G4S have failed to deliver their contractual obligations for London 2012.  Step forward 20 Armoured Brigade, based in Germany and recently back from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.  We were ready to enjoy summer leave with our friends and families before the next busy training cycle begins for the final deployment to Afghanistan in 2014.  For many of us leave has been cancelled.

Recent unemployment figures suggest that if G4S really wanted to fulfil their contractual obligations, then a trip down to the Job Centre may have sufficed; especially when you read that almost half a million young people are currently struggling to find work.  But maybe that’s too simple.  Just when you thought you couldn’t ask any more of an over stretched Army.  Let’s procure 3,500 troops recently back from war. Theresa May. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Already a bitter pill to swallow we then throw on top of that SDSR, redundancy, Army 2020 and the reduction of no fewer than 23 regular units from the Army.  We’ve also had changes to our pension scheme laid out – though yet to be fully announced we are undoubtedly set to loose thousands. Then there’s the budget fiasco. Well done George Osborne. A ridiculous percentage increase in benefits, while many soldiers see what is essentially a cut in pay with the rising cost of living.  There’s literally something to complain about at every turn but then in context we see the sad milestone of the 400^th death of Service Personnel in Afghanistan.

The Army I joined was all about retention.  It wasn’t uncommon for soldiers to negotiate dream postings and promotion on the threat of signing off, but good soldiers were retained and if anything felt valued.  It’s hard to feel valued when the bloke that was returning fire in contact or taking cover from IDF next to you is all of a sudden in the bracket for redundancy, and the career that he or she risked everything for has effectively said thanks, I know how much you’ve sacrificed to accommodate this unpredictable way of life but unfortunately the arse end of the economy has fallen out and we’ve been haemorrhaging money for years on rubbish, so unfortunately you’re out of a job.  I’m frequently reminded that it’s what I signed up for.

A lack of value, respect and fairness is a clear indication of a failing Military Covenant and for me the greatest tragedy is the impact this has on our families.  Time and time again it is our families who are left to pick up the pieces.  Could you imagine having to explain to a 5 or 6 year old child the reasons why they’re not going on holiday this summer?  I think it’s just a term used by naïve politicians.  If it sounds good maybe people won’t ask too many questions.

The only thing that will make the coming weeks bearable is the support from the general public.  In recent years the support we have received has been truly immense, and without it we wouldn’t be where we are today.  We will be there at the Olympics because we are there to be called upon to make personal sacrifices in the service of the nation, our end of the Military Covenant, but just take a second to think of the real sacrifices we have made to be there.  With cuts in defence and military redundancies it is little wonder that morale within the Army is at an all time low.

That was a guest blog written by an anonymous serving soldier who has had leave cancelled to be on duty for the Olympic Games in London.

As we stop to remember the sacrifice service men and women have made during battle, we too need to focus on a wider issue. Let’s be clear, our service personnel are a credit to us, they are some of the best in the world and are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for Queen and country. We all know somebody who either currently serves in the armed forces or who has previously served in the forces. Speak to them and they will tell you about the conditions and atmosphere when out on the frontline, it certainly is not pleasant. I am a proud supporter of Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion – two excellent charitable organisations working to help service and ex-service personnel and the families of those service men and women killed in action – they do an incredible job, but the government should do more to help them and so too should the public.

It has been in the news time and time again about war memorials being damaged and plaques engraved with the names of the fallen stolen to be sold to scrap metal dealers. This theft is not only illegal but it is incredibly disrespectful to the community and more importantly to the families and memory of those killed. Scrap metal dealers should be informing the police about such incidents rather than seeing it as an opportunity to make some quick money. There have also been incidents when service men and women have been turned down from shops and hotels, thankfully this is quite rare but there have been incidents cropping up in parts of the country. No matter what such people think of war – soldiers are doing an incredibly brave job.

The majority of the British people fully respect HM Forces and are appalled at the wrecking of the war memorials and the way troops are treated – particularly if servicemen have been injured or have completed their tour of duty. A very recent case which highlights this exact issue is the case of Mark Mullins, an army veteran who killed himself alongside his wife after the benefits of his wife, who had learning difficulties were cut. Mr Mullins and his wife, Helen had to live off £57 a week, he had to walk ten miles a week to a soup kitchen for handouts of free food – this is utterly disgraceful but the worst bit is that this is going on across the country with veterans and injured personnel, and troops suffering from post traumatic stress having to largely rely on charities.

The vast majority of MPs from all sides are opposed to cuts to the defence budget and the loss of military service personnel as a result of the cuts, and yes, cuts do have to be made but the British government should be doing more to support the men and women who are willing to give their lives for their country. Politicians are sometimes criticised by defence chiefs as being out of touch, indeed Admiral Lord West has said “Several factors had a huge impact on the Labour government’s popularity and its defence credentials: the controversial invasion of Iraq and the mishandling of its aftermath; the flawed decision to remain in Afghanistan after the initial invasion post 9/11 and the equally flawed decision to move into the Helmand region with its consequent toll on our servicemen’s lives.” Additionally the Prime Minister, David Cameron recently clashed with defence chiefs telling them “you do the fighting, I’ll do the talking” – military chiefs are the ones who know what it’s like on the ground and the limits and capabilities of each of the three services.

A leaked memo from a junior officer within the Ministry of Defence which was passed to the Telegraph newspaper shows that the MOD are planning to cut the number of armed service personnel by 16,500 by 2015 rather than the 7000 announced by the then Secretary of State for Defence, Dr Liam Fox MP. The MOD have been quick to respond to the memo announcing that “The information in the leaked Army memo from a junior officer is incorrect. Beyond those already announced, there are no further Army reductions planned.”

The rate of pay within the MOD varies. Those earning the most in the armed services are the Chief of the Defence staff who has a starting salary of £235,000 a year, the Commercial Director General receives a starting salary of £200,000 as does the Chief Operating Officer. The rate of pay for a frontline solider who is deployed on their first operation is between £17,265 and £24,405 It is a ratio of eight to one. Of course due to the current economic situation troops can not be given a pay rise – however what troops do want is to be assured their job will be safe when they come back from deployment. Some soldiers currently on the frontline in Afghanistan are going to be made redundant and this leaked memo from the MOD suggests that up to 2500 injured service personnel could lose their jobs including 350 who have lost limbs.

You can not expect the military to do more and more with less and the Prime Minister needs to realise this before committing our forces to additional missions. The level of service and defence will not be the same. We are remembering those killed in battle, but we also need to remember and reflect on other areas of the armed forces such as the support they receive, commitment they give, and the sacrifice they are willing to make. This is not about partisan politics, it’s about standing up for our forces and giving them the support they need. It’s about giving the men and women fighting for Britain the recognition they deserve, and it is about making them feel wanted.

Whilst we remember those heroes who have been killed in action, let us too remember those currently engaged in conflict at home and overseas.

TSF

Today marks the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. 206 years ago on 21st October 1805, the British Royal Navy led by Admiral Lord Nelson fought the French and Spanish in a bloody battle. The victory is one of the most significant in the history of the Navy and of the country. As I’m sure you all know Nelson’s column in Trafalgar Square are both named after Horatio Nelson and the battle in which he commanded British Naval forces.

Whilst one could argue it would be wrong to mention cuts to the defence budget it does need to be highlighted particularly today as we celebrate and remember the victory. The Royal Navy faces huge cuts and that will of course have an impact on the image of the Navy and its capability. I posted a blog on here a few weeks ago by former First Sea Lord, Admiral Lord West which you can read by clicking the link below. The piece is an extract from his contribution to the book ‘what next for Labour?‘. He talks of his time as Admiral of the fleet as well as the impact the cuts are going to have on British defence. You can read an extract of his piece here and you can buy the book here. One thing is clear we need to not neglect our armed forces, we should invest in them and continue to be the best. Our service men and women past and present do an incredible job and for that we should protect them and make them feel wanted.

TSF

Osama Bin Laden the world’s most wanted man, and who is responsible for the deaths of thousands upon thousands of people has been killed by American Special Forces, in Pakistan. President Barack Obama gave a speech from the White House at 4:30am British Time, and announced to the press and indeed to the world “I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama Bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.”

One can not help but wonder if the relationship between America and Pakistan will sour, particularly as Osama Bin Laden was ‘hiding’ there, and also because the Pakistani government did not know about this US raid which had been planned for several months. International media reports state that Osama Bin Laden’s body has been taken to a US Military base in Afghanistan.

There’s no doubt that the death of Bin Laden provides some sort of justice to the families of those killed in terrorist attacks around the world. But the question on the lips of many people today is, was 2 wars, the death of just under one million people, and a cost of trillions of dollars, all to capture one man worth it?

The death of Bin Laden is of course welcomed around the world, Former President Bush said “this is a momentous achievement” with David Cameron saying Bin Laden’s death will “bring great relief to people across the world.”

Today the wanted poster of Osama Bin Laden is still on the FBI website, offering a reward of $25 million. It would be wrong to say that there will not be any repercussions due to the death of the Al-Qaeda Chief, because it is likely that there will be. Indeed only last month, files released from Wikileaks show that the American Government believed Al-Qaeda had possession of a nuclear weapon and would detonate if Bin Laden were to be captured or killed. It is now up to people around the world to remain vigilant in the coming days and weeks ahead. The war against terrorism goes on.

TSF

UPDATE: U.S Officials say that Bin Laden’s body has been buried at sea.

In two years the eyes of the world will be on London, for the 2012 Olympic Games. It will be a huge test for the British Security services to protect the games from any sort of terrorist attack including a ‘Mumbai style’ terrorist attack. However there will be a new addition to the £600 million security for the games; a paramilitary police squad. The new Paramilitary armed officer’s are in training with the worlds best special forces unit – The SAS. As I have blogged about previously, there is a big threat, and as was reported not too long ago, if a Mumbai style attack were to happen in the UK, we as a nation need to be ready and prepared. The Officer’s will be handpicked from current Armed Response Unit’s in police forces across Britain, the plan will definitely change the way we see the police.

The Paramilitary squads will be armed with German Heckler & Koch G36 machine guns with a range of half a mile and capable of firing 750 rounds a minute. There has already been some concerns over the police being ‘too powerful’ and indeed there was a case last year whereby Police officer’s used the aforementioned gun and killed an innocent bystander. According to a report by the Sunday Times, the paramilitary police squads will be based in Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and London, and the squads will be under the control of Police Chief Constables except if there is a major incident or terrorist attack in which case a senior officer from Scotland Yard will take charge.

I personally think is is a good thing, particularly as only last month MI5 picked up intel that a Mumbai style of attack was being planned, but part of me thinks that it is a bad idea, as it will transform the way we see our police. Will seeing this new paramilitary squad make you feel safer or slightly scared?

TSF