British Overseas Deployments/Bases

British troops in Afghanistan are forced to fly on Russian helicopters
21.07.2009


British troops in Afghanistan are forced to use Russian helicopters and aircraft due to lack of its own, argues the newspaper The Mail on Sunday.

According to the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain has a military mission to provide services to the Russian helicopters Mi-8 and Mi-26, as well as transport aircraft Antonov (newspaper model does not specify) that is used for transporting machinery and equipment from a base in Oxfordshire in Afghanistan. On these machines fly "civilian" Russian and Ukrainian crew, said the newspaper.

"But even more strange that an elite British special forces to use helicopters from the third world and for the operations, because it is desperately lacking British cars", - underlines the tabloid.

Military sources have confirmed to The Mail on Sunday, that the special aviation services, landing ships, as well as group support special forces really rent helicopters from other countries. " They are not symbols of British army, but manage highly British crews.

The lack of markings is an advantage in military operations in Afghanistan, but in general the military "dismayed" that they have hired helicopters to fly, rather than on their adds the newspaper.

Meanwhile, eight helicopters, Chinook 3A, acquired in 2001 for 259 million pounds, were in the hangar in Wiltshire, and can not be used because the British Ministry of Defense was not able to get a Boeing company the right to use the software Aeronautical Radio Electronics. Now "Chinuki" will turn into a general-purpose helicopters, which require one and a half years and another 60 million pounds, said The Mail on Sunday.
19.07.2009

Права на данный материал принадлежат Lenta.ru

2 of 3 U.K. Hostages in Iraq Likely Dead


(AP) The families of five British hostages captured in a bold raid in Baghdad in 2007 agonized Wednesday over a report that two of those detained have died in captivity, begging the kidnappers to free the men.

The fresh appeal came after Britain's Foreign Office officials told relatives of Alan McMenemy and Alec MacLachlan that the two security guards were “very likely” to be dead, the BBC reported. The families then issued a statement noting they were “deeply upset and troubled,” by the reports.

“We ask those holding our men for compassion when so many are working hard for reconciliation in Iraq,” the statement said. “And we continue to pray for the safe return of our men.”

The fate of the hostages has been murky ever since Shiite militants disguised as Iraqi policemen abducted the five Britons outside Iraq's Finance Ministry in May 2007. Since then, the men have only been seen in videotapes made by their captors.

The fate of Peter Moore - the technology consultant they were guarding - is unknown, while the bodies of two other British hostages, Jason Swindlehurst, 38, and Jason Creswell, 39, were returned to England in June. The men, who worked for the Canadian security firm GardaWorld, suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

Moore's grandmother, Edna Moore, 84, said the family could only wait.

“We can only hope,” she said. “God help the other families... There's not much we can do, we feel so helpless.”

The Foreign Office would not officially confirm the BBC report but said every effort is being made to secure the release of the hostages and that families were being kept informed.

Hopes for the men had risen after the release in June of Laith al-Khazali, a Shiite militant who had been held in U.S. custody. The kidnappers want nine militiamen released, including al-Khazali's brother, Qais al-Khazali, in exchange for the British hostages.

Laith al-Khazali, a Shiite militant allegedly backed by Iran, was released as part of national reconciliation efforts between the Iraqi government and groups that renounce violence. He and his brother were accused of organizing a daring attack on a local government headquarters in Karbala that killed the five U.S. soldiers on Jan. 20, 2007.

If the hostages are found to have been harmed, it could impact delicate negotiations between Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government and al-Khazali's Asaib Ahl al-Haq group - or League of the Righteous - which was aimed at getting the group to disarm and play a role in politics once the hostages had all been freed.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/29/world/main5195508.shtml?tag=cbsnewsSectionContent.2

-- There are no longer any British troops in Iraq, as the mandate for their presence has officially expired.
That is in line with the withdrawal of British soldiers from the country that began at the end of April, when Britain ended combat operations in the country.

But even the handful of British troops -- some 150 -- who were to remain behind to train the Iraqi Navy -- has had to leave the country temporarily and are now based in Kuwait.

They now are waiting for the Iraqi parliament to approve a new agreement that will allow them to work following the current mandate's end.

The new agreement, already signed by Iraqi and British government officials, awaits a final reading and expected passage in the Iraqi parliament in the coming weeks.

All this makes the official end to Britain's military role in Iraq a rather anticlimactic moment, with no parades and no final ceremonies. Nonetheless, it does mark a milestone in both British and Iraqi history.

Some 45,000 British troops were in the coalition force assembled to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003. After the war, the British remained responsible for security in much of the south of the country, particularly around Iraq's second-largest city and key port, Basra.

The British lost 179 soldiers in the invasion and occupation, including those killed by hostile forces, in accidents, or from illness.

Public Inquiry

But if London's mission in Iraq is now officially over, Britain continues to be sharply divided over its invasion and occupation of the country.

The divisions take the form of a formal public inquiry launched on July 30 into the justifications for Britain's action and sacrifices. Opponents of Britain's involvement in Iraq had called for years for such an inquiry, which was finally initiated with the government's appointing of a five-member panel in June.

The chairman of the inquiry panel, John Chilcot, vowed on July 30 that the hearings would be televised or made available online whenever possible, given national security considerations.

"The inquiry is not a court of law and nobody is on trial, but I want to make one thing absolutely clear: This committee will not shy away from making criticisms," Chilcot said.

"If we find that mistakes were made, that there were issues which could have been dealt with better, we will say so frankly. We are all committed to insuring that our proceedings are as open as possible, because we recognize that is one of the ways in which the public can have confidence in the integrity and independence of the inquiry process."

The vow for frankness and openness reflects the high emotions surrounding the debate in Britain.

Opponents of the Iraq war charge former Prime Minister Tony Blair with pushing the country into the U.S.-led coalition without sufficient justification.

They particularly question the accuracy of intelligence information regarding Saddam Hussein's efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction and how it was presented to the public in the run-up to the invasion.

Chilcot says he hopes his panel can publish a report within a year but says the magnitude of the task could push the end date into 2011.

The inquiry is to hear from senior former officials, including Blair, as well as from more junior officials who will be asked to speak about how their managers and leaders acted. The panel will also take testimony from families of some of the British soldiers who died in Iraq.

The panel's inquiry -- which could easily spark a larger discussion of Britain's foreign-policy goals in the 21st century -- comes as Britain steps up its involvement in Afghanistan. Its conclusions could thus influence London's future thinking about that mission as well.

Earlier this week, an opinion poll indicated that more than half of Britons think military forces in Afghanistan cannot win and that troops should be withdrawn immediately.

The end to Britain's mission in Iraq leaves only the United States with combat troops there. Earlier this year, another major coalition partner, Australia, also officially ended its military presence in the country.

Washington has some 130,000 U.S. soldiers deployed in Iraq and hopes to withdraw all its combat forces by the end of 2011.

compiled from news agency material


Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/British_Troops_Leave_Iraq_As_Mandate_Ends/1789785.html

UK to Boost Falklands Defense to Counter Argentina Invasion Fears - Reports

UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon will announce troop and equipment reinforcements to the Falklands on Monday. The move comes in response to a UK Defense Ministry review suggesting an invasion to the islands is likely.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The United Kingdom will bolster its defense in the Falklands amid fears Argentina may increase its military capacity and invade the islands, the Telegraph newspaper reported Tuesday.

In 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, a remote British colony in the South Atlantic that Buenos Aires claimed it owned. The armed conflict between the two nations took the lives of 655 Argentinian and 255 British servicemen. The 74-day Falklands war ended when Argentina gave up their bid to control the islands.

UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon will announce troop and equipment reinforcements to the Falklands on Monday, the newspaper reported. The move comes in response to a UK Defense Ministry review suggesting an invasion to the islands is likely.

In December 2014, Moscow and Buenos Aires reached a deal for the supply of Russian long-range bombers to the Argentinian Air Force.

On Monday, Russian member of parliament Aleksei Pushkov said Russia has far more legitimacy over Crimea than Britain has to the Falklands. The comment was made in response to UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond's labeling of Crimea's legal, democratic reunification with Russia as an "illegal annexation."

In 2013, Britain held a referendum in the Falklands which showed up to 99 percent of voters agreed that the islands should remain a UK overseas territory. Argentina rejected the referendum, claiming it was illegitimate.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/latam/20150324/1019922046.html#ixzz3VID9ItkX

Britain Plans to Open First Persian Gulf Naval Base by Late 2016

Britain's Ambassador to Bahrain said that the new British naval base will allow the UK to station next-generation aircraft carriers in the region.

The British naval base in Bahrain's capital Manama will be completed by the end of 2016, British ambassador to the country Iain Lindsay said on Monday.

The Manama base will be the first European military base located in the Persian Gulf since 1971. The base will allow Britain to station large ships in the Gulf, including next-generation aircraft carriers.

The base, which is being built by Bahrain's royal government, has been resented by Bahrain's opposition movement.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150420/1021120143.html#ixzz3XrPrRUNt

MI6 Recalls Secret Agents From Abroad for Fear of Uncover by Russia, China




The British Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, has withdrawn its agents out of live operations in foreign countries as they could allegedly be identified by Russia and China with the help of files stolen by former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden

http://sputniknews.com/military/20150614/1023336000.html#ixzz3d0W2u7VP

Wonder how many did not make it?

Construction of British Military Base in Persian Gulf Underway in Bahrain

The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom and Bahrain have laid the cornerstone of Britain’s first permanent military base in the former British colony since the 1970s, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported on Saturday.

MANAMA, (Sputnik) – "The presence of the Royal Navy in Bahrain is guaranteed into the future, ensuring Britain’s sustained presence east of Suez," British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said at the ceremony alongside Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.

Hammond, who last year announced construction of Britain’s first Royal Navy facility in the Persian Gulf since 1971, said the opening of the base is planned for next year. Bahrain declared independence from the UK in 1971.

Khalifa, meanwhile, said the new Royal Navy base aims to uphold regional security and is not aimed against a specific state.

Speaking at last year’s IISS Manama Dialogue where construction of the base was announced, Hammond said the new Royal Navy facility would accommodate Britain’s two new aircraft carriers and F-35 stealth fighters.

Four of Britain’s minesweepers are currently based at the US Navy base in the port of Mina Salman.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151031/1029407956/british-base-bahrain.html#ixzz3qH5jfXOf

"Following the United States": Britain announced the complete withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan

https://en.topwar.ru/181965-vsled-za-ssha-britanija-zajavila-o-polnom-vyvode-vojsk-iz-afganistana.html

British troops and equipment airlifted to Norway

Exercise CLOCKWORK is the name given to the UK Armed Forces’ annual Winter Deployment to the Arctic Circle in Norway with the objective to prepare all three services for the most unforgiving conditions experienced in this region, according to the RAF here.

The deployment will see a C-17, A400M, Hercules C-130 and Voyager aircraft transport personnel and equipment to Bardufoss Air Base in Norway to conduct this training.

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/british-troops-and-equipment-airlifted-to-norway/