Coroner attacks MoD over failure

Coroner attacks MoD over failure

Captain James Philippson was killed by Taleban fighters in Afghanistan Father's reaction

A coroner criticised the Ministry of Defence for failing to supply soldiers in Afghanistan with basic equipment.

The comments came at the end of an inquest in Oxford into the death of Captain James Philippson, 29, who died in a firefight with Taleban fighters.

Andrew Walker said 7 Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery was defeated by the "lack of basic equipment."

Capt Philippson, of Hertfordshire, was the first casualty after troops were deployed in the region in June 2006.

The inquest heard how, before the incident on 11 June, 7 Para soldiers had complained repeatedly about a lack of proper equipment - chiefly standard night vision kits and weaponry.

Mr Walker, assistant coroner for Oxfordshire, said: "They (the soldiers) were defeated not by the terrorists but by the lack of basic equipment."

He said sending troops into a combat zone without basic kit was "unforgivable and inexcusable" and "a breach of trust between the soldiers and those who govern them".

The Treasury and the then Chancellor, Gordon Brown, will be really to blame for what happened Anthony Philippson Coroner's criticisms Profile: Andrew Walker

He recorded a narrative verdict in which he said Capt Philippson was unlawfully killed.

During the inquest Mr Walker asked Major Johnny Bristow, Capt Philippson's commanding officer, if they would have been a match for their attackers had they been supplied with Minimi machine guns and under-slung grenade launchers.

"It would have made a hell of a difference," Major Bristow said.

He said there were three or four kits between as many as 30 men.

The hearing was told that the Taleban forces had multiple rocket-propelled grenade launchers and a wealth of other firepower.

'Outgunned by terrorists'

But even after his death, the much-needed equipment did not arrive, the hearing was told.

Capt Philippson's father, Anthony Philippson, said after the verdict: "He (the coroner) laid into them, particularly badly for the lack of equipment.

"They were outgunned by a bunch of terrorists. I do hold the Ministry of Defence (MoD) responsible for James's death but it is not just the MoD - it goes much deeper than that.

"The Treasury and the then chancellor, Gordon Brown, will be really to blame for what happened.

"It's not really the MoD who are responsible - it's that miserable, harsh, parsimonious Scotsman we now have as prime minister who starved the MoD of funds."

'Starved of cash'

Capt Philippson was part of a quick-reaction force dispatched to assist another group of British soldiers who had come under fire after they were sent to retrieve an unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicle (UAV) which had come down.

As he ran to help, Capt Philippson was hit in the temple by a bullet. Cause of death was given as a gunshot wound to the head.

The troops were deployed in Afghanistan to help train soldiers from the Afghan national army with a view to them controlling the Sangin area of Helmand Province, where 7 Para were based.

Sickness thins the ranks of troops on...

Sickness thins the ranks of troops on front line

By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent

Last Updated: 1:56am GMT 05/02/2008

Almost 7,000 infantrymen are unfit to fight, leaving front-line troops "dangerously exposed," figures show today.

Frontline: Our troops in Iraq and AfghanistanAfghan fury over British training for ex-Taliban One in 14 soldiers is sick or injured at a time when every regiment of 600 faces a shortfall of 100 men because of problems with recruitment and the numbers leaving the Army.   The seriousness of the shortages faced by the Army is highlighted in the spring deployment to Afghanistan Troop shortages are so acute that at least six battalions are being sent to do the job of four battalions when the next brigade deploys to Afghanistan this spring, The Daily Telegraph can disclose. Commanding officers waiting for reinforcements for infantry units in Helmand have been told to wait until 17-year-old soldiers turned 18, the legal landmark to qualify for the battlefield. Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary, said the Government had overstretched the Armed Forces to the point where it produced "some very real consequences on our abilities to fight on the front line". The shortages could "endanger the safety of personnel" and indicated a "retention crisis" in the military. For at least a year, military chiefs have been aware that the strain of two substantial missions in Iraq and Afghanistan would prove a massive drain on manpower and now the Armed Forces are at the very limit of being able to provide personnel for the front line.The Ministry of Defence was told in a critical Commons defence committee report that the Forces were losing large numbers of experienced personnel fed up with constantly being away from home. The "serious worries" of the committee are reflected in the new figures, obtained by the Tory MP Patrick Mercer, that show one in 14 infantrymen is "unfit to deploy". The figures, given in a written statement, are taken from 10 battalions that were in Iraq or Afghanistan last year or are now on operations. They show that 2nd Bn Yorkshire Regiment has left behind 50 long-term sick troops while the battalion is fighting in Helmand province. In Iraq last year 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery had almost 10 per cent of its 388 gunners unfit for duty. "This is an albatross that hangs over commanding officers' heads," said Mr Mercer, a former infantry commander. "In times of peace it is fine but in war it is a complete and utter liability. "The MoD say they are 4,000 below strength but the truth is that there are two brigade's worth of long-term sick who cannot deploy and are simply a liability." Reflected across the Army, the figures from the 10 battalions would mean the Service could field only 90,000 men out of a required total of 101,800. The Army is already 3,800 short of its desired manning level because of soldiers leaving. Mr Mercer said under-manning was "crippling the Army" and the situation had to be addressed immediately. Cdr John Muxworthy, of the UK National Defence Association, which is campaigning for higher defence spending, said: "It is unfair to the troops, the Armed Forces, and the country and something has to be done. "The MoD has conceded that the Forces are 'stretched', but not that there is excessive stretch. Nobody will admit that it's down to chronic under-funding and under-manning." Col Bob Stewart, who commanded British forces in Bosnia, said: "They need more rest, more training and more time off operational duty. "The fact is that they are knackered. The operational commitments are so great now that people - particularly in the infantry - have not been able to recoup and retrain. "As a soldier you must be given the chance to rest otherwise you are exhausted. And if you are exhausted you are far more likely to get sick." The seriousness of the shortages is highlighted in the spring deployment to Afghanistan, which will be announced in Parliament this week. To bring the four infantry battalions in 16 Air Assault Brigade up to full strength elements of at least three extra units will also be deployed. The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Scots, will provide extra cover but will have to merge two companies to form the Kabul Patrol Group commitment. At least one extra platoon is expected to be provided by 1 Rifles, who already have 100-strong companies in Gibraltar and the Falklands. Brig Mark Carleton-Smith, 16 Brigade's commander, is said also to have requested The Highlanders, 4th Scots, to hold the recently recaptured town of Musa Qala against a possible Taliban assault this summer. The battalion is supposed to be deploying to Iraq. "We need to hold the ground we have taken," an Army source said. "But this is leading to a bit of a patchwork quilt of battalions." An Army spokesman said: "The forces pride themselves on their fitness and are well known for it but there will always be a small element suffering from sickness or injury and not fit to deploy to an operational theatre." The use of elements from a number of battalions was "not new" and battle casualty replacements were "provided as and when required by the Chain of Command".

UKNDA require members!

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UKNDA Limited: Reg no. 6254639

Website: www.uknda.org

UK NATIONAL DEFENCE ASSOCIATION

President: Winston S Churchill

Patrons:

Admiral Lord Boyce GCB OBE DL

Rt. Hon Sir Menzies Campbell CBE QC MP

Marshal of the RAF Lord Craig GCB OBE MA DSc

General Lord Guthrie GCB LVO OBE

Rt. Hon Lord Owen CH

Chairman & CE: Cdr. J L Muxworthy, RN

UKNDA Ltd., PO Box 819

Portsmouth, Hants PO1 9FF

e-mail: ceo@uknda.org

FEBRUARY 2008 NEWSLETTER

My Lords, Ladies & Gentlemen – Patrons, Vice Presidents, Members and

Registered Supporters of the UKNDA…..

Herewith your regular monthly update on UKNDA affairs. But first a request:

As at 3 Feb 08 we had 909 active (i.e. paid up) members, 257 inactive (still to pay)

members, and 676 registered supporters; a total of 1842. I did not write 'Grand total'

because we can, and will with your help, do very much better than that. Indeed we

must increase our numbers very significantly if we are to effectively influence (with

potential votes) our politicians. Our politicians must raise 'Defence & the Armed

Forces' much higher in the Nation's list of priorities to provide us with sufficient,

appropriate and fully funded Armed Forces… which we do not now have.

Our immediate target is for a total of 10,000 UKNDA members/registered supporters

– and then, to achieve REAL effective influence, 100,000.

If, immediately you have finished reading this newsletter, every one of you would

take just half an hour to send out a very brief e-mail to all of your friends and

colleagues whom you have not yet contacted – then we could double our numbers in a

week! I offer you the following form of words that you might care to use:

Dear …… I believe you would wish to know about the United Kingdom National

Defence Association (UKNDA) – of which I am a member/supporter. I attach a one

page article about the Association (attached to this e-mail) for you to consider. I do

hope you will wish to join us because our Country and our Armed Forces need our

active support now and for the future. Yours sincerely……

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UKNDA Limited: Reg no. 6254639

Website: www.uknda.org

PROGRESS REPORT:

The following activities and 'projects' are underway or being planned:

First (pilot scheme) UKNDA Regional Branch meeting – Warminster (Wilts)

Assembly Rooms 1900 for 1930 – Wednesday 13

th

February

As previously announced, and following requests from a number of members

throughout the Country, as an initial 'pilot project' we are holding the first ever

Regional Branch meeting of the UKNDA in Warminster (details above) on 13

th

February. All UKNDA members and supporters and their friends and colleagues

in and around the Warminster area are invited to attend. Please contact the local

branch Chairman, Grant Chamberlain (

grant@eagle-electrical.co.uk

) if you wish to

attend so that appropriate seating arrangements can be made. Dr Andrew Murrison,

MP for Westbury will attend and speak, as will I and others to publicise the UKNDA

and plan the 'way ahead' for similar branches throughout the whole Kingdom.

Do come - the more the merrier (the bar will be open after the meeting!)

TV Series? This is just to tell you that the possibility and concept of a TV

programme (or even series) about the UKNDA is being actively explored. I will keep

you advised in future Newsletters as to our progress.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED! We have an urgent need to fill the following part-time

voluntary posts to join the 'Executive' of the UKNDA. If you can spare just a few

hours each week and have the necessary interest, enthusiasm, appropriate general

background (you do not need to be an 'expert' – you can learn on the job) and really

want to DO something practical to help us….. E-mail me now with brief personal

details and your telephone number: ceo@uknda.org

UKNDA In-house Public Relations Officer.

UKNDA In-house Marketing Manager.

At least 3 new Board Members to represent 'Army Interests'

POLL/SURVEY OF ALL MPs. Progress is being made towards sending a letter

and a short questionnaire to every MP in the UK to find out what their views are

regarding 'Defence & our Armed Forces'. We will analyse and publicise their replies

throughout the media and thus to their constituents. We should then have a broad

overall picture of the 'views of the House' and know more accurately how high a

mountain it is that we have to climb.

INCREASE 'LINKS' & ASSOCIATIONS. In the next month we plan to start

contacting all of the hundreds of Service Charities and Military Associations and

Clubs inviting them all to exchange LINKS with the UKNDA and join us, either

formally or informally, in our campaign to "Support Our Armed Forces".

"SUPPORT OUR ARMED FORCES" CAMPAIGN. We are initiating a 'Support

Our Armed Forces Campaign' and by the end of this month we hope to have a new

web-site (related to and inter-woven with our existing web-site) with the address:

---

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UKNDA Limited: Reg no. 6254639

Website: www.uknda.org

www.supportourarmedforces.org.uk Please note that address is NOT yet

live/active – but you will all be sent an e-mail when it is.

CAR STICKERS A UKNDA Board Member, Paul Medhurst, who lives and works

in Vienna, is designing a "Support Our Armed Forces" car sticker. This sticker will

display that slogan, our logo and our web-site address. We intend to send one sticker

out FREE to every member (which will cost us at least £1 a head) and members and

supporters will then be able to purchase more stickers for further onward distribution.

The 'COVENANT'. Although not initiated by the UKNDA, Gary Blackburn, a

UKNDA Board member, is arranging a Conference to discuss and debate the

'Covenant' – this conference to be held at Hull University, probably on 29

th

May.

More details will be promulgated nearer the time.

FUNDRAISING Planning for various Fund raising events is progressing, and

appropriate details of such events will be publicised when arrangements, dates, venues

etc are firmed up.

WEB-SITE. You will very soon see a revised/updated HOME PAGE to our existing

web-site. Also, while we already try to post 'latest news items' on the front page, we

know that we must develop an organisation whereby we keep on top of latest

developments. There is still room for improvements and let me assure you that we are

working to make them. Not only will we soon 'bolt on' the new "Support Our Armed

Forces" web-site (as already described) we will then move on to develop the long

promised Members-Only Forum/Chat Room. Watch this space, or rather - watch the

web-site.

After the excitements of our launch followed by the House of Lords' Debate on

Defence, if it might appear to you that perhaps things have 'gone a bit quiet' on the

UKNDA front – you would be both right and wrong. A lot of action is going on

'behind the scenes' to ensure that we have in place the sound management and

administrative organisation needed to drive the UKNDA onwards and upwards. I was

asked the other day "How long do you think there will be a need for the UKNDA -

Five years?"….. and my reply was – "We will be needed for a generation at least".

This is a long and hard road that we have to travel and it is absolutely crucial that we

make haste, but steadily, to ensure that we get things right at the first attempt.

It's going to be a busy 2008 which will go quicker and more productively if you will

all now send out this message and the page below to all your friends and colleagues:

WE ARE THE UKNDA – DO JOIN US –

YOUR COUNTRY & OUR ARMED FORCES REALLY DO NEED YOU.

Sincerely –

John Muxworthy

CEO UKNDA

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UKNDA Limited: Reg no. 6254639

Website: www.uknda.org

UNITED KINGDOM NATIONAL

UNITED KINGDOM NATIONAL

UNITED KINGDOM NATIONAL

UNITED KINGDOM NATIONAL

DEFENCE

DEFENCE

DEFENCE

DEFENCE ASSOCIATION

ASSOCIATION

ASSOCIATION

ASSOCIATION

You will have read in the papers and seen on the

television how our Armed Forces are over-stretched

and under-resourced. In Iraq, Afghanistan and

elsewhere they defend us and our national interests at

great risk to themselves and too often at the cost of

their lives

The UK National Defence Association (UKNDA) has been created to…

…. campaign for sufficient, appropriate and fully funded

Armed Forces that the Nation needs to defend effectively its

people, their security and vital interests at home and worldwide.

The UKNDA contends that the following issues must be addressed

because, as a former Prince of Wales once famously declared:

"Something must be done!"

1.

'Defence' is too low in the Nation's list of priorities and therefore the

Armed Forces are under resourced (under funded) for the tasks they are set.

2.

This results in inter-Service wrangles over an inadequate budget.

3.

Over tasking and under resourcing leads to our Armed Forces being

over-stretched and, from time to time, to suffer from equipment

shortages and/or failures. These factors can, and do, result all too often

in unnecessary casualties.

4.

All of the above lead to increasing pressures on the most important element

of our Armed Forces – the serving men and women (and their families)

who do the work, face the threats and risk their lives to defend us.

Have YOU ever served in the Armed Forces?

Are YOU related to anyone who is serving or has served?

Are YOU concerned about the effective Defence of our country and our people?

Said "Yes" to any of these questions? Then the UKNDA needs YOU.

JOIN THE UKNDA NOW

(You do NOT need to have served in our Armed Forces to join the UKNDA)

Our web-site www.uknda.org will tell you all about the

UKNDA and you can 'sign up' there - or you can write to

UKNDA Ltd. PO Box 819, Portsmouth, PO1 9FF

HELP DO THAT 'SOMETHING' THAT MUST BE DONE

Fall back, men, Afghanistan is a nast...

Fall back, men, Afghanistan is a nasty war we can never win

Britain's commanders ignored every warning that the Taliban were the toughest fighters on earth

Simon Jenkins - Times

The American secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, flies to Britain this week to meet a crisis entirely of London and Washington's creation. They have no strategy for the continuing occupation of Afghanistan. They are hanging on for dear life and praying for something to turn up. Britain is repeating the experience of Gordon in Khartoum, of the Dardanelles, Singapore and Crete, of politicians who no longer read history expecting others to die for their dreams of glory.

Every independent report on the Nato-led operation in Afghanistan cries the same message: watch out, disaster beckons. Last week America's Afghanistan Study Group, led by generals and diplomats of impeccable credentials, reported on "a weakening international resolve and a growing lack of confidence". An Atlantic Council report was more curt: "Make no mistake, Nato is not winning in Afghanistan." The country was in imminent danger of becoming a failed state.

A clearly exasperated Robert Gates, the American defence secretary, has broken ranks with the official optimism and committed an extra 3,000 marines to the field, while sending an "unusually stern" note to Germany demanding that its 3,200 troops meet enemy fire. Germany, like France, has rejected that plea. Yet it is urgent since the Canadians have threatened to withdraw from the south if not relieved. An equally desperate Britain is proposing to send half-trained territorials to the front, after its commanders ignored every warning that the Taliban were the toughest fighters on earth.

Meanwhile Nato is doing what it does best, squabbling. Gates has criticised Britain for not taking the war against the insurgents with sufficient vigour. Britain is furious at America's obsession with spraying the Helmand poppy crop and thus destroying all hope of winning hearts and minds. Most of the 37,000 soldiers wandering round Kabul were sent on the understanding that they would do no fighting. No army was ever assembled on so daft a premise.

Nato's much-vaunted 2006 strategy has not worked. It boasted that its forces would only be guarding reconstruction and training the Afghan police. There would be no more counterproductive airstrikes against Pashtun villages. The Taliban would be countered by American special forces, with the Pakistan army attacking their rear. Two years ago anyone expressing scepticism towards this rosy scenario was greeted at Nato headquarters in Kabul with guffaws of laughter. Today that laughter must be music in Taliban ears.

Kabul is like Saigon at the end of the Vietnam war. It swarms with refugees and corruption while an upper crust of well-heeled contractors, consultants and NGO groupies careers from party to party in bullet-proof Land Cruisers. Spin doctors fighting a daily battle with the truth have resorted to enemy kill-rates to imply victory, General Westmoreland's ploy in Vietnam.

This is a far cry from Britain's 2001 pledges of opium eradication, gender-awareness and civic-governance classes. After 87 deaths and two years of operations in Helmand, the British Army cannot even secure one dam. Aid successes such as a few new schools and roads in the north look ever more tenuous as the country detaches itself from Kabul and tribal elders struggle to make terms with Taliban commanders.

There is plainly no way 6,000 British troops are ever going to secure, let alone pacify, the south. More soldiers will simply evince more insurgency. More American raids across the Pakistan border merely offer propaganda to Al-Qaeda in its radicalisation of the tribal areas. It was just such brutalism that preceded the Soviet escalation of the counterinsurgency war in the 1980s, and the rise of the (American-backed) precursors of the Taliban.

The best news out of Kabul is the increased disenchantment of the wily Afghan president, Hamid Karzai. Last week he vetoed the West's offering of a former leader of Britain's Liberal Democrats, Lord Ashdown, to co-ordinate operations in Kabul, whatever that might mean. Liberal democracy is not high on Karzai's priority list.

He attacked the British for drawing the Taliban into his unregulated domain. When outside agents were thought to be negotiating with Taliban elements behind his back, he instantly expelled them from the country.

Meanwhile he has taken to making his own choice of provincial governors and commanders, often warlords enmeshed in the booming drugs trade. That trade offers Afghanistan its one staple income.

While the international community in Kabul wails that Karzai is too close to the druglords, the warlords and various sinister Taliban go-betweens, they are at least his warlords and his go-betweens. When Britain sacked the ruthless tribal chief, Sher Mohammed Akhundzada, as governor of Helmand, Karzai was furious and rightly predicted it would lead to a surge in Taliban aggression.

For all his faults, Karzai is both an elected leader and a canny one. He is a virtual prisoner of the Nato garrison in Kabul but Afghanistan remains his country and if he thinks he can cut deals across its political heartlands, let him. If he wants Nato to stop bombing Taliban bases in Pashtun villages and killing Pashtun tribal leaders, then it should stop.

Withdraw the opium eradication teams from Helmand. Let Karzai barter money for power and power for peace. The foreign "governance" pundits in Kabul might dream of Afghanistan as a latterday Sweden, but they are never going to bring Pashtuns, Baluchis, Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks into a stable federation.

Only an Afghan stands any chance of doing that, and the one Afghan on offer is Karzai.

Common sense advocates a demilitarisation of the occupation, with a withdrawal of western troops to Kabul where they can try to protect the capital and the northern trade routes. In provinces to the south and east, Karzai's money, weapons and negotiating skills must deliver what results they can. The West cannot possibly police Afghanistan with anything remotely like the resources it has available.

Behind such a policy shift should lie an even more crucial one. For the past two decades intelligence lore has held that nothing happens along the Afghan/Pakistan frontier without agencies of the Pakistan army being involved. The latter's pro-Taliban strategy through the 1990s was based on its obsession with "defence in depth" against India. Pakistan wanted Afghanistan stable, friendly and medieval. The security of the Punjab rested on the containment of the Pashtun tribal lands straddling the Pakistan/ Afghanistan border.

George W Bush's reckless elevation of Al-Qaeda after 2001 promoted a small group of alien Arab guests into global warriors for Islam. It also destroyed Islamabad's hold over the Taliban. America bribed the Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf with $1 billion a year to declare a U-turn and fight his former allies.

Musharraf duly broke his non-intervention treaty with the Pashtun and sent his army against them. The Taliban's influence increases with every attack and with every American bombing of villages. The Pakistan army is suffering greater losses in this war than either the British or the Americans.

Wise heads in Islamabad know that they must withdraw from the border and restore respect for tribal autonomy. Nothing else will incline the Pashtun and other tribes to reject Al-Qaeda and its Taliban allies. The alternative is a growing insurgency that must destabilise whatever democratic regime might emerge from this month's Pakistan elections. That prospect is far worse than whatever fate might befall Afghanistan.

There is no sensible alternative to ending military operations against the Pashtun, flying under whatever flag. Like Iraq's Kurdistan, Pashtunistan is a country without a state. It has been cursed by history, but it returns that curse with interest when attacked. Fate has now handed it a starring role in Britain's nastiest war in decades, and offered it the power to wreck an emergent democracy of vital interest to the West.

To have set one of the world's most ancient and ferocious people on the warpath against both Kabul and Islamabad takes some doing. But western diplomacy has done it. Now must begin the agonising process of escaping that appalling mistake.

Half-trained troops to fight the Taleban

Michael Evans, Defence Editor

Nearly 1,000 new army recruits face having their combat training cut by half so that they can be rushed to the battlefields of Afghanistan.

The "exceptional" measure is being proposed by senior officers to meet a serious shortage in manpower, The Times has learnt. It would affect those infantry battalions being earmarked to fight in the country next year. One senior defence source admitted that the new recruits would not be properly qualified to fight since they would receive only 50 per cent of the basic training usually given to qualified combat infantrymen.

"I would be very nervous of having to deploy with this limited level of expertise and experience in the frontline companies," the source said. He added that such a scheme could undermine the reputation of the Army.

At present every battalion due to deploy next year is at least 100 soldiers short of the required manpower level – that is, 550 instead of 650 men.

Related Links

• Half-trained troops to fight Taleban

• Bomber kills Helmand deputy governor

• The Afghan war may not be forgotten so easily

Multimedia

• Video: Afghan troops not ready

Normally soldiers being prepared for Afghanistan spend 26-28 weeks on the Army's combat infantry course, which has a reputation for producing some of the best infantry troops in the world.

However, to cope with the manpower shortages the combat infantry course would be cut to 14 weeks – even though senior planning officers involved in the proposal have acknowledged that there would be risks attached.

The Ministry of Defence claimed that no decisions had been made. A spokeswoman said: "There is no question of training being compromised." However, she added: "We have adapted our training in terms of our operational requirement and we're taking action in terms of the manning challenges."

The Army has been facing serious manning shortfalls for some time. The trained strength should be 101,800 soldiers, but the current figure is 98,160, and there is little sign of the MoD reaching the required target.

Under the new form of "accelerated training", selected recruits would be put on a fast track into the Army and on to Afghanistan. Under the scheme the recruits would also be offered a shorter engagement – less than the normal commitment of four years. In addition those accepted would have to be over 18.

The controversial proposal has emerged as the Government plans to announce today the next rotation of troops to Afghanistan. Paratroopers of 16 Air Assault Brigade, who were the first British troops to be sent to Helmand province in the south in 2006, are returning for a second tour.

A full complement of 7,800 troops will replace 52 Brigade, which deployed to Afghanistan last October. Their mission is codenamed Operation Herrick 8. The paratroopers will do six months and be replaced in October and November.

However, the Army has to plan well ahead for future deployments, and with the Government's pledge that 7,800 troops would be committed to Afghanistan until at least 2009, senior officers have been drawing up details for the two rotations for next year, Operations Herrick 10 and 11.

When dealing with manpower shortages in the past, the Army has filled gaps in infantry battalions with soldiers from other regiments to ensure that they are of sufficient strength to fight a war.

But for next year's deployments to Afghanistan, officers were asked to look at exceptional measures to meet the manpower gaps. Defence sources said that once integrated into the battalions, the soldiers with the proposed shortened form of combat training could represent 60 per cent of the "bayonet strength" of each unit.

Although recruitment has been improving in recent months, there has been a steady rise in the number of officers and other ranks leaving the Service early. This was highlighted this week by the Commons Defence Committee, which said that one of the main reasons for the early departures was the failure of the MoD to give soldiers enough of a break between tours. Attitude surveys carried out by the MoD have shown that soldiers have become increasingly concerned about the time spent away from home, as well as key welfare issues such as poor accommodation.

However, there is little evidence that the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan has demotivated soldiers or been the main cause for putting off youngsters from joining up. Soldiers have generally welcomed the operational experience, and in 2006 while 16 Air Assault Brigade was engaging the Taleban in Helmand, applications to join the Parachute Regiment rose significantly.

But many of the infantry battalions have suffered manpower shortages, including the Paras. The MoD has had to resort to offering generous bonuses and welfare packages, such as free phone calls home when serving overseas, to try to retain troops with combat experience.

Hampshire welcomes home all three ser...

Hampshire welcomes home all three services

29 Jan 08

More than 3,000 people have lined the streets of Winchester to welcome home Hampshire-based servicemen and women from the Army, Royal Navy and the RAF who have recently returned from operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

More than 3,000 people turned out to support Hampshire's troops as they paraded through Winchester's streets
[Picture: Corporal Adrian Harlen RLC]

The parade, which took place today, Tuesday 29 January 2008, was one of the first occasions on which a British county has welcomed home personnel from all three Services in recent times.

Troops from HMS Richmond, 1st Battalion Irish Guards, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, The Kings Royal Hussars, 4 General Support Medical Regiment, The Rifles, and RAF Odiham marched to the beat of three military bands through the centre of Winchester to a special reception in the historic city's Great Hall.

A flypast by two Chinooks from RAF Odiham took place at noon and while troops assembled at King Alfred's statue on Winchester's Broadway, the bells of the Cathedral rang out across the City, courtesy of bell ringers from the Winchester & Portsmouth Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers led by the Cathedral's Tower Captain, Carrie Eisenhauer.

The bell ringers delivered a perfect Quarter Peal. The English style of bell ringing involves ringing changes not tunes, and a Quarter Peal requires the ringing of the bells for about 45 minutes in a complex but precise sequence of changes that demands a high level of concentration and stamina from the ringers.

Veterans and schoolchildren stood side-by-side in Winchester today to support Hampshire's homecoming troops
[Picture: Richard Watt]

The leader of Hampshire County Council, Ken Thornber, said it had long been his desire to see the service of all returning regiments recognised in this way:

"Service personnel and their families are greatly valued in Hampshire. Recently they have faced great hardship on our behalf on active service in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"The Armed Forces have already been welcomed back through the individual towns in which their barracks are based. Now it is the turn of the County to mark their safe return and record our thanks to them for their duty and sacrifice."

Brigadier Miles Wade, the Commander of 145 (South) Brigade, is the Senior Military Commander in Hampshire.  He said that events such as today's are very important for the Armed Forces:

"We really appreciate the morale support that we get from people. It's terribly important when you're on operations to know that what you're doing is supported by the people you're representing, and to have expressions of support really does help morally in underpinning what you're doing."

RAF Odiham personnel march through the historic streets of Winchester during Hampshire's homecoming parade
[Picture: Cpl Ian Lang]

Lance Corporal Robert Keenan served as a Company Medic with the British Army in Afghanistan. He explained that having his service recognised by the public in this way was a tremendous boost to his morale:

"I feel honoured, and I'm sure the rest of the British Army feels the same," he said.  "There was times that we were told that the British population wasn't behind us, and when we're out there we need that backing to help us do our job, to feel appreciated and to move forward."

Commander Piers Hurrell of HMS Richmond said:

"Today is a tremendously proud day for the Armed Forces of Hampshire. The numbers that turned out to support us so warmly and with such genuine enthusiasm have taken us all by surprise."

LCpl Stacy Miles from 4 General Support Medical Regiment, also based in Aldershot, has just returned from Afghanistan where she was the commander of an ambulance troop in Camp Bastion retrieving casualties from the front line:

"It was a very busy tour," she said.  "We were out dealing with casualties every day so it was hard, but this event today has been really special. It makes you really proud to realise you're appreciated for what you do!"

Crowds line the historic streets of Winchester to pay tribute to Hampshire's armed forces
[Picture: Richard Watt]

Guardsman Carl Woods from the Aldershot-based Irish Guards, who returned from Iraq just before Christmas, said:

"I didn't expect so many people to turn out on such a cold winter's day. I felt so proud to march through the city of Winchester today. Thank you Hampshire! "

The public support in Winchester today exceeded all expectations and Hampshire County Council gave the following statement:

"The people of Hampshire have responded with pride, respect and admiration. They are quietly proud and are quiet too often - but they know what you have given, and the sacrifices you have given in the name of freedom. You have paid the price but at least now you know how well the people of Hampshire think of you."

Army Hero, Cpl. Mark Wright's death

Army Hero, Cpl. Mark Wright's death COULD have been prevented

"A British war hero who bled to death after being injured in an Afghan minefield died because of a catalogue of failures, incompetence and equipment shortages, a military inquiry has found.

 

Cpl Mark Wright, who was posthumously awarded the George Cross after rescuing an injured colleague, could have survived if a properly equipped helicopter had been available, it ruled.

 

A copy of the report, which has been obtained by The Sunday Telegraph, adds that the rescue operation was dogged by confusion, delays, poor communication and a shortage of maps showing the location of minefields.

 

Last night, Bob Wright, the soldier's father, said he was furious with the Ministry of Defence, which he accused of "trying to hide the truth"." The Daily Telegraph, 14th January 2008

 

To read the whole article from the Daily Telegraph online click here.

 

Thanks to EpicScotland for permission to post this photograph of a very brave man.

 

Corporal Darryl Gardiner killed in Afghanistan

Corporal Darryl Gardiner killed in Afghanistan

22 Jan 08

It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of Corporal Darryl Gardiner, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), in southern Afghanistan on Sunday 20th January 2008. He was serving attached to 5th Regiment Royal Artillery and 52 Brigade's Reconnaissance Force.

Cpl Darryl Gardiner
[Picture: MOD]

Corporal Gardiner was taking part in an operation to disrupt enemy forces and reassure local Afghans three kilometres north of Musa Qala district centre in Helmand Province. Shortly after 1530 hours local time the vehicle he was travelling in was hit by a roadside mine strike.

Corporal Gardiner was evacuated by helicopter to the field hospital at Camp Bastion for medical treatment but sadly he did not survive. Five other soldiers were injured in the explosion and they are now receiving medical care. There were no enemy forces involved.

Corporal Darryl Gardiner

Corporal Darryl Gardiner, aged 25, was born in Germany on 25 January 1982. He was from Salisbury in Wiltshire and was known to his friends as 'Daz'. He deployed to Afghanistan on 19 October 2007 with 52 Brigade. He was attached to 5th Regiment Royal Artillery, which works with the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment as part of the Brigade Reconnaissance Force; providing information for Task Force Helmand, based in Lashkar Gar. As an armourer, Corporal Gardiner provided essential support to the Brigade Reconnaissance Force both on and off patrol.

Corporal Gardiner was a keen skydiver and member of the Army Parachute Association. He represented the Army in parachute competitions and was also an accomplished parachute instructor. He leaves behind a girlfriend, Lucy.

A family statement read:

"The family are deeply proud that Darryl served his country. The family asks at what is a very difficult time for them, that their privacy is respected."

Major Tony Phillips, Officer Commanding of Task Force Helmand's Brigade Reconnaissance Force, said:

"Corporal 'Daz' Gardiner was an exceptional young man and a man that the Brigade Recce Force will miss so much. His death has been a bitter blow to us all.

"We in the Brigade Reconnaissance Force have lost a good friend, a courageous soldier and a remarkably skilled tradesman but we are only too aware that his family has lost so much more, it is they who are at the forefront of our minds.

"Corporal Gardiner occupied a position at the very hub of the Brigade Reconnaissance Force. As the armourer he was key to maintaining our battle-worthiness. Prior to deploying on each operation the force would undertake a weapons check on the ranges and there would always be the odd problem for Corporal Gardiner to deal with.

"He would hurry up and down the line of vehicles with his toolbox, or as he joked his 'collection of different sized hammers', fixing and tweaking the problem weapons. He faced a real professional challenge, due to the nature of our deployments his "workshop" was the desert floor, yet he persevered and, despite the battering the weapons took, he would work miracles to keep things up and running.

"Corporal Gardiner had proved himself under fire on a number of occasions during this tour, he epitomised the cool, calm and courageous modern soldier. He even enjoyed momentary fame when he was part of a small team that defeated a vehicle-borne suicide bomber in Gereshk in October 2007.

"Corporal Gardiner was a very accomplished parachutist. Just prior to deploying to Afghanistan he ran a parachuting expedition in California. He discussed the possibility of running another expedition in summer 2008 for personnel from 4/73 Battery. I agreed to this, in principle, only to discover that he had virtually organised and planned the whole thing already. How could I fault such enthusiasm?

"Corporal Gardiner drove the Battery Sergeant Major's vehicle and this brought additional responsibilities. Some were less glamorous than others; for example running the 'tuck shop'. He was reliant upon the Brigade Reconnaissance Force team in Camp Bastion for his stock and I recall his dismay when they despatched 'Yorkie Bars' for him to sell. Yorkie bars, of course, are freely available in the ration packs. Only 'Daz' could get away with selling a bar on the basis that 'these ones taste different to the issue bars'!

"Corporal Gardiner had spent 3 months living and operating in the harshest of environments, yet despite such constant adversity he always soldiered on in the most pleasant and good natured manner. Corporal Gardiner was good to be around, he was a gentleman, we will all cherish the time we had with him."

Captain James Ashworth, 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, and Operations Officer of the Brigade Reconnaissance Force, said:

"It is with enormous sadness that we have lost Corporal 'Daz' Gardiner. Professionally we have lost a bright and talented soldier who was first class at his job, a man who prided himself on getting things done and who took great pleasure in his work.

"On a personal level we have lost far more. He showed a rare sensitivity and compassion for others and his warmth of character has been of comfort to many. He has demonstrated an enduring courage and loyalty to his friends and colleagues. Underpinning his quality was desire not to let others down; he never did. It is testament to his character that his last actions were helping others. He will be sorely missed and our thoughts and prayers are especially with his family and girlfriend, Lucy."

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Mike Smith, Former Commandant of the Joint Services Parachute Centre and Chairman of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Parachuting, said:

"'Daz' Gardiner started parachuting with the REME Parachute Team in 2001. He was a most enthusiastic and capable student parachutist who in a very short space of time developed into an outstanding parachute instructor. His love of the sport knew no bounds. He made a huge contribution to the Army Parachute Association and his Corps as a tandem instructor, accelerated free fall instructor, static line instructor and display parachutist.

"He was looking forward to his return to UK where he was to instruct on an adventurous training expedition, taking soldiers off to California to teach them to skydive. With his helpful and friendly nature he was always able to put his students at ease and encourage them to make their first jump.

"He represented his Corps and the Army in parachute competition and was one of the leading competitors in the Armed Forces.

"'Daz' was a very popular and likeable soldier. He leaves behind many military and civilian friends in the world of skydiving who will miss him dearly."

Des Browne, Secretary of State for Defence, said:

"The death of such a capable soldier as Corporal Gardiner is very sad. It is clear that he will be deeply missed, not only as a courageous and exemplary professional but also as a kind friend. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends in their time of loss."

UKNDA

UKNDA Ltd. Reg No. 6254639

UNITED KINGDOM NATIONAL

DEFENCE ASSOCIATION

You will have read in the papers and seen on the

television how our Armed Forces are over-stretched

and under-resourced. In Iraq, Afghanistan and

elsewhere they defend us and our national interests at

great risk to themselves and too often at the cost of

their lives

The UK National Defence Association (UKNDA) has been created to…

…. campaign for sufficient, appropriate and fully funded

Armed Forces that the Nation needs to defend effectively its

people, their security and vital interests at home and worldwide.

The UKNDA contends that the following issues must be addressed

because, as a former Prince of Wales once famously declared:

"Something must be done!"

1. 'Defence' is too low in the Nation's list of priorities and therefore the

Armed Forces are under resourced (under funded) for the tasks they are set.

2. This results in inter-Service wrangles over an inadequate budget.

3. Over tasking and under resourcing leads to our Armed Forces being

over-stretched and, from time to time, to suffer from equipment

shortages and/or failures. These factors can, and do, result all too often

in unnecessary casualties.

4. All of the above lead to increasing pressures on the most important element

of our Armed Forces – the serving men and women (and their families)

who do the work, face the threats and risk their lives to defend us.

Have YOU ever served in the Armed Forces?

Are YOU related to anyone who is serving or has served?

Are YOU concerned about the effective Defence of our country and our people?

(You do NOT need to have been in our Armed Forces to join the UKNDA)

Said "Yes" to any of these questions? Then the UKNDA needs YOU.

JOIN THE UKNDA NOW

Our web-site www.uknda.org will tell you all about the

UKNDA and you can 'sign up' there - or you can write to

UKNDA Ltd. PO Box 819, Portsmouth, PO1 9FF

HELP DO THAT 'SOMETHING' THAT MUST BE DONE

Support our Armed Forces!

Support our Armed Forces!

by

Winston S. Churchill

President of the UK National Defence Association

While families across the UK have been gathered

round the Christmas tree and celebrating the New Year,

spare a thought for our Armed Forces – especially those

serving overseas, far from family and friends, for whom

mortal danger is a daily companion.

Let us salute their courage and dedication to duty. But

let us be clear about one thing: Our Servicemen and

women did not volunteer to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan –

they signed up to defend our homeland.

It was Government and Parliament, who took the

grave step of committing them to wars in far away

countries. I am not saying it was wrong to do so. But when

our political masters take such life-and-death decisions, it

is incumbent on them to will not only the ends, but also the

means – something they have conspicuously failed to do.

If our young men and women are being sent to war in

equipment often 20, 30 or even 40 years old (viz. the RAF

Nimrods) – and their lives put at risk in consequence – that

is due to the under-funding of Defence.

---

Page 2

2

If their tours of active service duty come round every

15 months, instead of every 2 years as promised, if their

pay is less than a home-based policeman, and if their

accommodation, for all too many, is scandalously

substandard – it all comes down to the under-funding of

Defence.

British lives lost in current conflicts already exceed the

255 sacrificed regaining the Falklands, and thousands have

been injured, many critically. It is no exaggeration to say

that, in all too many cases, the men and women of our

Armed Forces are being asked to pay with their lives for

the under-funding of Defence, which has become a

national scandal.

That is why the UK National Defence Association

(www.uknda.org) has been founded to demand a massive

increase of at least 40% in Defence expenditure to 3% of

GDP, so that our Armed Forces have the modern

equipment they need and the terms of service they deserve.

Before our Defence Secretary, 'Part-time Des' Browne,

twitters on about providing a 1.5% per year increase in

Defence funding (while Overseas Aid is getting 11%), it is

important to point out that the cost of defence equipment is

increasing at a rate of 7-10%, leaving a 5% 'Black Hole' in

the Defence budget each year.

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Page 3

3

This cannot be allowed to go on, our Armed Forces are

literally bleeding through under-funding, and shrinking

year by year both in manpower and frontline strength.

If, like me, you feel passionately about our Armed

Forces, there are three things you can do:

1. Write to your MP demanding that he/she personally –

and their party – commits to increasing Defence

expenditure to a minimum of 3% of GDP;

2. Join the UKNDA's Support our Armed Forces

campaign (UKNDA, PO Box 819, Portsmouth, Hants. PO1

9FF); and

3. Give generously to the Service charity of your choice.

Never forget that for our Future, our Armed Forces are

willing to sacrifice their Today. They deserve not only our

gratitude, but also our fullest support, now and for the

future. Support Our Armed Forces today!

END