2 R Anglian take on 2 Para in the Army boxing championships in Celle, Germany tomorrow.

Good luck, the Poachers!

It was at last year's DSE International Exhibition (see Aquilavictrix LPPV: Orcelot v SupaCat) that the mittens came off in the contest between Force Protection's Ocelot and Supacat's SPV400 to win the contract for the Light Protected Patrol Vehicle (LPPV) that will replace the Army's much criticised Snatch Land Rover. The two contenders have been undergoing engineering and operational trials at test facilities at Millbrook and Aldershot and a decision on the winner is expected by August with a military in-service date the following year. Funds will be provided through the Urgent Operational Requirements process.

Back in Spetember 2009 the MoD was saying that they were initially looking to place orders for 400 vehicles. Needless to say, Gordon Brown has now halved that. Continuing his 12 year jihad against the Armed Forces, the prime minister has taken another swipe of his axe to the Army's funding and announced that now only 200 would be ordered.

Funnily enough and with true labour spin, he tried to make his announcement sound as if he was promising 200 extra vehicles rather than what he was really doing which was to provide 200 fewer! The hypocrisy and duplicity of this man is unbelievable!

Brown's announcement comes in the wake of the barrage of criticism that he and his fellow ministers received at the inquiry into the deaths of the four soldiers killed when their poorly protected Snatch Land Rover was hit by an IED. This decision of Brown's to actually halve the number of Snatch vehicles being replaced, is therefore particularly callous and sinister coming as it does at this time.

DefenseNews: 2 Vehicles Vie for U.K. Army LPPV Award

Lieutenant Colonel James Woodham MC, commanding officer of 1st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment, has been paying tribute to the men under his command currently serving on the frontline in Afghanistan.

Lt Col Woodham explained how the Battalion has been playing a key role in turning the tide "very fast" against the Taliban in all four of the districts of Helmand - Lashkar Gah, Gereshk, Musa Qaleh and Nad Ali - in which the guys have been stationed.

He singled out C (Essex) Company (NB this story has been taken from an Essex newspaper) for their success in winning hearts and minds in Nad Ali district. Engaging with the local people, providing sustained security and working together with them to rebuild their communities is what Operation Moshtarak has been all about and 1 R Anglian has been making a big difference in this regard - or as Lt Col Woodham puts it: “It is changing the local dynamic, bringing an ungoverned area back in to government hands”.

Lt Col Woodham, however, also pointed out that all this success has come at a high cost: two soldiers from C Company, L Cpl Adam Drane and Pte Robert Hayes, were killed fighting the Taliban in Nad Ali earlier in the year.

In praising his men, their CO said: “It’s quite humbling to see the guys suffer the most exacting loss, get on and go back in to the same area to face the same threat. These young men are the heart of the British Army and the nation. At times, we are quick to have a go at the youth of today, but it is my experience that with a decent environment and training, they can do the most extraordinary things.”

Lt Col Woodham went on to say: “We want to say a really big thank-you to everyone back in Essex. You will see us marching through the county’s streets this summer to show our appreciation.”

And, James, the people of Essex will be turning out to show their appreciation and respect for the guys as well! [Parades are scheduled for June 15th in Barking & Dagenham and June17th in Southend.]

Chelmsford Weekly News: Commanding officer pays tribute to Essex soldiers’ Afghan effort

Question: "What does it feel like to pick up a live grenade?"

Answer: "When I saw the grenade there and thought, aw, I just hope it doesn't hurt too much. I knew that I had to get it away from us and, as I picked it up I thought that, if this doesn't come off or I hadn't done this, the result's going to be exactly the same. My main thoughts were for the other guys, Captain Kerr and Rifleman Holcombe because we had lost Corporal Green the day before and I wasn't prepared to see another guy from my platoon get hurt, even if that meant that I got hurt myself."

These are the words of Rifleman James McKie of Reconnaissance Platoon, 3 Rifles when recounting how, in the middle of a fire-fight, he picked up a Taliban grenade which had landed amongst his patrol and hurled it off the roof where the guys had taken up position. The grenade exploded on its way down into the alley just a couple of feet away. This act most probably saved the lives of all three of them.

When asked whether he would be going back to Sangin straight away, Rfn Mckie replied: "I can't wait to get back there. I really miss the other guys and it would absolutely break me if another one of them got hurt while I was out here waiting to repatriate Greeny. I'm sure they understand but it doesn't make it any easier for me. If anything, if we can get a few more of them, it's worth it."

Talking to the media back home in New Zealand, James said: "I love soldiering. I love being here in Afghanistan. Obviously bad things happen and I can't go back and change it, but what I can do is try and stop things happening around me. As far as the military experience goes, this is the ultimate for a career soldier."

Rifleman McKie said of the incident, in Sangin on March 3rd: "People keep telling me how brave I am. I'd like to think that anyone in that situation would have done the same or something similar because you can't just sit there and let yourself or other people get hurt."

Whatever you may think, James, everyone else thinks that was a bloody brave thing to do! What a hero!

. . . . . .

Sadly Rifleman Jonathon Allott, another guy from Rfn McKie's battalion was killed a short time after this interview.

BBC: British soldier throws back a grenade to save lives
TVNZ: NZ hero back from Afghanistan in May

While our old friend Gordon is making electioneering trips to Afghanistan, grabbing any photo opportunity he can with the troops and cynically using them as "political props" to divert attention away from the "disingenuous" comments he made at the Chilcot Inquiry, while all this is going on the MoD has ordered a "truth blackout" over the war in Afghanistan for the duration of the election campaign.

Although Britain's Armed Forces are engaged in a major war and Operation MOSHTARAK is about to enter a critical phase, the British public are apparently only going to be allowed to hear a sanitised, labour-spun version of events.

To manage the news to their own liking the government, through the MoD, has decreed that:

• British journalists and TV crews will be banned from the Afghan frontline;
• Senior officers will be prohibited from making public speeches and talking to reporters;
• MoD websites will be “cleansed” of any “non-factual” material including anything containing troops’ opinions of the war;
• The only information provided about operations will be through MoD briefings in Whitehall.
  

The labour government is clearly seeking to avoid any news that would cause further damage to their ratings. They certainly don't want the voting public to hear Army generals criticising policy, complaining of the lack of vital equipment and accusing labour ministers of neglecting the Service Community.

As far as Gordon and the labour party are concerned, our troops can spill their blood on the frontline but mustn't spill the beans back home.

The Telegraph: Army faces Afghan gag for election

An article in yesterday's Sunday Times exposed how wheeler-dealing by government ministers has allowed soldiers' homes to "fall into ruin".

When the government sold off the military housing stock - 56,000 properties - to the private sector back in 1996, the MoD remained responsible for repairs and maintenance.

When this sale of the century went through it was on the understanding that a significant part of the £1.67billion raised would be spent on refurbishing the dilapidated homes that soldiers and their families were having to live in.

So, guess how much of the £1.67billion has actually been spent on refurbishment and renovation: according to the Times, about £60million or 3.5% of the money raised.

And where has the remaining £1billion gone? To HM Treasury of course. And who has been in charge of HM Treasury since 1997? You guessed it, good old Gordon Brown.

So while our soldiers are being sent to the frontline knowing that back home their wives and children are having to endure damp, leaks and broken boilers, Gordon is happily giving away to his friends in the City the money that should have been spent on bringing their homes upto standard.

Nice one, Gordon. Laughing all the way to the bankers.

A few days ago Liam Fox MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, tabled a written question asking the government how many training exercises originally planned for 2010 have already been cancelled.

In reply Armed Forces Minister, Bill Rammell, admitted that 55 exercises had so far been cut. However, he also said that: "Success in Afghanistan is our main effort, and will remain our principal commitment for as long as it takes. Our approach at this time must be - and is - Afghanistan first. All exercises that better prepare our forces for operations in Afghanistan will continue but those exercises that are considered not to directly support our effort have been examined critically and, where appropriate, cancelled."

The training exercises cut were:

I don't know how many training exercises are undertaken each year but 55 sounds like a lot. Snatching short-term savings by cutting the training budget is bound to have long-term implications for the future effectiveness of the Armed Forces especially as they should be prepared for combat in a variety of warzones.

[not sorry to see "French Connection", "Tricolour" and "Asterix" go, but great shame about "Roman Eagle"]

A campaign has been launched to put right yet another injustice in the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS).

As it stands, those injured during the first four years of the War on Terror, i.e between 2001 and 2005, receive considerably less compensation than that paid out to those injured later in the war.

At least 100 service personnel seriously injured at the start of the campaigns receive virtually nothing, £150 a week if they're lucky.

As the campaign says: "Fairness dictates that, given the sacrifices made by British troops in service of our country in Afghanistan and Iraq, each soldier seriously injured in these theatres should benefit from the same compensation arrangements, enabling them a decent on-going quality of life".

The campaign is being headed by Col. Richard Kemp, former Royal Anglian and former Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan, and supported by the Daily Telegraph newspaper which has for some time been running its own campaign "Justice for Wounded" seeking fairness in the AFCS.

Although the government has recently been forced to make improvements in the compensation awarded under the AFCS, it has failed to provide adequate compensation for all those injured in the war. As Col Kemp says: "The arbitrary date chosen by the MoD means that soldiers who have been left severely disabled while fighting for their country have been left far less able to rebuild their lives than comrades in the same battle zones".

The country has asked these brave men and women to put their lives on the line for us, it is morally indefensible not to pay them fair compensation for the injuries they received when doing so.

To bring pressure on the government to recognise the sacrifices made by all of those seriously injured in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, sign the petition at Number10: Lives on the Line

The Telegraph: Former Afghanistan commander accuses ministers over 'shameful' compensation for injured soldiers

The Telegraph: Justice for Wounded

250 soldiers of 1st Battalion The Welsh Guards marched through the streets of Cardiff yesterday to a hero's welcome from hundreds of well-wishers lining the streets of the city.

The Battalion returned from a tough six month tour in Afghanistan in October. Seven of their number lost their lives in the fighting including their CO, Lt Col Rupert Thorneloe; the others to lose their lives were Major Sean Birchall, Pte John Brackpool, LCpl Dane Elson, Lt Mark Evison, LSgt Tobie Fasfous, Gdsm Christopher King.

During their tour the Welsh Guards were a key component of the major summer offensive known as Operation PANCHAI PALANG (PANTHER's CLAW) and captured the towns of Chah-e Anjir and Basaran, both of which were under Taliban control.

Now, back home in Wales, the guys are receiving due recognition for their valiant work fighting the Taliban. Guardsman Christopher Davis said: "To see all the support that we get is great and it's nice for our families to see us marching. It does bring back memories though, especially of the guys who didn't make it back. It would have been nice if they could have been marching with us."

The Freedom of the City of Cardiff Parade will be followed by other homecoming parades across Wales. Marches will be taking place:
March  8th - Swansea
March 11th - Merthyr Tydfil
March 12th - Newport
March 16th - Bridgend
March 24th - Caernarfon
March 26th - Rhyl

The Cardiff parade also marked the launch of Armed Forces Day 2010. Cardiff has be chosen to be the focus of the national celebration which this year will be taking place on June 26th. Brigadier Russ Wardle, Commander of the Army in Wales, said: “Armed Forces Day is designed to be an opportunity for the nation to express its gratitude to the men and women who have served in the armed forces for them and it is a chance for the armed forces to show themselves off a bit. I have no doubt Cardiff will put on a great show.”

Well done, the Welsh Guards! Well done, Cardiff!

Cymru am Byth!

BBC: Welsh Guards stage homecoming parade in Cardiff
MoD: Welsh Guards launch Armed Forces Day 2010 at parade
MoD: Welsh Guards return from Afghanistan
MoD: Welsh Guards in action in Operation Panther's Claw (video)

Welsh Guards Afghanistan Appeal

It sometimes seems that the only real military allies the UK has in Europe are the Danes and their fellow Balts, the Estonians.

750 Danes are serving in Afghanistan, proportionately one of the highest national contingents out there. 31 Danish soldiers have given their lives fighting to make Afghanistan a better, more secure place. A high price; in fact this casualty rate, 4.1%, is higher than both the UK's 2.6% and the US's 1.3%.

Unlike other European countries, the Danish people are honouring their commitments to NATO. We had thought that the Dutch could be relied on, but then, I suppose, so did the people of Srebrenica (the Danish Army's record in Bosnia on the other hand earned them great respect). It is most likely that the Dutch will soon be pulling out, leaving their NATO allies in the lurch. Other European contingents are reluctant to be posted to "restive" regions like Helmand or to take the fight to the Taliban; they'd rather leave that to the professionals.

The Danes, however, are in the thick of it and holding firm against the European flight to the Maginot line. Their forces in Afghanistan continue to have strong public support at home - their recent military resurgence has rightly been a source of great national pride.

As one Danish soldier said: "It is too easy to stay at home, and Denmark is doing its part"

There's no 'to be or not to be' for these Vikings.

A 'leaked' memo from General Sir David Richards, Chief of the General Staff, has pointed out the blindingly obvious: that returning home from a hard-fought tour in Afghanistan to sub-standard living quarters back in the UK is not good for morale.

And it had all seemed to be going so well: Project Slam developments completed at Northwood, Catterick and Perham Down, upgraded family quarters at Blandford, funds even being brought forward from future years to speed up the refurbishment programme. However the latest cuts to the Armed Forces budget is putting paid to all that.

Gen. Richards' memo flagged up that reductions in the Armed Forces budget have caused the refurbishment programme to stall and and improvement plans to be postponed. Cuts are having "a cumulative and corrosive effect on our soldiers and their families. ...... As Chief of the General Staff, I register an early concern about the impact on morale, the potentially severe downstream impact on retention, and our ability to sustain the campaign in the long term."

The General's comments came after he'd seen the results of an internal survey carried out at 'home' bases in the UK, Germany, N. Ireland and Cyprus. This survey showed the effects that the recent £100m cuts, and the diversion of resources to fund the war in Afghanistan, were having on morale across the Service Community. The survey highlights that there is a real feeling that Service personnel consider themselves undervalued by the government.

And its not only the poor state of military accommodation that is fuelling this feeling of neglect. Shortages in training and IT equipment, the axing of events like the annual Aldershot Army Show, the undermining of the harmony guidelines, extended times away from home between deployments, the threatened 20% cut in numbers, shortages of medics, etc are all compounding the problem.

Another concern is that after two or three successive deployments to the warzone, coupled with the sheer intensity of the fighting and the relentless pace of operations, there is an increasing incidence of both physical and psychological injury for the guys serving out there.

General Richards is perhaps unexpectedly broadcasting exactly the concerns of his predecessor, General Dannatt: that you can't fight a war with the funding profile of a peace-time budget. Last August Gen. Richards was characterised as being a subtle, behind-the-scenes political animal. Today, however, he may be turning out to be the vociferous champion that the Army badly needs.

The Mail: Troops' morale is in crisis at defence cuts, says Army chief

The high level of UK unemployment, coupled with the threatened 20% reduction in Service numbers, means that managing the transition between military and civilian life may well be a hot issue within the Armed Forces over the next few years.

Recognising this, the British Forces Resettlement Services (BFRS) is going to be holding a "groundbreaking" job fair and networking event for ex-forces people tomorrow, 4th March, at the Garrison Sports Centre in Aldershot. The interactive event will help past, present and future service leavers – as well as their job-seeking family members – access a range of support organisations and find meaningful employment. For those not wishing to move directly into full-time employment the event will also have organisations presenting gap-year opportunities.

Not only will there be exhibits and free seminars and presentations running throughout the day; the organisers are also throwing in a free "curry supper".

Present at the fair will be BAE Systems, Boeing, The AA, BSM, Marstons, Security Networking Events, Airbus, EADS, Rushmoor Borough Council, Hampshire Police, Civvy Street and The British Legion.

The keynote speech will be provided by Colonel Richard Kemp CBE, former Royal Anglian, Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan, best-selling novelist, Cabinet adviser and Essex boy. The focus of his speech will be on the importance of a positive CV. He says: "The CV is probably the single most important element in finding a new job, and far too often highly competent service people will miss out on opportunities because their CV does not properly reflect all that they can bring to an employer......In my experience since leaving the Army, most former service people tend to very much undersell themselves. It is really important that they recognise the impressive range of skills and experience they have acquired in their military service so that they can market themselves to employers.”

The Job Fair at Aldershot will be the first of a series of similar events which ex-military recruitment specialists Gemini Forces will be hosting across the country over the coming year.

Gemini Forces: Challenges of ex-Services personnel returning to ‘civvy street’ thrown into the spotlight

LINE Communications, a leading supplier of Technology Based Training, has announced the imminent release of three major mobile learning solutions for the British Army.

The MoD has commissioned LINE to develop three highly innovative learning solutions to be delivered on mobile devices. Two of the projects will be delivered using Apple iTouch. The first covers training on vehicle service schedules and the second delivers restricted content quickly and securely to the target audience. The third project delivers complex procedural training using touchscreen tablets. All of the projects are due for release in early April 2010.

LINE prides itself on working "pragmatically to deliver the MoD’s modernisation and training transformation agenda across Defence to genuinely improve operational capability".

Let's hope LINE's touchscreen solution is significantly better than my new LG-POP which fails to respond however gently or firmly, casually or positively, I touch the screen.

L/Cpl Ferguson, serving with 1 R Anglian out in Helmand, was on patrol and clearing a compound of insurgents when he was hit by a sniper's bullet. Despite the near fatal injury and also under heavy fire, he carried on giving directions to his men until he was medivac'd by US helicopter to the field hospital at Camp Bastion. After emergency treatment there he was flown to Selly Oak for surgery.

That was back in December. Now, instead of being so nearly paralysed, Andrew is well on the way to making a full recovery. Already on light duties back at his base in Pirbright, he says he is looking forward to returning to the frontline.

He's now known as 'the miracle of Helmand'; his mates tell him he should have kept his head down!

Good news, Andrew!

The Mail: The 'miracle of Helmand' soldier who survived a sniper shot - which missed his spine by fraction of an inch

The Royal British Legion has just launched a national awards scheme to recognise people and organisations who give exceptional support to the Armed Forces. The RBL asking the general public to send in nominations for their new Friends of the Armed Forces Awards and the winners will be chosen by category - individual, community group, young person, business.

Prince Harry, who kicked the scheme off, said: "These awards

are an excellent idea, and I am very proud to be involved. I know how important support from home can be. For those serving in the British Armed Forces, the knowledge that others are thinking of them has a hugely positive effect that cannot be underestimated."

Nominations for the Awards close on 14th April. With so many individuals and groups now working to support our Armed Forces, the RBL is going to have a difficult time in deciding the winners.

The Royal British Legion: Prince Harry backs Friends of the Forces Awards
MoD: ArticleFriends of the Forces Awards launched