British Military Current Events

[daftandbarmy]

Chris Foot – Polar Adverturer Interview

Continuing our series of interviews with polar explorers and adventurers, such as Dixie Dansercoer and Mikael Strandberg, we have recently had the pleasure of interviewing Chris Foot, arguably the most self-demanding man to reach the South Pole on foot.
http://blog.cheaptents.com/chris-foot-polar-adverturer-interview/


Chris Foot used to be a member of the Special Air Service (SAS) ; in fact he became the youngest serving member of the SAS at the age of 21 in January 2000. He worked for the British Army as a specialist operator in Mountain Troop for nine years. Spending a lot of time in cold weather regions, he acquired advanced climbing, mountaineering and ski touring experience. That's how he became a strong adept of the polar expeditionnary world. Chris Foot is now a Performance and Sports Mind coach and also a trainer of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).
http://www.explorapoles.org/expeditions/detail/the_south_pole_and_back/

 

[daftandbarmy]

It pays to be a winner

Pegasus Company (“P Company”) is a gruelling training course which must be completed by all soldiers and officers joining The Parachute Regiment. It is attempted by soldiers on completion of their Phase 2 Training (Combat Infantryman’s Course) and by officers on graduation from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. The course takes place over 3 weeks at the Infantry Training Centre, Catterick (ITC Catterick).
The P Company mission is to test the physical fitness, determination and mental robustness, under conditions of stress, to determine whether an individual has the self discipline and motivation required for service with the Airborne Forces.

Second Lieutenant Sam Westlake, a recent graduate from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst who commissioned into The Parachute Regiment, is currently at Catterick Garrison undertaking this course. He’ll be blogging each day with details of his experiences and performance…

http://britisharmy.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/it-pays-to-be-a-winner/

 

[57Chevy]

Great Photo :nod: (like father like son) ;D

Private Liam Tracey is reunited with his son Leo after returning from Afghanistan. Soldiers from B (Rorke's Drift) Company, 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh, were welcomed back by their families, friends and colleagues to their base in Tidworth in Wiltshire after playing a key front line role as an Armoured Infantry Battle Group in Helmand province.
[Picture: Sergeant Ian Forsyth]
full story through Link
:yellow:
                            (Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act)

 

[daftandbarmy]

British forces would struggle to mount small military intervention, claim officers

British forces would struggle to mount even a small scale military intervention as the cupboard for resources was “threadbare”, senior officers have said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/8347897/British-forces-would-struggle-to-mount-small-military-intervention-claim-officers.html

 

[57Chevy]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/8347897/British-forces-would-struggle-to-mount-small-military-intervention-claim-officers.html

HMS York sets off from the naval base
The Royal Navy destroyer HMS York sailed from Gibraltar on Thursday evening to support the evacuation of Britons from war torn Libya.
The ship made an unexpected stop here to pick up supplies and personnel before sailing east.

It was originally bound for a six-month deployment in the South Atlantic but its orders changed as the Libyan crisis worsened.

"HMS York is now sailing towards the Eastern Mediterranean to ensure that she is better placed, if required, to support the Foreign & Commonwealth Office's extraction of British nationals from Libya," said a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence.

The deployment of HMS York from Gibraltar underscores the role of the naval base here as a forward-mounting base between the UK and potential hotspots in Africa and the Middle East.

Another British warship, HMS Cumberland, has already rescued scores of Britons stranded in the Libyan port city of Benghazi but many more remain scattered around the country.

The British Government has come under heavy criticism over its sluggish response to the plight of Britons caught up in the Libyan crisis.
NAVY SENDS WARSHIP TO EVACUATE BRITONS FROM LIBYA
                            (Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act)

 

[daftandbarmy]

Special forces to the rescue: 150 terrified Britons plucked from war-torn Libya after audacious mission across desert

British special forces today rescued 150 trapped UK citizens after launching an audacious rescue mission across the Libyan desert.
Two RAF Hercules retrieved the terrified oil workers from remote outposts south of the country's second city of Benghazi. 

The rescue mission was made up of around two dozen members of special forces with the team including 12 SAS and eight men from the Special Boat Service.

The Daily Mail understands that the team infiltrated the area overland before securing a section of the volatile desert to use as a landing strip.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1360949/Two-RAF-Hercules-rescue-150-Britons-Libya-British-Embassy-evacuates-staff.html#ixzz1F7Rplazi

 

[daftandbarmy]

Royal Marines criticise 'out-of-date' weapons ahead of return to warzone

The SA80 assault rifle, seen here during a 3 Commando brigade exercise on Salisbury Plain, has been criticised ahead of the unit's return to Afghanistan.

Royal Marine Commandos on the verge of being deployed to Afghanistan are equipped with rifles which are underpowered and out-of-date.
Plymouth-based 3 Commando Brigade and 42 Commando, alongside colleagues from 45 Commando and the Commando Logistic Regiment, based at RAF Chivenor in North Devon, are to take the lead role in Helmand province in April.

But new criticism has been levelled at their main battlefield weapon – the SA80 A2 – by a senior Royal Marine officer.

Captain SA Jones called for upgrade in the size and quality of ammunition with reports that Taliban fighters have been hit 15 times before dying. Writing in the Marines magazine "Globe and Laurel", Capt Jones condemned the weapon as "awkward" and "over complicated".

"We are desperately attaching things to the SA80 to make it better," he wrote, "but the technology stopped as soon as it appeared."
Carried by around three quarters of troops on the front line, its catches are in "non-intuitive positions that are difficult and slow to operate under pressure".

The officer also argued that the SA80's bullet is too small, saying troops would prefer to be armed with the larger Sharpshooter rifle round.
"Reports have detailed that Taliban have been hit 15 times before dying," Capt Jones wrote. "Troops fighting in Helmand at close quarters, under 25 yards, must achieve a hit on vital organs or blood vessels or the bullet will probably pass through the enemy causing on minor damage."

The first version of the SA80 suffered so many faults that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had to spend an additional £92 million rebuilding it.
The MoD acted on concerns that the latest version was too lightweight, adding new features including a grenade launcher and new sights.
A spokesman for the MoD said the SA80 A2 "is recognised as one of the best assault rifles in the world" and that a range of weapons were available to frontline troops.

http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/news/Royal-Marines-criticise-date-weapons-ahead-return-warzone/article-3273305-detail/article.html

 

[daftandbarmy]

Classroom Warriors

PANORAMA reports on the plan to employ ex-soldiers as teachers and whether it can help in troubled schools. The idea began in America, where 15,000 former military personnel have taken up jobs in education.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClMybSIqR4k&feature=youtube_gdata

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhxx4c2Ktfs&feature=youtube_gdata

 

[daftandbarmy]

Ah...sigh...Captains in love

Lesbian Army captain sent home from Afghanistan for behaving like a 'lovestruck teenager,' tribunal told

A lesbian Army captain sent home from Afghanistan after she was accused of an 'inappropriate relationship' with a sergeant was behaving like a 'love struck teenager' and undermining operations, a tribunal heard today.

Karen Tait, 29, who is claiming sexual discrimination against the Ministry of Defence and her commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Deborah Poneskis, upset the chain of command with her 'sly and underhand' behaviour, the employment tribunal in central London heard.

Cpt Tait, an operations officer with the Royal Military Police, was sent home from Afghanistan in December 2009 after Lt Col Poneskis decided to cut short her tour because of alleged 'social misconduct'.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1362210/Lesbian-Army-captain-sent-home-Afghanistan-acted-like-lovestruck-teenager.html#ixzz1FUKwxpnO

 

[CougarKing]

From an ARRSE thread.

8 SAS and UK diplomat 'detained' in Libya by rebel forces...

Details are slowly emerging about the incident on Sky news, The Sunday Times has an article on their website but you need a subscription to read it. Oh dear what a massive balls up!

"An eight-man SAS team was being held by Libyan rebel forces last night after being captured as they accompanied a junior British diplomat on an undercover mission which ended in embarrassment.
The elite troops had been escorting the diplomat through rebel-held territory in the east of Libya as he tried to make contact with opponents of Colonel Gaddafi.
The diplomat had intended to pave the way for a more senior British official to establish diplomatic relations with rebel forces. But last night the young Foreign Office employee and his armed SAS escorts were locked up inside a military base in Benghazi, the largest city held by opponents of Col Gaddafi.

It is understood the SAS incursion into rebel-held territory infuriated opposition politicians, one of whom told them to warn David Cameron’s Government that it should recognise the opposition as Libya’s legitimate leaders before attempting to open negotiations.
Sources admitted last night that there was huge embarrassment in Whitehall that the SAS mission had backfired.
But there was confidence that the SAS team and the diplomat would be released unharmed within 24 hours after the rebels had made their point. There were no plans last night for a second SAS team to be sent in to secure the release of their colleagues."

-Taken from the DailyMail.co.uk.

 

 

[Infanteer]

Sound like they found who they were looking for?  ???

 

[daftandbarmy]

Bravest of the brave: Soldiers in Helmand offer themselves as targets to flush out Taliban sniper | Mail Online

Job openings.....

In an extraordinary show of courage, British soldiers are making themselves deliberate targets to flush out a Taliban sniper who is terrorising a base in Helmand.

Two snipers have killed two soldiers and injured six more over the past four months at the outpost in Qadrat. One marksman has been killed but the second is still resisting attempts to trap him.

Now, soldiers from the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment are volunteering to present themselves as targets.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1366019/Bravest-brave-Soldiers-Helmand-offer-targets-flush-Taliban-sniper.html#ixzz1Gb9NwMiV

 

[daftandbarmy]

British sniper takes out TWO Taliban with a single bullet: Extraordinary images show how crack shot killed insurgents



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1366154/British-sniper-kills-Taliban-bullet-new-book-reveals.html#ixzz1GbnR3RKE

 

[daftandbarmy]

MoD pays £150,000 to pulp Afghanistan book after bureaucratic blunder

Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, was said to be “incensed” last night by a bureaucratic blunder that left taxpayers with a £150,000 bill to pulp thousands of copies of a new book said to threaten national security.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8360276/MoD-pays-150000-to-pulp-Afghanistan-book-after-bureaucratic-blunder.html

 

[daftandbarmy]

The handsome ex-Para, intrepid mountaineer and widowed father juggling politics with bringing up two children... who says all MPs are useless!

Dan Jarvis could hear the waves crashing on the shore but he had already taken down the tent once, to move it to higher ground when the incoming tide threatened disaster – and he wasn’t about to do it again.

Besides, the 14-year-old didn’t want to miss any of the General Election coverage crackling through the tiny transistor radio he had clamped to his ear. The reception was appalling but one thing was clear – it was another bad night for Labour.
He wasn’t usually allowed to listen to the radio this late at night but his parents weren’t around to stop him. In fact, Dan and his younger brother Rob, 12, were the only souls on the whole island.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1367974/Handsome-ex-Para-intrepid-mountaineer-widowed-father-juggling-politics-bringing-children--says-MPs-useless.html#ixzz1H6bmqeaL

 

[daftandbarmy]

Soldier named after fallen Falklands hero uncle dies after being wounded in AfghanistanBy Daily Mail Reporter

A new father wounded in Afghanistan has died at the same age as the uncle he was named in memory of, who was killed in the Falklands War.

Private Daniel Steven Prior, of 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, was born the year after the death of Steve Prior, who lost his life trying to save the life of a colleague.

Pte Prior, 27, had only returned to Afghanistan a fortnight ago, having flown home to the UK to be with wife Emily as she gave birth to their son Logan, who is now three weeks old.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1368287/Soldier-named-fallen-Falklands-hero-uncle-killed-Afghanistan.html#ixzz1HFQKqbIo

 

[daftandbarmy]

Top Guns destroy Gaddafi air force

THE commander of the RAF's fighter and bomber force has revealed that British Top Guns and their allies have completely destroyed murderous Gaddafi's ENTIRE air force.

In the strongest statement of our progress in Libya yet, Air Vice Marshal Greg Bagwell said: "We've blown up all their airplanes.

"Gaddafi's air force no longer exists. We have negated any air threat from his planes and surface-to-air missiles and, in effect, taken away his eyes and ears.

"And now we've destroyed his air force, we'll now set about destroying his ground force that attacks civilians on the ground.

"We have the Libyan ground forces under constant observation and we attack them whenever they threaten or attack civilians or population centres.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3486913/Top-Guns-destroy-Gaddafi-air-force.html

 

[CougarKing]

Rambo Gurkha is awarded gallantry medal for heroics in Afghanistan

A FEARLESS Gurkha who single-handedly fought off an attack by up to 30 Taliban soldiers has been awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross.

Acting Sergeant Dipprasad Pun, 31, above, fired 400 rounds and launched 17 grenades to thwart the assault on his checkpoint in Afghanistan.
He also beat away an insurgent with the tripod of his machine gun when the weapon stopped working.

The Gurkha ran out of ammunition but detonated a mine to repel the final two Taliban fighters.

His company commander, Major Shaun Chandler, arrived shortly after and slapped the Gurkha on the back – which made him think he may have been under attack again.

Asked if he might have accidentally fired on his commander, he smiled and said: “I had no ammunition left.”

Acting Sgt Pun was on sentry duty in Helmand province in September when he spotted the Taliban fighters.

He sped to the roof, opened fire and was under attack from rocket-propelled grenades for at least 15 minutes.

Most of the militants were 50ft away but two fighters got on to the roof.


Read more: link

 

[medicineman]

Go Gurkhas...my grandfather fought with some of these dudes in Burma and India during the Second World War.  I'm glad they're on our side...in fact, if not for one, I wouldn't be here.

MM

 

[OldSolduer]

Wow.....that's all I can say.

Sergeant Dipprasad Pun