That an I'm feeling lucky Google search for 'french military victories' comes up with no matches and asks: Did you mean 'french military defeats', may be just an American joke. But when you think about it, it's hard to come up with a war in which La France has been notably victorious - no, hang on, there was their victory over Greenpeace in 1985 when their navy sneakily sank Rainbow Warrior when she was tied up in Auckland harbour.

That Britain's Armed Forces should be merged with any foreign military is bad enough, but that there should currently be talk of a merger with a country with such a dismal military track record is as alarming as it is ludicrous. Yes, there should be strong military alliances with foreign powers, there always have been. But Britain must never have to seek permission from such a bunch of losers and 'surrender monkeys' in order that she can carry out her foreign policy - because we know what their answer would be: "Non".

Some other comments on French military prowess:

The question for any country silly enough to count on the French should not be "Can we count on the French?" but rather "How long until France collapses?"

"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without an accordion. All you do is leave behind a lot of noisy baggage."

Or, better still, the quote from the Wall Street Journal: "They're there when they need you."

Lance Corporal Scott Hardy, from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, was killed in action in Afghanistan on 16th March this year.

On Saturday last his family and friends dedicated a hornbeam tree to his memory in the cathedral grounds in Chelmsford, his home town.

The plaque at the foot of the tree, which reads "In memory of our hero, Lance Corporal Scott Hardy 06/06/83 - 16/03/2010", will serve as a reminder to all those who pass by of the sacrifice made by Lance Corporal Hardy for his country.

Chelmsford Weekly News: Living memorial to hero soldier Scott
MoD: Lance Corporal Scott Hardy and Private James Grigg killed in Afghanistan

The Regiment was formed on 1st September 1964 from the three Regiments of the East Anglian Brigade (The Royal Norfolk & Suffolk, The Duchess of Gloucester's Own Royal Lincolnshire & Northamptonshire and The 16th/44th Foot) and The Royal Leicestershire Regiment.

Happy Formation Day!

The Royal Anglian Regiment Museum: Family Tree
The Royal Anglian Regiment: Formation and History

The latest figures published by the Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) wing of the MoD show that the improvement in manning levels, which began in the late 2008, has been maintained and that the Army has actually been operating at full strength over the last quarter.

The MoD reports that the (markedly) reduced intake requirement reflects the fact that the Army is currently fully manned and can therefore cut back on new entrants.

The continued drop in the number of those leaving is also an encouraging sign as it implies that the Army is retaining more of its experienced personnel.

That the country is in the midst of the worst recession since the 1930s may also be influencing the situation.

The issue for the immediate future is of course whether the Army will be permitted to continue to operate at the 102,000 mark. Defence Secretary Liam Fox has already hinted that the Strategic Defence Review is going to hit military spending hard; he's quoted as saying that the Goverment will act "ruthlessly and without sentiment" in finding savings in the defence budget. Indeed it's already been rumoured that even Britain's elite 23 SAS Regiment is in line to be culled.

Liam Fox is hoping to play the magician: although he will be overseeing radical reductions (15% is the current consensus) in military expenditure, he also insists that eventually Britain's security would end up "stronger".

The UK is not alone in seeking significant cuts in defence expenditure: across Europe governments have started to slash their military procurement projects. One way that Dr Fox may seek to square the circle of delivering more with less is through closer co-operation within Europe. Integrated procurement programmes, shared hardware, split operational responsibilities - indeed European Military Union itself - may start to look like attractive options to a Coalition desparate to make ends meet. God help us.

MoD: Latest UK Armed Forces manning figures released

The history and achievements of the Royal Anglian Regiment will be honoured and celebrated at a special Civic Dinner hosted by Councillor Pam Light, Mayor of Havering, and Councillor Michael White, Leader of the Council on Friday 24th September.

The dinner will be held at the Territorial Army Centre, 312 London Road, Romford starting at 7pm. The evening will include a Guard of Honour from the Royal Anglian Regiment Cadets; a champagne drinks reception and raffle; live entertainment from the Royal British Legion Band; and a three course dinner. The guest speaker will be Lt. Lenthall, Officer Commanding 10 Platoon C (Essex) Company, RAR.

Sounds alright.

Well done, Havering!

LB of Havering Council: Royal Anglian Regiment Civic Dinner

Hot on the heels of the PARA'S 10 UER (see below) comes The Royal British Legion's Exmoor 30:30 Ultimate Endurance Challenge. Now, Exmoor 30:30 is for the seriously fit: not a mere 10 miles for them, oh no, this is a 30 mile race across tough terrain carrying a 30lb rucksack.

The team race takes place on Saturday 9th October in Exmoor National Park, and with competitors each being asked to raise at least £1,000 for charity, it's a major fundraiser for The Legion and other service charities as well as a personal and a team challenge for those taking part.

The Legion, which provides financial, practical and emotional support to service people past and present and their dependants, is recruiting everyone from office workers to armed forces personnel to take part.

The Exmoor Explorers, who competed on behalf of The Legion, won the inaugural event last year. Team member Peter Govier described the nine hours it took them to complete the route as like “going to hell and back". "It was tough, mentally and physically. We were all fairly fit and knew the area, but the weather was atrocious. The race may be called Exmoor 30:30, but due to circumstances you inevitably end up going further. The Explorers ended up doing 36 miles.”

Russell Thompson OBE, Director of National Events and Fundraising says: “Exmoor 30:30 really is the ultimate challenge and will give civilian participants a taste for the sort of training armed services personnel go through before being sent off to Afghanistan and Iraq. ”

For those wanting to take part, details of the event can be found on their website:

www.exmoor3030.org.uk

Private Neil Thomas from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment won the Best Recruit award after successfully completing the 26 week Combat Infantryman's Course at Catterick.

Pte Thomas's platoon commander Colour Sergeant Michael Butcher said: "Private Thomas simply excelled on the course. He has been an enthusiastic trainee who is also very mature and this is shown when he helps others along or gets a grip of them. This is a really well-deserved award for someone who already has shown the basics of leadership."

Well done, Neil!

This is Lincolnshire: Town soldier proves it's not easy to be the best

Britain's war memorials - of which there are about 60,000 in total - are increasingly becoming the target of vandals, yobs and scrap metal thieves.

Some examples of this have received national press coverage:

• Islamist slogans were painted over the memorial in Burton upon Trent;
• The student, Philip Laing, was caught urinating over the poppy wreaths on Sheffield's city centre memorial;
• bronze plaques have been stolen for their scrap value from the war memorials in Derby, Manchester and Enfield;
• the eternal light stolen from the Hawarden Cenotaph.

Sadly these incidents are only the tip of the iceberg since at least one memorial a week is being defiled in some way. Sadly also the law as it stands affords little protection as the penalties for those actually arrested are derisory: nominal fines, cautions, a few hours community service and, as you would expect in the Muslim case, conditional discharge.

Now a group of MPs, lead by Tory MP David Burrowes, is calling on the Government to bring in stiffer penalties for those who desecrate the nation's war memorials and insult the memory of those who died in the service of their country fighting for our freedom. The MPs are urging the Government to create a separate crime of "desecrating the memories of this country" which will help to deter the yobs and punish the transgressors more appropriately.

The proposal has already received the backing of a number of prominent former military chiefs. The campaign should also have the backing of the Defence Secretary Liam Fox for it was he who last November compiled a list of desecrated memorials and said: "At a time when we are honouring those who have sacrificed themselves for our security, this sick and despicable trend is a miserable commentary on contemporary Britain. War memorials should be sacred places, respected by each and every person in every corner of the UK."

But it is not just the military who should be signing up for this campaign; protecting and honouring the memory of Britain's war dead is the duty of all her citizens. The general public need to be galvanised behind the campaign and public pressure brought to bear on David Cameron and Kenneth Clarke to bring in the necessary changes to the law.

The Telegraph: Military chiefs back call for law to protect war memorials
The Mail: Revealed: How one war memorial is desecrated in Britain every week
The Mail: 'Britain's most disgusting woman' who urinated on war memorial escapes jail

UK National Inventory of War Memorials

The MoD has today placed a $5.1million order with Lockheed Martin for additional Desert Hawk III UAVs. Having already supplied around 100 systems to UK forces as part of a UOR for Afghanistan in 2007, this additional tranche is scheduled for delivery by the end of the year.

Although operating Desert Hawk looks similar to playing Call of Duty, this is a mean piece of kit which, according to Staff Sergeant Dan Gardner from 47 Regiment Royal Artillery,"has become indispensable to troops on the ground in Afghanistan".

Used in a variety of roles, including reconnaissance and surveillance of troops and patrols, Desert Hawk provides situational awareness to commanders of troops in contact with the enemy. One particularly valuable use to which it has been put has been spotting the Taliban as they lay IEDs. Desert Hawk is one of several systems which make up ISTAR, the tri-service intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance infrastructure.

As well as providing improved surveillance capability and all-weather operation, the latest variant will also include a 'more refined target position' system olr as the MoD spokesman said: "Desert Hawk's latest enhancements allow it to operate more effectively in difficult conditions and provide our soldiers with greater situational awareness in a very timely manner."

MoD: Upgraded surveillance aircraft arrive in Afghanistan
Lockheed Martin: Desert Hawk III

The annual PARA'S 10 event will be taking place this year on Sunday 12th September at Catterick.

Resurrected in 2008 after a 15 year hibernation, this 'ultimate endurance race' will once again be hosted by Pegasus Company, The Parachute Regiment's training and selection wing, and is open to anyone who's up for it and can cough up the £25 entrance fee (there is £250 for the fastest entrant).

Not only is the event a chance for those outside the Regiment to prove how fit they are and to find out what the Paras keep harping on about, it is also an ideal fundraising opportunity.

Last year 2,500 runners took part raising over £100,000 for service charities.

This year Roger Micklethwaite and associates will be taking up the challenge and raising money for The Royal Anglian Regiment Benevolent Charity Fund. The Fund helps serving and former members of the Regiment and their families who find themselves in need, hardship or distress.

If you would like to support Roger & Co. and help them raise some money for the Royal Anglians, visit his webpage at

JustGiving: Vikings4ever

Good luck, Roger (you'll need it)!

It was back in the autumn of 2008 that the then Labour government started to clamp down on the public's wish to send parcels of goodies out to the guys fighting on the frontline.

The reason given for discouraging this very personal and direct show of support for Britain's Armed Forces was that 'unsolicited' parcels "clog up the supply chain and delay parcels from service families getting to their loved ones".

That there is an inadequate transport infrastructure supporting UK forces abroad is due to years of neglect and under-funding by government; it is not the fault of the general public.

The MoD should also bear in mind that a very large percentage (reportedly as high as 20%) of the troops out in Afghanistan do not have family to send them welfare parcels and these guys also need and deserve the morale boost that receiving a parcel from back home can bring. Many small community groups across the country send parcels (not at Christmas but throughout the year) to welfare officers who distribute them to those individuals they know would benefit most.

However, back in 2008 the government was caught in a bit of a dilemma: on the one hand it wanted to engage the public in support for the Armed Forces (cf National Recognition Study) but on the other hand it needed to dampen down any support that was proving inconvenient. The MoD came up with a solution: the Operational Welfare Fund.

Instead of sending parcels of goodies, the public would be instructed to donate money to a central fund. The Fund would be administered jointly by the MoD and SSAFA and the money raised would be used by 'commanders' to purchase items for the troops - solar-powered chargers, boxing kit, wind-up radios, etc. In this way the MoD would be able to manage and direct the flow of public goodwill and perhaps also use some of the money raised to buy equipment it would otherwise have to fund itself.

That the Operational Welfare Fund has failed to capture the public's imagination is clear: only a small number of online donations have made (less than 200) and only a relatively small amount of money has been raised (£37,050) since the Fund's launch in November 2008.

Cameron's Government should recognise that giving the people the right to express their regard, support and thanks to Britain's Armed Forces by making up a parcel and sending it out to someone serving their country abroad is perfectly consistent with the idea of the 'Big Society'.

Perhaps the MoD should consider laying on a couple of extra helicopters.

MoD: Operational Welfare Fund
SSAFA: Operational Welfare Fund
Bmycharity: SSAFA Operational Welfare Fund