. Marea Britanie nu va dispune de mai mult de 180 de focoase nucleare. Fiecare racheta va purta doar 5 focoase. RAF va achizitiona pentru inceput 48 de F-35 B, cifra finala urmand a fi decisa ulterior. Probabil 36 le va lua Royal Navy. Vor fi 160 Eurofighter Typhoon, 8 C-17 Globemaster, 22 Airbus A-400M de transport, iar flota de VC 10 si Tristars pentru realimentare in aer va fi inlocuita de 11 Airbus A330 MRTT. Numarul elicopterelor CH-47 va creste cu 22 pana la 70. Nimrod R1 vor fi inlocuite pentru signalls interlligence de 3 Boeing RC-135 River Joint. In materie de UAV, britanicii dezvolta cu francezii BAE Systems/Dassault Telemos, BAE dezvolta Taranis si au MQ-9 Reaper. Cu toate acestea, exista numeroase voci critice fata de actuala politica a MoD. Se crede ca armata va fi prea mica pentru a mai face fata misiunilor sale. Seful Statului Major al Apararii, generalul David Richards (si nu doar el) s-a plans recent ca numarul de nave este prea mic pt ca Royal Navy sa mai asigure o forta de acoperire globala. In timpul conflictului din Libia, fostul sef al Air Command, maresalul-sef al aerului Simon Bryant a declarat ca atat echipamentul cat si personalul au fost suprasolicitate. David Cameron i-a inchis gura spunandu-le sefilor celor trei categorii de forte sa nu mai critice misiunea din Libia. Drept urmare, ei si-au pierdut locul in Defence Board, din care doar Seful Statului Major al Apararii mai face parte.Ministrul Apararii din cadrul 'cabinetului din umbra' laburist, Jim Murphy, a cerut guvernului sa revada SDSR motivand ca, atunci cand s-a decis reducerea armatei la doar 82,000 de militari full-time, nu s-au luat in calcul actualele evolutii din Africa. Murphy (si nu doar el) considera exagerat de optimista prognoza privind recrutarea pana in 2018 a 30,000 de rezervisti si mentinerea acestui nivel.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuPoate ca, fiind eu un outsider, nu am o perceptie corecta: daca se adevereste ceea ce scrie in articolul asta (cifrele sunt enuntate cu o prea mare precizie sa nu fie adevarate, iar in general, ceea ce a scris Daily Telegraph s-a confirmat ulterior), atunci exista pericolul ca UKSF sa devina o forta de mana a doua. Nu ma bazez in ceea ce afirm doar pe masura pe care se pare ca MoD vrea sa o ia acum. Iata sursa si textul: LINKSpecial forces face big cuts in support networkThe support network for Britain’s special forces is facing major cutbacks with around 600 posts earmarked to be lost in a reorganisation to coincide with the military pull-out from Afghanistan. By Patrick Hennessy, Political Editor6:58PM GMT 02 Feb 2013 Sources told The Sunday Telegraph that the controversial move could become necessary because the campaign had seen a build-up of support and logistics to enable elite squads to carry out their operations which would no longer be necessary.The proposals, drawn up at the Ministry of Defence, do not affect the fighting troops of the Special Air Service or the Special Boat Service.However 156 posts are expected to be lost from the Special Forces Support Group, which provides infantry and specialised support to SAS and SBS operations. The rest of the 600 posts are from units providing vehicles, signals, logistics and intelligence — the key “enablers” which allow elite troops to operate.The plans come in the wake of last week’s confusion over the Coalition’s plans for future overall spending on defence.David Cameron suggested that totals would be increased “year on year” from 2015, following the next Whitehall spending review. But Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, later said the increase would apply only to equipment. Mr Hammond today opens up a new rift with the Liberal Democrats over the future of Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent. He uses an article in The Sunday Telegraph to back a like-for-like replacement of the current Trident submarine system as “the best option for Britain”.He warns that alternative systems being studied by the Liberal Democrats would carry “enormous financial, technical and strategic risk” — and could even risk triggering a nuclear war.Sources said the cuts proposed to special forces support were “an option being considered by the military” because certain roles would not be needed after the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan, scheduled to take place by the end of 2014.The Government never comments officially on the special forces, whose total numbers are thought to be about 2,000. In the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, special forces were spared cutbacks which overall saw the defence budget fall by around 7.7 per cent to around £33.5billion a year between 2010-11 and 2014-2015.Some military figures are unhappy about the latest plan. One said the decisions in the SDSR would be “completely undermined” if it was implemented and added: “This is absolutely bonkers — it will institutionalise overstretch within the UK’s special forces at a time when they have been operating, and need to continue to operate, at a high tempo.”Jim Murphy, the shadow defence secretary, said: “These very specialised, high-end forces, which the UK now needs more than ever, are being made redundant at the same time as ministers hail their importance. Prime ministerial promises to support defence seem even more worthless.”Mr Hammond, meanwhile, backs moves to keep a continuous nuclear deterrent at sea. It offers Britain more “freedom of manoeuvre” in a crisis, while the Trident missile system provides “range” and “endurance”, he argues.Replacing Trident would cost around five to six per cent of the annual defence budget, which would be “affordable” and would enhance links with the US, which uses the same system, according to Mr Hammond.His comments come days after Danny Alexander, the Lib Dem Treasury Chief Secretary, said a direct replacement for Trident was “not financially realistic”. Mr Alexander took charge last year of the Government’s review into alternatives to a like-for-like Trident replacement. The review was obtained by the Liberal Democrats as part of the Coalition Agreement shortly after the 2010 general election.The agreement allowed the Lib Dems to “make the case for alternatives”, although it committed the Government to “maintain Britain’s nuclear deterrent”.Mr Hammond, backed by a large majority of Tories, wants a direct replacement for the current Vanguard submarines, which are expected to be decommissioned in the late 2020s. Their Trident II D-5 missiles are expected to remain in service until 2042.The Government is spending £1.4billion on initial design work for replacement submarines — a clear signal that a like-for-like system will go ahead. But the final decision is not due until 2016, after the next general election.Last month, Mr Alexander said MPs from all parties, as well as senior military officers, should accept there were “credible and compelling alternatives” to continuous at-sea deterrence and the Treasury did not have a “magic pot of money” to pay for a new generation of submarines.Mr Hammond’s article reflects a concern among senior Tories that the Lib Dems are trying to “move the goalposts” in an attempt to redefine what is needed and to pave the way for a part-time deterrent when the review of alternatives makes its final recommendations.A replacement system based on cruise missiles, understood to be one of the alternatives favoured by the Lib Dems, as well as some senior military figures, would mean designing new warheads and missiles from scratch, Mr Hammond argues.He writes: “A deterrent only deters if it is credible and available. All the evidence points to a continuous-at-sea presence, based on Trident, as the most cost-effective route to deliver the deterrent effect.“A cruise-based deterrent would carry significant risk of miscalculation and unintended escalation. At the point of firing, other states could have no way of knowing whether we had launched a conventional cruise missile or one with a nuclear warhead. Such uncertainty could risk triggering a nuclear war at a time of tension.“So, the cruise option would carry enormous financial, technical and strategic risk.“Trident remains the best option for Britain.”Au mai fost, de-a lungul anilor, indicii in acest sens: demisiile succesive a doi comandanti ai 22 SAS (Richard Williams 2005-2007) si cel care a condus unitatea intre 2008-2010, amandoi catalogati drept cei mai straluciti reprezentanti ai promotiei lor de ofiteri, cu sanse (asta in cazul in care lucrurile ar fi functionat normal) de a ajunge la 3 sau 4 stele. Cauzele au fost fie independenta in conceptie si actiune a primului si reducerea fondurilor pentru armata si lipsa de echipamente in cazul celui de-al doilea. Adaug aici demisia brigadierului Ed Butler, fost comandant 22 SAS (2000-2002) din aceleasi motive. Apoi, remarca unui fost ofiter soldat SAS care spunea despre Delta ca este in anumite privinte superioara faimosului regiment britanic datorita mijloacelor de comunicatii si transport de care unitatea americana dispune. Operatori Delta si-au marturisit admiratia fata de colegii britanici dar au spus si ca, nu de putine ori, i-au ajutat cu echipament de care acestia duceau lipsa. Episodul neplacut in care a fost implicat sergentul Danny Nightingale arata iar ca ambianta in care se misca UKSF nu este deloc una de natura sa le imprime optimism si incredere in rolul pe care il joaca. Reducerea armatei terestre de la 102.000 la 82.000 de oameni, in care este inclusa si disparitia a 5 batalioane de infanterie va creea dificultati in gasirea de noi membri ai regimentului care sa ii inlocuiasca pe cei care pleaca. Perceptia in mare parte negativa pe care segmente largi ale societatii britanice o au fata de militari (mergand pana la recomandarea MoD ca militarii sa nu poarte uniforma in afara unitatilor lor) descurajeaza inrolarile si afecteaza moralul militarilor. Scazand numarul inrolarilor, bazinul de recruti pentru UKSF scade si deja exista o reducere vizibila a celor care doresc sa ajunga membri ai acestor unitati specializate. Reducerile din viitor vor face ca acest numar sa fie si mai mic. E o mare diferenta intre modul in care sunt perceputi de civili militarii in SUA, Canada, Australia si maniera in care sunt tratati de civili in UK. Acele stiri despre Military Covenant semnate de autoritatile locale si reprezentantii armatei din teritoriu par mai multe simple acte protocolare decat expresia unui sentiment popular. Acum, ultima lovitura: reducerea personalului si chiar a mijloacelor auxiliare. Se stie prea bine, nu e nevoie sa precizez eu asta, ca unitati cu un caracter atat de special precum SAS, SBS si SRR, fara mijloacele de comunicatii, transport si logistica sunt simpli infanteristi si ca rata de succes in operatiuni poate scadea dramatic. Iar calcule pe termen scurt pornind de la premiza ca daca operatiunile in Afganistan inceteaza nu mai e nevoie de asemenea capacitati e profund eronata. In primul rand, nu se stie niciodata ce iti rezerva viitorul. Apoi, in contextul international actual si in viitorul previzibil, rolul fortelor speciale ar putea creste. Prin pregatirea de care dispun, conjugata cu o logistica impecabila, ele pot duce la bun sfarsit actiuni cu maximum de randament si mijloace relativ reduse, scutind statul de cheltuielile si riscurile asociate unei operatiuni de anvergura.Si acum, aceste masuri. Ca reduc pe cei din pozitiile auxilare e deja destul de rau. Insa se pare ca dispar peste 150 de posturi din SFSG. E mult. Nucleul il formeaza Batalionul 1 Parasutisti. O companie de puscasi din acest regiment are 90 de militari -sunt 3 companii de puscasi in fiecare batalion para (companiile lor sunt mai mici decat cele din celelalte regimente de infanterie). 156 de oameni inseamna aproape efectivul a 2 companii puscasi para. Banuiesc ca membrii SFSG sunt principalii candidati pt selectia in unitatile Tier 1. Daca dispar peste 150, ma gandesc cam ce va mai ramane pentru selectie. Poate ca exagerez cand spun 'putere de mana a doua' Britanicii au fost printre pionieri in domeniul Special Forces. Dar asta eram acum cateva decenii. La sfarsitul anilor 70 doar cateva tari aveau unitatii specializate in contraterorism cat de cat mature sau bine definite: SAS (UK), Delta (SUA), GSG-9 (Germania), GIGN (Franta), Sayeret Matkal (Israel). In rest, nu existau sau in cateva tari asemenea unitati erau inca in stadiul incipient. Anii au trecut, iar unitati de gen similar din alte parti au aparut mai peste tot, au castigat experienta iar diferentele s-au redus. Asta mai ales ca, din ce am citit, la un moment dat orice experienta atinge un prag de plafonare. Nu poti progresa la infinit, avand in vedere capacitatile finite de care dispune omul, fie el chiar un militar foarte bine pregatit. Pana la urma, cam acelasi gen de experienta vor capata toti si cam aceleasi bareme de performanta urmeaza sa fie atinse. Apreciez ca in circa trei decenii, beneficiind de o experienta operationala suficient de bogata, de standarde ridicate de selectie si pregatire, de sprijin politic materializat in buna promovare si stimulare a oamenilor si in sprijnul logistic si tehnologic, o unitate de acest gen poate atinge cele mai inalte performante. In asemenea conditii, e greu de crezut ca 'locul I' mai poate fi mentinut de cineva cu usurinta, chiar daca are 'vechimea' cea mai mare in domeniu, dar nu a beneficiat de sprijin politic si material in egala masura. Impresia mea s-a conturat de-a lungul timpului si am imaginea unei tendinte create printr-un efect cumulativ. Sunt primul care admite ca se poate insela. Nici macar nu pretind ca lucrurile pe care le sustin sunt corecte. Este doar o opinie si chiar astept sa fiu contrazis. Nu am scris acestea cu intentia de a emite un vedict, ci doar de a duce un rationament pana la capat, de a folosi cat pot de bine argumentele pe care le-am construit pe baza a ceea ce cunosc (sau cred ca as cunoaste, avand in vedere secretul bine pastrat in privinta unitatilor speciale) pentru a oferi un tablou plauzibil. La urma urmei, doresc sa invat ceva si cea mai buna cale este de a face asta e a de arata ceea ce stiu. Pe baza afirmatiilor mele, pot primi confirmari sau infirmari.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00GyokkoRyuBattle of Qala-i-Jangi imagini cu cei din SBS si SAD(Johnny Micheal "Mike" Spann,Davis Tyson)LINKLINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuUn raid efectuat de SAS cu doar doua zile inaintea declansarii ofensivei din Irak din 2003:Revealed:The SAS secret mission to kill in Iraq BEFORE MPs voted to invade The SAS were already fighting in Iraq on the eve of the Commons vote Soldiers were there to prevent a chemical weapons attack on IsraelBy Mark NicolPUBLISHED: 22:05 GMT, 23 February 2013 | UPDATED: 23:59 GMT, 23 February 2013 The SAS were involved in fierce fighting inside Iraq the day before the crucial Commons vote in 2003 that approved military action against Saddam Hussein’s regime, The Mail on Sunday can reveal today.As the tenth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War approaches, we have uncovered a trove of documents about the secret mission, including accounts of senior Special Forces personnel.Told here for the first time, this is the story of Operation Row, one of the most controversial missions in SAS history.To preserve the anonymity of surviving SAS soldiers, their names have been changed.At a classified location in the Arabian Gulf, a thunder of rotor blades shatters the silence of the desert night.Squads of heavily armed Special Air Service soldiers, their faces shrouded by scarves, sprint through a sandstorm whipped up by the waiting fleet of helicopters.Their boots clatter against the metal tailgates as the hand-picked men from the SAS’s D Squadron scramble inside the six Chinook CH-47 transporters and strap themselves into seats that fold down from the helicopters’ walls.Seconds remain before the launch of their top-secret mission. Late on the night of March 17, 2003, and 24 hours before MPs are due to vote on the Iraq War, these soldiers are under orders to infiltrate the country and deliver a stunning blow to Saddam Hussein’s most elite troops.The SAS’s destination is Al Qa’im, a town where, according to intelligence reports, Saddam Hussein’s forces are poised to fire chemical weapons towards Israel.The SAS’s mission is to prevent an attack on the Jewish state.British special forces in Baghdad after the missionAn SAS officer describes the plans for Op Row: ‘D Squadron would be flying in 6x CH-47s in 3x waves, 120kms over the border. We were then to head from the LZ [Landing Zone] to Al Qa’im, a township of 100,000 people, 2x Regts of the fearsomely proud Republican Guards and a Marine battalion.‘It was a location where missiles had been fired at Israel in the past and a site of strategic importance for WMD material. D Sqn comprised 60 men.’Inside one of the Chinooks, radio specialist Captain Jim Watkins breathes in air thick with aviation fuel fumes. He can still taste the port he downed moments before running aboard.In spite of this toast, the officer remains anxious. He is missing his girlfriend, whom he hasn’t seen or spoken to since Christmas. Watkins and his SAS colleagues have spent the previous three months confined in secret bases in Saudi Arabia and Jordan.Parliament might not have approved the mission but Watkins and his comrades have written their ‘death letters’ – to be read by their loved ones in case the operation goes tragically wrong. Watkins later wrote in his diary: ‘The reality of what we were about to do suddenly struck home and a number of emotions began to run through my mind.‘Fear, anxiety and also nervousness on how I would perform but most of all I was consumed with excitement. While realising what lay ahead, it was incredibly difficult to write my last words. I tried to write a message that both consoled my girlfriend and family, while adding a bit of humour and character to try to lighten the mood.’Deafened by the roar of turbo-shaft engines, Watkins checks his Diemaco rifle and personal equipment, tightening straps for the thousandth time. Then he feels a terrific thrust as the Chinook climbs powerfully into the night sky.Below, the steel-fenced confines of Al Jafr airbase in southern Jordan disappear into the darkness. Relieved the mission is finally under way, Watkins sends a radio message back to the SAS’s HQ. Instantly he feels a smack around his head.‘Shut the **** up!’ screams Sergeant Joe Smith.Confronted by this battle-hardened veteran, Watkins’s seniority counts for little. Chastened, the captain lowers the volume on his headphones.Back at Al Jafr, a second wave of six Chinooks takes off. On board are more soldiers from the SAS’s D Squadron and their Land Rovers, nicknamed ‘Pinkies’. These open-top vehicles are armed with machine guns, rocket launchers and Stinger missiles.Shortly afterwards, the third wave of Chinooks follow the same flightpath. On the night of March 17 to 18, the passage into enemy airspace is smoothed by raids conducted by US Little Bird helicopters – lightweight, single-seater aircraft with a distinctive spherical cockpit. As an SAS officer wrote: ‘It got darker and the Little Birds came back to refuel and rearm with [gun] barrels glowing white-hot. I knew that there was no turning back, Allied forces were now committed.’The Chinooks land in Iraq’s western desert and Watkins disembarks. Shivering with cold, Watkins and his colleagues dig themselves into defensive positions. To his horror, Watkins sees a set of headlights approaching the SAS’s positions.Urgently, the officer cocks his rifle and dives into the dust, his heart pounding. Fortunately, the cars pass without slowing down. Afterwards, while his more seasoned colleagues allowed themselves some shut-eye, Watkins remains too nervous to sleep. He spends March 18 waiting for another batch of 60 soldiers, men selected from the SAS’s B Squadron, to arrive at the same location having driven from Al Jafr in Land Rovers. Back in Britain, Cabinet Ministers are now digesting Attorney General Lord Goldsmith’s judgment that military action against Iraq is legal – on the basis of Saddam Hussein’s non-compliance with United Nations resolutions. On the evening of March 18, Tony Blair tells MPs that British troops can either ‘turn back or hold firm to the course we have set’. That evening the House of Commons passes a Government motion endorsing military action by 412 votes to 149.That night, the soldiers of B Squadron complete their journey. In the early hours of March 19, Watkins and his colleagues approach Al Qa’im and probe the defences of the town’s water-treatment plant – a likely base for chemical weapons.But the soldiers are spotted and the night sky lights up with Iraqi firepower. The SAS have driven into a hornet’s nest of enemy activity. In the ensuing battle, enemy rounds shatter the barrel of an SAS sniper’s Barrett .50 calibre rifle, sending shrapnel through his legs. Showing remarkable bravery, the sniper fights on.The resistance from the Republican Guards is so intense that a Pinkie crew are forced to abandon their vehicle. Enemy rounds pepper the sand at their feet as they run for cover. With highly sensitive communications equipment and heavy weapons aboard the Pinkie, the Officer Commanding (OC) B Squadron decides to ‘deny’ (destroy) the Land Rover by rocket fire. A direct hit is achieved but Watkins fears not all the radio kit has been damaged so he suggests that the OC withdraw his soldiers from the water treatment plant to a safe lying-up position where he can reprogramme the squadron’s radios.With his soldiers winning the firefight against the Repub-lican Guards, the OC is understandably reluctant to retreat. Eventually he agrees.Joint operations by B and D Squadrons resume the following day, March 19, which is known as ‘Air Day’ because it is when the Allied aerial bombardment of Iraq begins.At 9.34pm on March 19, the US-led coalition launches its assault on Baghdad. At 10.16pm (US Eastern Standard Time), President Bush outlines the purpose of invading Iraq: ‘To free its people and to defend the world from grave danger.’ The documents now obtained by The Mail on Sunday establish that the SAS launched Op Row ‘two days before Air Day’.On their second night in Iraq, SAS personnel witnessed the ‘shock and awe’ of the air strikes. An officer wrote: ‘The next night the air raids started and we sat in the desert watching what was a pretty impressive fireworks display.‘16 Troop [part of D Sqn] had been up to the Syrian border to assess a barracks area and had performed a stand-off attack. 17 and 19 Troops [also part of D Sqn] had been to the MSR [Main Supply Route] to set up an ambush.The day after the air raids we moved to the MSR west of the built-up area and set up a road block. In fact, we did this three days running. This seemed to aggravate the local militia.‘We then ascertained through interpreters that a convoy consisting of about 20x Technicals [4x4s converted into weapons platforms] had been sent out to search for us.’During a skirmish, SAS officer Captain James Stenner and Sergeant Smith find themselves outnumbered and outgunned. Yet they continue their assault, putting to good use the rocket launchers bolted aboard their Pinkies.So high are the regiment’s expectations when it comes to bravery that it is widely accepted that it is harder for SAS personnel to win medals than it is for soldiers in regular units. But such is Stenner and Smith’s gallantry, they both receive the Military Cross. Tragically, Stenner, 30, the son of a celebrated former SAS soldier, is later killed in a road accident in Baghdad. SAS attempts to reach the water treatment plant continue from March 20 but they meet stiff Iraqi resistance.An officer wrote: ‘It was a very cold and windy night and the squadron was held up outside a Bedouin village while the lead element tried to find a path through. ‘Suddenly a huge missile flew 300ft above us and disappeared into the distance before exploding. As first light broke, a considerable enemy position was seen on top of a hill. The OC called in air support and an aircraft dropped its payload (2,500lb in total).’After six weeks in the western desert, D Squadron redeployed to Baghdad.From May 2003 to May 2009 – when the SAS finally left Iraq – the regiment fought a much-praised counter-insurgency operation against enemies such as Qaeda-Iraq (AQ-I).US Commander General David Petraeus said of the SAS: ‘They have exceptional initiative, exceptional skill, exceptional courage and, I think, exceptional savvy.‘I can’t say enough about how impressive they are in thinking on their feet.’Interesant ce pozitie a luat liberal-democratul Sir Menzies Campbell cu privirer la raidul SAS si care a fost contraargumentul unui consilier militar: 'THIS SHOWS BLAIR WAS DETERMINED TO INVADE', SAYS TOP LIB DEMVeteran MP Sir Menzies Campbell last night condemned Tony Blair over the early deployment of British Special Forces into Iraq.Sir Menzies said the launch of the SAS mission before the parliamentary vote was proof Blair had already decided to back President Bush’s invasion plan.Sir Menzies, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesman in March 2003, said: ‘The public perception was that the debate and the vote on the 18th was necessary to give legitimacy to the Labour Government’s policy, led by Blair, to support military action against Saddam Hussein.‘But if Special Forces were already deployed then that simply underlines the fact that Tony Blair was determined to go with President Bush in all and every circumstances.‘It was generally thought that Blair had made one of the best speeches heard in the House of Commons for many years, but had MPs been aware of the use of the SAS there might have been many more Labour rebels.’Sir Menzies was among 149 MPs, including all 53 Liberal Democrat members, who voted against military action. But his opposition to the SAS entering Iraq before the Commons had voted was dismissed last night by a former commander of British troops.Colonel Richard Kemp of the Royal Anglian Regiment, who worked in Iraq as an observer for the Cabinet Office from 2003 to 2005, said it was often necessary for Special Forces to deploy without parliamentary authority.He said: ‘By March 17 the Attorney General had decided that military action was legal, so the SAS weren’t doing anything wrong. The deployment of such Special Forces units has to be looked at differently to the regular Army.'It would have been irresponsible of the Government to have pushed forward the big brigades of the British Army without the SAS having gone ahead and conducted preliminary missions such as Operation Row.’sursa: LINKrezumat: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuIata ca episodul relatat mai demult de Daily Telegraph cu privire la atacul irakienilor asupra unui escadron SBS in 2003 nu a fost poveste. Cred ca am scris despre el cu ceva ani in urma in topicul dedicat SAS sau BFOS. Cu cativa ani in urma acelasi incident a fost evocat, dar mai sumar si in cartea lui Mark Bowden, 'Task Force Black. The Explosive True Story of the SAS and the secret war in Iraq'. De remarcat este ca, de fapt, comandantul acelui escadron era un maior din SAS detasat (on secondment) in SBS.'Zero Six Bravo'27.02.2013A new book is to soon be published that will shed light on a controversial UKSF mission that took place during the opening stage of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. 'Zero Six Bravo' by Damien Lewis promises to tell the story of what really happened when a 60-strong SBS/SAS task force were ambushed by Iraqi forces, including a Fedayeen unit tasked with hunting down special forces.Initial news reports indicating that a British special forces operation had run into trouble in the Northern Iraqi desert surfaced in early April 2003 (1). Several items of captured equipment, including a Land Rover and a Quad Bike were displayed on Iraqi TV. Later press reports painted the operation as a complete disaster, and branded the UKSF operators as cowards who ran from a fight(2). These claims were denied in later reports in which a brave fighting withdrawal against considerable odds was described. (3,4). 'Zero Six Bravo, aims to set the record straight with a detail account of the mission and, for the first time, allows the men involved to tell their side of the story.'Zero Six Bravo' is published on the 14th Of March by Quercus. It can be pre-ordered from Amazon.co.uk by clicking here (kindle) and here (hardcover).Damien Lewis has also written about the SBS involvement at the battle of Qala-I-Janghi (Bloody Heroes) and Operation Barras, the UKSF hostage rescue operation in Sierra Leone (Operation Certain Death). Both are highly recommended.For more info on the book, you can read: Press Release Promotional Flyersursa: LINKsi iata link-urile pentru cartea care urmeaza sa apara:LINKLINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuIn continuare voi posta cateva dintre articolele scrise atunci sau la scurt timp dupa acest eveniment, citate de site-ul de mai sus:1. Helicopter pulls out SAS team after secret mission uncoveredBy Neil Tweedie in Qatar12:01AM BST 03 Apr 2003A British Special Forces mission in the north of Iraq went disastrously wrong when the team was discovered by enemy troops and forced to abandon its equipment.The soldiers, from the SAS or SBS, were carrying out operations near Mosul when they were forced to call in helicopters to get them out.Military sources said no men were dead or missing, despite Iraqi claims that 10 had been killed in a firefight.Tribesmen were shown on al-Jazeera television with a British Land Rover and a quad-bike used by the SAS for operations in rough terrain.Civilians grinned as they drove the Land Rover through the streets of the town of Baaj, and the camera then cut to the quad-bike and a cache of British weapons including hand-held rocket launchers, 40mm grenades, machineguns and specialised radio equipment.There were no pictures of dead or captured British servicemen, but the footage forced the Ministry of Defence to break its traditional silence on Special Forces operations and admit that the rescue had happened."There was an extraction operation," said a spokesman. "A certain amount of equipment was lost, and this has been shown on al-Jazeera television. We cannot go into further details because Special Forces were involved."It is thought a special operations Chinook helicopter of the RAF was used in the rescue, preventing a repetition of the Bravo Two Zero episode in the 1991 Gulf war in which an SAS team found itself cut off in the western Iraqi desert. All but one of that unit were killed or captured.The SAS and SBS have been working across Iraq for two months at least, playing a part in the capture of airfields in the west of the country.Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, the Iraqi information minister, described the incident as a major defeat."It is a complete defeat. Amazingly the Americans have pushed the British to do that. They pushed them ahead as an experiment. It is very tragic for the British," he said.US and British Special Forces have been in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq for several months helping to build links with the KDP and PUK rebel groups.Since the start of the war they have been active on the Kurdish frontlines, directing US air strikes on Iraqi positions outside Mosul and Kirkuk.Their efforts have allowed Kurdish fighters to advance close to the two oil cities.SURSA: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu Patrascu2. Shake-up in Special Boat Service over claims it 'panicked and fled' in IraqBy Thomas Harding12:05AM BST 26 Jul 2004The Special Boat Service faces substantial restructuring after criticism of its performance in Iraq, with one senior SAS soldier refusing to work with the unit again because its members were "unprofessional".The Army has transferred a number of instructors from the SAS headquarters in Hereford to the SBS to improve its fighting skills and abilities at operating behind enemy lines.While the SBS is expert at operations at sea or close to the shore, there have been mutterings that it runs into problems in land patrols.For the past decade sailors and marines wishing to enter the elite unit have had to pass the tough Special Air Service selection course but do not go on to the even more challenging "continuation" course in the jungle.Instead they become highly trained in covert insertion by water, securing beachheads and protecting oil rigs and in specialised counter-terrorism to protect shipping.Both units come under the control of the Director of Special Forces, an Army brigadier, with the SBS being deployed alongside its SAS colleagues on land since the mid-1990s.This, according to several SAS sources, has led to problems that culminated in a debacle last April during the Iraq war in which the Iraqi Republican Guard compromised an SBS patrol."For the first time, they came under effective enemy fire," said a military source. "People were not impressed with their reactions. They were not at all impressed by them leaving behind their Land Rovers and kit."According to one report, the soldiers failed to return fire and abandoned expensive equipment including their prized "Pinky" Land Rovers which were captured by the Iraqis and gleefully paraded on Arab television, much to the disgust of the SAS.Two of the 10-man patrol had to march into Syria after missing a pick-up by Chinook helicopter at the emergency rendezvous."They cocked it up, panicked and did a runner," said an SAS man. "In that situation you are supposed to do a tactical withdrawal."A senior NCO in the SAS was so unimpressed by his SBS colleagues that he has refused to serve with them in future operations because of their alleged lack of professionalism.The comments were made earlier this year at the annual special forces debrief when all the troops make suggestions or criticisms of performances on operations."He stood up and said we will never work with these people again - they are totally unprofessional," said a former SAS soldier who served for nine years in the regiment."When an SBS representative gave their version of events in Iraq, it was interpreted as a crock of s***."Senior military planners have now ordered a shake-up of the SBS. An Army source said: "They are going to be 'infiltrated' by Hereford to brush up on their skills, especially in close-quarter combat."They are far too specialised. They are great at infiltrating from water on to land but after that it gets a bit problematic."Rivalry between the regiments developed when the SAS believed that the SBS, nicknamed the Shaky Boats, were intruding on its remit.It is thought that the SBS has been lobbying to be granted a "30km insertion capability" that would give it access to highly sophisticated equipment.It was also said to be after the SAS's jealously guarded "team tasks" in which they go abroad to train foreign special forces.A former SAS soldier said: "They are expert at water ops but there is a substantial difference between land soldiering and swimming. We don't class them as soldiers, more as sailors. The SBS would hit the beach and secure it so we could go through to the business on land."They are like a fish out of water on land, if you'll excuse the pun. It's a different mentality. We carry everything everywhere we go; all they do is swim."It is also believed that the SBS lacks the "close-quarter combat" experience of the SAS because it has had little experience of combat operations over the past decade."A lot of the regiment has seen a lot of action, with the SAS or with their own battalions, but this is sometimes not the case with the Shakies," said the SAS soldier. It has been discussed that the regiments should be amalgamated but this has been vigorously opposed by both sides.• A special forces unit is to be formed specifically to infiltrate Islamic terrorist groups. Working closely with both the SAS and SBS, it will penetrate and gather intelligence on al-Qa'eda activists and supporters.It will draw on expertise developed by the Joint Communications Unit Northern Ireland in combating the IRA.SURSA: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu Patrascu3. SBS heroics in Gulf War II Last Updated: 03rd August 2007 Chief Reporter A SPECIAL Boat Service hero told last night of his squadrons vicious firefight with Saddam Husseins elite militiamen.His report of the most dangerous mission in the Gulf War nails the lie that SBS troops ran away and were rescued by the SAS.He revealed how 60 SBS men fought for two hours despite being outnumbered four-to-one by Saddams murderous Al Fedayeen.The SBS, who are part of the Royals Navys Royal Marines and have the motto Not By Strength By Guile, live in the shadow of the Armys SAS.The Sun has independently authenticated this account which has been cleared by top Ministry of Defence officials.AT the beginning of April, 60 men from the SBS flew into the desert of north western Iraq. There was rustration over the failure to find weapons of mass destruction.Turkey had not allowed the US to use its bases. The Coalition needed a way into the North of Iraq so the SBS got the most daring and dangerous mission of the war.The SBS were miles from any coalition troops, behind enemy lines and without any air support. Every other Special Forces unit in the war had planes on call very quickly.Specially-equipped Land Rovers were flown in and the SBS men used language skills and experience in working alongside local tribes to find out where the WMDs could be hidden.After a couple of days driving through the desert the men liaised with the friendly nomadic tribes and were given intelligence reports that 250 Al Fedayeen were on their way to attack them.The next night, the squadron was in all lying up point, where they use the chance to eat and rest before continuing on their task, when several streams of vehicles were spotted approaching.Around 90 of the Al Fedayeen dismounted and started to attack.An unbelievable amount of fire opened up directly into their position from many positions in the distance. Rounds from Duscha heavy-calibre weapons and anti-aircraft guns raked us.The ground disintegrated around the Land Rovers as the rounds landed, the ground shook and the air smelled thick from gunfire and dust that filled the air.At first the initial reaction was one of where are they firing from? but soon the guys realised that it was from an unbelievable number of guns to the front. We estimated some 17 to 20 Duscha heavy-calibre machine guns, with at least two anti aircraft guns. Many vehicles took direct hits but the guys continued to return fire. Tracer rounds flew everywhere. The skies looked like the 4th of July.The squadron were prepared for a fight and immediately returned fire. Guys had been waiting the whole war for this. A fierce firefight began with the SBS taking out several enemy vehicles. Mortar rounds were landing in and around our vehicles, with some taking direct hits.People were crawling along the floor to avoid being shot in order to get back to their vehicles.One guy did a good impersonation of John Travolta dancing as he dodged the bullets flying around him.The sky was alive with the sound of Iraqi heavy weapons and mortar rounds and in the distance more of the Al Fedayeen were on their way to attack from vehicles.Our commander then decided that as the mission was to discover WMDs and not to take on the Al Fedayeen, the squadron would withdraw from the firefight and reassess and perhaps ambush its attackers.The firefight had lasted some 20 minutes and despite control of the skies by coalition forces, no aircraft pitched up to help.It meant that the squadron, unlike any other forces attacked in the whole war, were out on their own. Some of the vehicles stayed back to provide fire for withdrawal as the squadron began pulling out.The Iraqis were gaining on the squadron and after a fighting withdrawal the squadron reorganised itself and the commander decided to vacate the area.The rear vehicles were engaging in a fierce fight to slow down the enemy advance.The squadron began its journey out of the area using stealth and the help of night vision goggles to get away.Whenever the Iraqis got too close, the guys opened up on them to inflict as much damage as possible. Then the lead vehicles drove in to a boggy area and ground to a halt.These vehicles became stuck in the bog and were unrecoverable. Just in the near distance rows of headlights lit up the skies. The Al Fedayeen hunting forces were closing in. Some of the vehicles had made it across the bog and engaged the enemy.Half the squadron were in a large bowl of land, their vehicles trapped, and the decision was taken to blow the vehicles up to prevent equipment getting into Iraqi hands.As the vehicles were being prepped for demolition the Al Fedayeen were closing in rapidly. The sky was lit up by the sight of headlights seeking out their prey.The resulting explosion attracted the Al Fedayeen. They lined the top of the bowl and opened up, thinking we were there.All the guys could see was tracer rounds filling the skies, going in every direction.This gave them the vital few minutes to put a bit of distance between them and probably saved them.The guys from the destroyed vehicles climbed on to what others were left and the group started its escape towards Syria. The Al Fedayeen formed a big ring around our men and closed in.Wherever our fellas looked, all they could see was Iraqi headlights homing in on them. An overwhelming force was giving chase. Avoiding capture remained the only goal. All we had to rely on was darkness and stealth.The chasing Al Fedayeen gained on us, at times appearing to be only 100 metres away. But each time, using evasive driving techniques, the guys got away.At one point it was decided to break into smaller groups to make it harder for the chasing force to catch anyone.At this point, two guys on one motorbike decided to make the split. The guys, an officer and senior NCO, shouted, See you in Syria and were gone.After nearly two hours of fighting off the enemy force, two American A-10 tank-busting jets turned up. They only had limited time there and were tasked to help one of the smaller groups to fight off the enemy.The squadron was fragmented across the desert, fighting for its survival, harassing the Al Fedayeen before moving on, giving the enemy no chance to gain the upper hand.Eventually, AC-130 Spectre Gunships turned up. The Al Fedayeen were terrified of them and backed off, preferring to lie in wait and try to ambush the SBS.With Spectres as lookouts, the squadron made its way to be rescued by helicopters.Tired, but feeling frustrated, the squadron were flown out of the country and later redeployed back into Iraq to carry on its work.Back at base, the lads were extremely disappointed to not have finished their mission.But this was, to date, the biggest single attack by the Iraqis on any Coalition force, no matter how big.The SAS had withdrawn from being attacked by a lot smaller forces and had not stood and fought. But they had the luck not to run into such a large force. Also, they had air support a lot closer to them.As for the SBS, we knew it was risky, far more than usual — but thats what we are there for. The SBS have no bitterness — just a desire to get on with the next job.SURSA:http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/163773/SBS-heroics-in-Gulf-War-II.htmlRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu Patrascu4. End your rift, SAS and SBS are toldBy Sean Rayment Defence Correspondent12:01AM BST 01 Aug 2004The head of Britain's Special Forces has ordered the commanders of the SAS and SBS to end a rift that threatens to undermine the elite units.The Director of Special Forces, an Army brigadier, is said to have been infuriated by a newspaper report in which a former member of the Special Air Service suggested that Special Boat Service troops were incompetent and lacked courage.The brigadier, who cannot be identified for security reasons, immediately ordered the SAS's base in Hereford to investigate the events which led to the publication of the article and identify those responsible for the allegations.Senior officers in both organisations were said to have been stunned by the claims, which they described as "malicious lies". The report said that the SBS, which is based at Hamworthy Barracks in Poole, Dorset, faced "substantial restructuring" after intense criticism of its performance in Iraq. Most damningly, it alleged that lack of professionalism within the SBS was such that one serving SAS soldier refused to serve with them on future operations.It said that although the SBS - which has the motto By Strength and Guile - was highly trained in covert insertion by water, securing beacheads, protecting oil rigs and maritime counter-terrorism, the unit's experience in land-based operations was limited.Crucially the anonymous SAS member used as the source of the story also claimed that SBS volunteers did not take part in jungle training - the most arduous part of Special Forces selection. In fact, all SAS and SBS volunteers must pass this to join either regiment.The report added that the SBS's inexperience culminated in a bungled operation in the Iraqi western desert in March 2003 when a 40-man SBS squadron was ambushed by a unit of 300 from the Republican Guard.It quoted a former member of the SAS as saying: "They [the SBS troops] cocked it up, panicked and did a runner. For the first time they came under effective enemy fire. People were not impressed with their reactions."The article said that SBS troops failed to return fire and abandoned expensive equipment, including their "Pinky Land Rovers" which were paraded on Iraqi television.Officially, the SBS refused to comment on the accusations, but The Telegraph has been contacted by former members of the unit and by senior Ministry of Defence officials who have given an alternative account. They have also questioned the accuracy of other claims in the article.A senior MoD official said: "The Director of Special Forces has made clear to the commanders of both services that accusations of cowardice will not be tolerated and that anyone attempting to discredit either the SAS or SBS - which were both formed in 1941 - only succeeds in discrediting the whole of the Special Forces Group."A former SBS member said: "The SBS was on an operation to hunt down members of the Fedayeen [Saddam's paramilitary force], but was double-crossed by Iraqi interpreters who were working as spies. They led the SBS unit into an ambush. But far from running, the SBS squadron became engaged in a six-hour fighting withdrawal in which more than 7,000 rounds were fired."They suffered only one casualty, who received minor shrapnel wounds, even though they faced a force of 300 Iraqi Republican Guards armed with mortars and heavy machineguns. That contact is now officially recognised as the most ferocious Special Forces engagement of the war. The squadron commander, who was an SAS officer on secondment to the SBS, was sacked because, ultimately, someone must be blamed for the failure."He went on: "It is galling to read that we are a bunch of incompetent cowards who have never been in action before. The SBS has spent more time on operations in Afghanistan than the SAS. An SBS trooper was awarded the George Medal for rescuing a US crewman from a Hercules transport aircraft which had crashed after refuelling, and two others were awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for rescuing a CIA agent from Taliban."We have been involved in operations around the world including East Timor in 1999 and in Sierra Leone where they made up a third of the Special Forces unit which rescued British hostages in 2000."The SBS was awarded 24 awards and commendations for its involvement in the Afghanistan war and has so far been awarded 16 for service in Iraq.The Telegraph can reveal that the soldier who refused to work with the SBS was one of the SAS's most experienced sergeant-majors. He made his forthright comments during a briefing by senior members of the SBS to their SAS counterparts.A few weeks later, he was attached to the SBS's M squadron for the duration of an operation and later made a full and public apology to the unit, admitting that his comments about the SBS were "out of order" and that he was "speaking rubbish". According to serving and former members of both elite groups an intense but professional rivalry has always existed between them. In recent months, however, there has been a growing sense of irritation within the SBS that many of their operations are reported as being carried out by the SAS.The SBS, which recently had a new cap badge approved by the Queen, tends to recruit from the Royal Marines, who make up 41 per cent of Britain's Special Forces. The SAS is mainly composed of infantry soldiers. The Director of Special Forces has served as a captain with the SAS and a major with the SBS and has sought to encourage greater "cross-fertilisation" between the two units.SURSA: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuPrin urmare, nu este un zvon, ci purul adevar: UKSF isi vor reduce efectivul cu circa 40%. De obicei, ceea ce scrie in Daily Telegraph se dovedeste ulterior a fi adevarat. Asadar:- 22 SAS va scapa neatins- SBS va pierde unul dintre cele 4 escadroane, revenind la efectivele pe care le avea inainte de anul 2004, cand a fost creat escadronul X- 21 SAS si 23 SAS vor parasi UKSF si vor intra in componenta fortelor de rezerva ale armatei regulate ("conventionale")- Din 2014, s-ar putea ca dimensiunile SFSG sa fie reduse cu...66%, urmand ca aceasta unitate sa numere doar vreo 200 de oameni- cea mai dramatica modificare va fi operata in cazul SRR, infiintat in 2005, care isi va pierde autonomia si va deveni doar o structura de sprijin a SAS si SBS.Unii militari experimentati califica drept "nebunie" acest plan, mai ales reducerea efectivelor SBS si parasirea randurilor UKSF de catre cele doua regimente SAS din cadrul Territorial Army (21 si 23).Revealed: nearly half of Special Forces could go in deepest cuts in 50 yearsFull details of the biggest cuts programme to Britain’s Special Forces in almost half a century can be disclosed. By Sean Rayment, Defence correspondent7:00AM GMT 03 Mar 2013 The elite units could be cut by up to 40 per cent, with two famous Territorial SAS regiments being “demoted” to serving with the regular Army, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.The restructuring programme is designed to return the Special Forces to their pre-Iraq War footing as a smaller, less expensive, but highly capable covert organisation.The proposals will be presented by the director of Special Forces – the officer in control of the Special Air Service (SAS), the Special Boat Service (SBS) and other units – to Gen Sir David Richards, the Chief of the Defence Staff, in the next few weeks.The plan includes:* Reducing the SBS from four to three squadrons, but leaving the SAS intact; * Taking the 21 and 23 SAS territorial units out of the Special Forces command and making them part of the regular Army Reserves;* Major cuts to the Special Forces Support Group, which provides logistics, communications and other support to the SAS and SBS;* Ending the independent role of the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR), which was only set up in 2005.The changes involve the loss of hundreds of posts, and come after a warning on Saturday from Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, that further defence budget cuts cannot be sustained.The restructuring is part of existing savings, but Mr Hammond said that going further would mean “expensively trained troops may not be able to be exercised and trained as regularly as they need to be”. His intervention came before the June spending review and as he pushed for welfare cuts, which George Osborne, the Chancellor, has privately suggested must be the focus.It is understood that an initial review of the future of the Special Forces Group was produced last year by senior officers in the Ministry of Defence, listing a series of recommendations now being enacted by a team in the headquarters of the Directorate of Special Forces.The proposals, which would be carried out after Britain’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014, have divided opinion, with many seasoned soldiers describing them as “madness”. But senior commanders have ruled that the Special Forces must “share in the pain” of cuts. The current Special Forces Group stands at around 3,500 soldiers and marines, but the cuts could result in a reduction to between 1,750 and 2,000.Of all the proposals, the reduction in the size of the SBS and the loss of the two territorial SAS units from the Special Forces Group are the most controversial. The MoD is likely to face strong resistance and will be under pressure to withdraw the plans.The SBS, formed during the Second World War, has fought in every major conflict in the past 70 years. It expanded in 2004 to meet the extra requirement for covert missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.Keeping the unit at full strength has been a constant problem, partly because its recruiting base, the Royal Marines, is relatively small.Equally controversial is the removal of 21 (Artists) and 23 SAS, both territorial units, from the Special Forces Group and their placement within the regular Army.The relationship between the regular and territorial SAS has become strained in recent years with the TA units seen as the “poor relation” in terms of expertise and equipment.Although the TA units have not supported their regular colleagues on covert operations in Afghanistan, they play a vital role in intelligence gathering and mentoring Afghan police. Three members of 21 SAS were awarded Military Crosses in 2009.The SRR, which recruits from all three services, will also have its role diminished in what has been described as a “loss of independence”.It was created from a covert intelligence gathering detachment called 14 Intelligence Company, which operated almost exclusively in Northern Ireland, and has operated primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan. After 2014, it will reduce in size and support the SAS and SBS rather than conducting independent operations.The Special Forces Support Group, which is composed of members of the Parachute Regiment with additional troops from the Royal Marines and the RAF, was created in 2006 and has operated primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan supporting the SAS and SBS. After 2014 its strength could be cut by two thirds to about 200 troops.A senior source with knowledge of the proposals said: “There is still a need for both the SRR and the SFSG, just not in the numbers required. Every unit has to justify its existence and the Special Forces are no different.“They are not so special that they are immune from defence cuts. The Special Forces Group will still be larger than it was before 2001, just not as big as it is today.”The plan ends the longest period of sustained growth for the Special Forces since the Second World War. The increases began with the response to the September 11 terror attacks.Initially the expansion was greeted with scepticism, with many senior SAS troops saying the move would lead to a “dilution of quality” required for special operations. But those claims were refuted by a series of combat successes in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as praise from US commanders.Until recently, the received opinion within the Armed Forces was that the SAS and the SBS, which have notched up an unbroken period of almost 12 years of combat operations, were immune from the defence cuts.In Iraq, the SAS and the SBS formed part of Task Force Black, the US and British covert antiterrorist unit specifically aimed at al-Qaeda, and played a direct role in the killing of Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the group’s leader.In Afghanistan, they have captured and killed hundreds of middle-ranking and senior members of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. British Special Forces have also taken part in, and advised on, hostage rescue operations involving UK and US nationals and helped train Afghan special forces.An MoD spokesman insisted that the Government recognised the “strategic value and long term importance” of the Special Forces.He added: “Furthermore, the Prime Minister has committed to significantly increase investment to ensure this elite group retain their cutting edge operational capability.“As we draw down in Afghanistan, we will review the supporting infrastructure to ensure those front-line units have the support they require.”Sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuUn ofiter exemplar prin stilul de conducere potrivit principiului "Follow me !"Military Cross: Captain who led charge22 March 2013 | Afghanistan A soldier who served alongside the most recent recipient of the Victoria Cross has been awarded the Military Cross for his own bravery in Afghanistan.Captain Michael Dobbin, of the Grenadier Guards, led his men to defeat the enemy against the odds on four occasions, including the incident that killed Lance Corporal James Ashworth.Earlier this week L/Cpl Ashworth became a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross - the country's highest award for gallantry, last awarded in 2006.Capt Dobbin, who commanded the Reconnaissance Platoon in the 1 Grenadier Guards Battle Group, today received his own honour for bravery on several occasions last summer.In one, the 28-year-old, from Reigate, Surrey, personally led a 200m charge across open ground towards enemy who were firing on them, braving machine gun fire from as close as 5m.In another, after an overnight ambush deep in enemy territory, part of the platoon emerged from a maize field and found themselves just 7m from four armed insurgents, leading to a fierce firefight in which Capt Dobbin charged forward and drove off the insurgents.The next day, when a temporary checkpoint occupied by him and his men was subjected to a determined and ferocious enemy assault, he found himself face to face with attackers, firing at him from close range and throwing grenades.The 28-year-old chased the insurgents, followed by others in his platoon.Capt Dobbin, a former pupil at St Edward's School, Oxford, and Cambridge University graduate said: "Physically, the conditions were very exhausting. It was in the high 40 degrees Celsius and our kit was heavy."The enemy had the advantage of fighting on their own turf and laying IEDs but the morale was great within our very tight platoon."In combat, your brain is going at a million miles an hour and you are trying to predict what the enemy will do as well as assess the position of your soldiers so it is offensive and defensive. The platoon's performance was exceptional..."With the honours or awards you can't give a unit a medal."It's tragic because there's lots of guys that go unrecognised for amazing feats of bravery."Whenever I put that medal on, I will absolutely think of every man who was on the platoon those days."It's of course a great honour because it's a medal that isn't awarded to everybody."It also brings up memories of some things that weren't such great days."I think when one puts on a medal that is given to you because of actions on a day when not everything went perfectly well, it does of course bring back memories of those days.Capt Dobbin's citation says: "Dobbin's repeated courage at pivotal moments and cool head under fierce fire inspired his men to succeed when the odds were most against them."He never once flinched from danger and always led from the front."Sursa: LINKDupa cum il arata comportamentul si studiile (Saint Edward's School, una dintre scolile private cele mai exclusiviste, apoi Universitatea Cambridge) il asteapta un viitor mare. Ar merita.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuUK Commander in troop cuts warning1 April 2013 | Afghanistan Top British General fears of troop cutsCutting the numbers of British troops this summer in Afghanistan would be “unforgivable” and “endanger” hard-won progress at a highly critical time, the most senior UK commander in the country, Lieutenant-General Nick Carter, has stressed.The deputy chief of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force said that overall the transition to Afghan control was going very well. But any attempt to thin out British forces on the ground as the coming fighting season approaches would have damaging consequences.The size of the British force currently stands at 8,000, a reduction of almost 2,000 as part of the schedule for withdrawal with further cuts to 5,200 by the end of the year. Most, however, are now confined to their bases as Afghan forces do the majority of the fighting.The reality of war is far from over illustrated by the death last week of Lance Corporal Jamie Webb of the 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment in a suicide bombing at a patrol base in Nad-e-Ali in Helmand, which injured half a dozen of his comrades.Such attacks are likely to continue against both international and Afghan forces and are likely to escalate at what is being viewed as a “defining time” in the handover process.When pressed on the cost of the mission, Lt-Gen Carter acknowledged “a great deal of money is being saved with the plan to reduce the number of troops by the end of this year and it has to be a consideration at a time of economic hardship”. But this coming summer, he continued, “will be a genuine test of the capability and confidence of the Afghan forces, a test of the determination of the Afghan people to be with their government and a test of how much will remains in the insurgency.“In an ideal world we would be sitting behind the wire, providing training and advice teams to Afghan patrols; the large weight of our combat power hopefully won’t be required.“We want the Afghans to be doing it, but, if the Afghans get into trouble, or if the fighting season proves to be very difficult, we would be able to put our power back into the field to support and sustain them.”sursa: LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuDrummer Lee Rigby killed in Woolwich incidentOrganisation: Ministry of DefenceUpdated: 24 May 2013 Updated to include charities the family wish donations to go to. 24 May 2013 15:33 First published. 23 May 2013 17:00It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that the soldier killed in yesterday's incident in Woolwich, South East London, was Drummer Lee Rigby of 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (attached to the Regimental Recruiting Team in London).Drummer Lee Rigby or ‘Riggers’ to his friends was born in July 1987 in Crumpsall, Manchester. He joined the Army in 2006 and on successful completion of his infantry training course at Infantry Training Centre Catterick was selected to be a member of the Corps of Drums and posted to 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (also known as the ‘Second Fusiliers’ or ‘2 RRF’).His first posting was as a machine gunner in Cyprus where the battalion was serving as the resident infantry battalion in Dhekelia. Having performed a plethora of tasks while in Cyprus, he returned to the UK in the early part of 2008 to Hounslow, West London. Here, Drummer Rigby stood proudly outside the royal palaces as part of the battalion’s public duties commitment. He was an integral member of the Corps of Drums throughout the battalion’s time on public duties, the highlight of which was being a part of the Household Division’s Beating Retreat – a real honour for a line infantry Corps of Drums.In April 2009, Drummer Rigby deployed on operations for the first time to Helmand province, Afghanistan, where he served as a member of the Fire Support Group at Patrol Base Woqab. On returning to the UK he completed a second tour of public duties and then moved with the battalion to Celle, Germany, to be held at a state of high readiness for contingency operations as part of the Small Scale Contingency Battle Group.In 2011, Drummer Rigby took up a recruiting post in London where he also assisted with duties at the regimental headquarters in the Tower of London.An extremely popular and witty soldier, Drummer Rigby was a larger than life personality within the Corps of Drums and was well known, liked and respected across the Second Fusiliers. He was a passionate and lifelong Manchester United fan.A loving father to his son Jack, aged 2 years, he will be sorely missed by all who knew him. The regiment’s thoughts and prayers are with his family during this extremely difficult time. ‘Once a Fusilier, always a Fusilier’.Drummer Rigby’s family have issued the following tribute: Lee was lovely. He would do anything for anybody, he always looked after his sisters and always protected them. He took a ‘big brother’ role with everyone. All he wanted to do from when he was a little boy, was be in the Army. He wanted to live life and enjoy himself. His family meant everything to him. He was a loving son, husband, father, brother, and uncle, and a friend to many. We ask that our privacy be respected at this difficult time.Lieutenant Colonel Jim Taylor, Commanding Officer, Second Fusiliers, said: Drummer Lee Rigby was a dedicated and professional soldier. He was a real character within the Second Fusiliers. Larger than life, he was at the heart of our Corps of Drums. An experienced and talented side drummer and machine gunner, he was a true warrior and served with distinction in Afghanistan, Germany and Cyprus. His ability, talent and personality made him a natural choice to work in the recruiting group. He will be sorely missed by everyone in the Second Fusiliers. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this incredibly difficult time. Once a Fusilier, always a Fusilier.Captain Alan Williamson, Adjutant, Second Fusiliers (and Drummer Rigby’s platoon commander from 2010 to 2011), said: Drummer Rigby or ‘Riggers’ as he was known within the platoon was a cheeky and humorous man, always there with a joke to brighten the mood; he was an extremely popular member of the Fire Support Group (FSG). An excellent side drummer and highly competent machine gunner, he was always there to help out the younger members of the FSG whenever possible. His loss will be felt across the battalion but this is nothing compared to how his family must be feeling at this difficult time; our thoughts and prayers are with them. Once a Fusilier, always a Fusilier.Warrant Officer Class 1 Ned Miller, Regimental Sergeant Major, Second Fusiliers, said: Riggers is what every battalion needs. He was one of the battalion’s great characters, always smiling and always ready to brighten the mood with his fellow Fusiliers. He was an excellent drummer and well-respected within the Drums platoon. He was easily identified whilst on parade by the huge smile on his face and how proud he was to be a member of the Drums. He would always stop for a chat just to tell me Manchester United would win the league again. My thoughts are with his family and they will always be part of the Fusilier family. Once a Fusilier, always a Fusilier.Sergeant Barry Ward, Drum Major, Second Fusiliers, said: Drummer Rigby was a loving father, with a very bubbly character. He was an excellent drummer, loved his job, and was a highly popular member of the platoon. He had served in Afghanistan as an FSG operator and was very diligent in his work. He was always around when needed and will be sorely missed by all members of the Second Fusiliers Corps of Drums. Once a Fusilier, always a Fusilier.Donations to charityThe family of Drummer Lee Rigby are touched by the overwhelming support they have received and would ask that donations be made to one of the two charities: The Fusiliers Aid Society through their Justgiving page Help for HeroesSursa:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/drummer-lee-rigby-killed-in-woolwich-incidentAm citit ca David Cameron le-a facut o vizita celor de la MI5. Oficial, sa ii felicite. Are si pentru ce. In noiembrie 2010, serviciile din Kenya l-au arestat pe unul dintre macelarii astia doi (Michael Adebowale), care voia sa faca o excursie pana in Somalia si sa se alature Al-Shabaab, si l-au predat britanicilor. Celalalt, Michael Adebolajo, era de zece ani in vizorul lor si acum 6 ani l-au arestat. Dar astia nu au luat in serios amenintarea si uite ce a iesit. Acum las putin de-o parte corectitudinea politica si spiritul critic si imi permit sa fiu un pic visceral: bine ca bat toba peste tot despre pericolul venirii romanilor si bulgarilor peste ei. Cu toti Adebolajii, Adebowalii si alti mesageri ai 'religiei pacii' care transforma Londra in Londonistan pot dormi linistiti.Nu demult, s-a trezit vocea constiintei in Curtea de Apel si mai devreme in Special Immigration Appeals Commission si nu l-au expulzat pe Abu Qatada, desi Home Office se da de ceasul mortii sa ii faca un vant pana in Iordania, unde ii este locul. Acum, poftim rezultatul. Macelarii de la Woolwich sunt 'opera' educatiei facute de Qatada si altii de teapa lui. Imi place ca un intelept muftiu sau ulema sau ce-o fi de-al lor din UK spunea la nu stiu ce post TV, pe un ton masurat-ipocrit, ca nu ar trebui sa ne uitam la fapta in sine, ci (cata subtilitate !) la motivele care au generat-o. V-ati prins, nu-i asa ? E vorba de prezenta militara britanica in Afganistan. Nu-i asa ca are dreptate ? Nu sunt vinovati Adebulaii aia doi (cetateni britanici, se pare - unde e loialitatea lor fata de statul care le permite sa il scuipe in fata ?) ci Lee Rigby, pentru ca era soldat si armata, inclusiv unitatea lui, au servit in Afganistan. Oare cum l-au lasat pe nerusinatul ala sa spuna pe post asa ceva ?Bune lucruri le-a adus 'religia pacii' si frumoase invataminte. Acum sa se spele cu ele pe cap. In final, imi cer scuze pentru aceasta iesire.Re: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00MihaisCe,numai la noi sa fie magari.Sa moara si capra englezilor. LINK A soldier will miss out on almost £175,000 after his job was axed by defence bosses just 72 hours before he qualified for a full service pension.Sergeant Michael Anderson, 35, was within three days of claiming a lifetime pension deal worth £261,278 for 18 years’ service.He will now have to wait until he is 60 before receiving a package worth less than £90,000.The case has fuelled suspicions that the Army, which is shedding 20,000 personnel in a cost-cutting exercise, is targeting those within touching distance of generous lifetime payments.Critics have accused the Government of breaking the Armed Forces Covenant, the nation’s duty of care to troops.Sgt Anderson serves with the Royal Dragoon Guards and has completed tours of duty in Northern Ireland and Iraq. He now faces the prospect of losing his job, home and financial security.His wife Jolene, 32, a mental health care manager, said her husband had been ‘repaid with betrayal’.‘He is crushed,’ she said. ‘It is disgraceful that he has been discarded just three days short of qualifying for his immediate pension.'My husband has been building a secure foundation for a future for our family and now we are going to be potentially homeless.‘He has been expected to live by and uphold the Army’s values of respect, integrity, loyalty and commitment.‘Yet what respect, integrity and loyalty has he been shown by the MoD? Absolutely none.‘We fully understand that cuts in personnel have to be made throughout the Armed Forces and across the public sector. But to wrench his pension away from him so close to qualifying is devious and completely undermines the values on which the Army is supposed to pride itself.’Sgt Anderson, a father of two, lives in service housing in Catterick, North Yorkshire. The non-commissioned officer has also served as a casualty visitor, providing support for the families of killed or injured troops. More... Did Ministry of Defence fail to protect Territorial Army soldiers' human rights when they died on exercise? Coroner launches probe into SAS selection deaths Finally laid to rest 95 years on, 21 German soldiers found perfectly preserved in trench where they were buried alive by Allied shell Cadet groups and golf club kicked off former Cambridgeshire barracks… to make way for the Libyan armyHe was told last month he had been selected for compulsory redundancy from his job as a welfare officer with a 12-month notice period. Soldiers must serve 18 years to earn an immediate pension and tax-free lump sum when they leave the Army. Sgt Anderson was stunned to find out his redundancy starts on June 18 next year – after 17 years and 362 days.Veteran: Sgt Anderson serves with the Royal Dragoon Guards and has completed tours of duty in Northern Ireland and Iraq. He now faces the prospect of losing his job, home and financial securityVeteran: Sgt Anderson serves with the Royal Dragoon Guards and has completed tours of duty in Northern Ireland and Iraq. He now faces the prospect of losing his job, home and financial securityThe axe also fell just two weeks before he was presented with a medal for long service and good conduct. He now receives a redundancy payout of £87,417, with a £4,374-a-year pension once he reaches 60.Had he reached 18 years he would have been given £261,278 – a £51,926 lump sum plus £8,723 a year until the age of 60.The difference between the two deals is £173,861. Kevan Jones, a shadow defence minister, said the Government had left soldiers on the ‘financial scrapheap’.‘This is no way to treat someone who has given their life to the defence of their country,’ he said.Soldiers must serve 18 years to earn an immediate pension and tax-free lump sum when they leave the Army. Sgt Anderson was stunned to find out his redundancy starts on June 18 next year ¿ after 17 years and 362 daysSoldiers must serve 18 years to earn an immediate pension and tax-free lump sum when they leave the Army. Sgt Anderson was stunned to find out his redundancy starts on June 18 next year ¿ after 17 years and 362 daysJayne Bullock, of campaign group Pensions Justice For Troops, said the MoD was saving £40million by axing about 100 servicemen with less than a year to go before reaching their full pension payouts.‘It is an absolutely appalling way to treat soldiers who have seen more active service than any group since World War Two,’ she said.‘The Government is treating them as economic collateral damage. It is morally wrong and it stinks.’The MoD said it had to ‘draw the line somewhere’ and claimed the 1.2 per cent of personnel close to their immediate pension point will get a larger tax-free lump sum.‘This is in addition to their resettlement grant and in some cases could total over £100,000,’ said a spokesman.Read more: LINKFollow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on FacebookRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00KlausOps, sorry, nu aiciRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuUn text interesant: Few revelations, lots of questionsThe chief of the general staff, general Nick Carter, has spoken today to the Defence Committee within the frame of the Army 2025 inquiry. Unsurprisingly, very few solid answers have come out of the long session, and the few which did arouse even more questions and worries:- The general has confirmed what was clear all along: the "Defence Engagement Battalions" will be tiny and the manpower recouped from their downsizing is what will be available to beef up the units needed for the Strike Brigades. N battalions (2 to 5) will go down to "around 300" personnel, from the current 560 (Army 2020 Light Role battalion establishment, all-ranks, all-trades). The DEBs are tiny, but don't you go thinking it is yet another fudge to avoid disbanding unsustainable battalions! No, they are just going to be "very specialized", with more officers and NCOs, linguists etcetera, according to the general. We'll see. - The Strike Brigades are apparently going to have a very questionable structure: Carter talked of 2 regiments on Ajax and "probably" 2 mechanized infantry battalions for each brigade. This suggests a very modest uplift of one battalion compared to earlier plans for 3 mechanized / heavy protected mobility units. What cost will be paid by heavy armoured infantry and tank units, we do not yet know. With 4 regiments of "50 to 60" Ajax vehicles planned as key parts of the Strike Brigades, we are most likely looking at armoured brigades without a heavy cavalry formation: 4 regiments is already one more than earlier planned, and with no extra vehicles on the horizon it is hard to imagine any more regiments using the type, unless all recce troops within armoured infantry and tank regiments are sacrificed to scrape up enough Ajax to build up some kind of recce formation. The Ajax will be the "medium armour" element of the Strike Brigade, and this is incredibly annoying because FRES SV did include an actual Medium Armour segment, which envisaged a medium tank with a 105 or even 120 mm smoothbore gun, but it was cancelled and it is not coming back.Ajax was then designed and built for reconnaissance, and now will be squeezed into a medium armour construct, with reconnaissance a distant second and with the heavy armour formations apparently cut out.The whole Strike Brigade concept appears to be built upon the french army operations in Mali, which have evidently fascinated Carter to no end. Supposedly, the Strike Brigade will be a self-contained, self-deployable formation able to move "up to 2000 km" on its own, covering a large battlespace, "dispersing and regrouping" as necessary.This is what the french did in Mali with their mechanized, highly mobile battlegroups, but whether that experience is in any way indicative of future scenarios and needs is up for debate.The french in Mali have enjoyed the firepower of 105mm guns on AMX-10 and 90 mm guns on Sagaie. In the future, they will have the EBRC Jaguar with the 40mm CTA plus 2x anti-tank missiles, so they won't have the same kind of direct fire punch. They might very well feel the loss.Ajax comes with no anti-tank missiles, as of current plans, so it'll have even more of a firepower deficit. That Medium Armour element would be very handy now, if this is the plan the british army thinks it needs to follow.Also, it is worth noticing that the french medium brigades will have 2 cavalry regiments, but more than 2 infantry units. In addition, french infantry regiments are much, much larger than british ones.The Strike Brigade seems an imitation made by the poor cousin.Again, the french have taken the "self-deployable", "highly mobile" part of the concept very seriously by introducing combat squadrons in the logistic regiments to ensure that supply convoys have a permanent, organic escort.Again, the french can count on mobile, mechanized artillery in the form of CAESAR, while the British Army is most likely going to count on towed L-118.Having to rely on Ajax for the Medium Armour capability also goes against another of the British Army's own recommendations from the Agile Warrior experiments: do not mix track and wheel in combat formations.Many, many doubts remain. The price that the heavy armour will pay to allow this to (try to) become reality will be the measure of the wisdom of this plan. If the cost is contained, it'll be somewhat acceptable. Otherwise, it'll be a disaster under a fancy label.- Force generation cycle. According to the written evidence submitted to the Committee, the army will adopt a new 4-year cycle, with 2 armoured and 2 strike brigades, alternating in such a way to ensure that one of each type is always at readiness. How it is supposed to work, i sincerely can't quite imagine. There are only so many ways you can try and keep at readiness 2 out of 4 brigades, year after year. - Reserves. The Army has suddenly awakened to one fact: it is not realistic to expect that reservists will be available in sufficient numbers to routinely complete understrength, mutilated regular units.The Reserve will still be "integrated", but it'll return to a "warfighter reinforcement" model, as well as continue to be a supplier of specialists (for example, 80% of the medical capability, as already happens).I'm not paid by the Army or MOD, nor am i inside their secrets, but if you read this same blog in November last year, you were faced by the prophecy about the true nature of the Defence Engagement Battalion and by the problem of force generation cycle and all other adjustements needed for this 4 brigade approach.Had the defence committee read my post, they would have had today's answers with greater detail and background, several months early.And this should be a reason for concern all by itself, because the MOD and Army top brass are supposed to do a little bit better than me on my own in my spare time... The little we learned today, in practice, is enough to confirm that we are heading into a new questionable castle of fragile compromises, as was easily predictable. And we still do not have a measure of the other stealthy cuts that will be involved in this exercise of make believe. What will be the two armoured brigades look like? Will the number of MBTs fall further? What about reconnaissance in the heavy formations?And what will be the capability of the 6 remaining infantry brigades? What will their role be in the force generation cycle, and will the UK retain the ability to sustain an enduring brigade-sized deployment?Meanwhile, from Eurosatory we hear that the expected date for the first MOD choices regarding the Multi Role Vehicle - Protected has come and gone in the silence, with no decisions evident. The Royal Artillery is expected to put out an Invite To Tender early next year for two precision artillery solutions for the 155mm calibre: one requirement is for "Near Precision", and will be most likely fullfilled (assuming it receives funding one day) with course-correction fuzes that can reduce the CEP of standard, unguided shells. The "Extreme Precision" requirement would be met by a guided shell, which could be Excalibur, or Vulcano, or the Standard Guided Projectile, or any of the other contenders on the market. Even if the ITT goes out early next year as now apparently planned, it'll be 2019 before a choice is made. Don't hold your breath. The Royal Artillery has been trying to get this programme to progress for so many years that it isn't even funny anymore. Industry is forming teams that will compete for the Challenger 2 LEP programme, but, again, it'll be a while before anything happens and for now, apart from the pricetag, there is nothing particularly exciting in this obsolescence-removal programme of desperation. ABSV, as always, tends not to make any news, ever. LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuSi iata si documentul de la care a pornit analiza:LINKRe: U.K. Armed Forces
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2024-03-29T13:31:26+02:00Radu PatrascuLINK