Britain reins in defence equipment costs and project delays

Britain's Defence Ministry has begun to improve the way it handles major procurement areas, but must still do more to keep costs and delays under control, parliament's spending watchdog said on Thursday.

MPs and state agencies have frequently criticised the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in recent years for letting costs and timelines on multi-million dollar programmes run out of control.
That criticism has grown more acute as Britain struggles to rein in a big budget deficit through state spending cuts that have squeezed voter incomes.
"In respect of its largest defence projects, there are early signs that the Ministry of Defence has begun to make realistic trade-offs between cost, time, technical requirements and the amount of equipment to be purchased," the National Audit Office said in a statement on its latest report into MoD projects.
The report covers the ministry's 16 largest projects, including A400M transport aircraft built by Airbus, Astute submarines and aircraft carriers built by BAE Systems, and the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft programme.
The audit office said in the 2011/2012 budget year under a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition there had been a total slippage of 139 months in forecast delivery times, and a cost increase of 468 million pounds.
That meant that, since the projects were approved, costs had increased by about 6.6 billion pounds, or 12 percent. Delays across the 16 projects totalled 468 months, the office said.

The MoD said the cost increase for the last year represented 0.8 percent of the 16 projects' total value of 63 billion pounds, less than the rate of inflation for the year.
It also compared the 468 million pound rise to what it said was an increase of 3.3 billion pounds over the last year of the previous, Labour government in 2009/10.
"There will always be factors over which the (MoD) has limited control, but it must do more to learn from previous projects .... the Department has more to do to address its long-standing issues on project performance," said Amyas Morse, the head of the National Audit Office (NAO).
The office conceded that fuel price inflation of 336 million pounds over the past year in the strategic tanker programme - a project to lease refuelling aircraft - was not the fault of the MoD, and said cost overruns and delays were to be expected in technically challenging projects such as the aircraft carriers.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the government had "taken the tough decisions necessary to get the equipment plan under control".
"Fuel inflation and other factors outside of the department's control are responsible for three-quarters of the cost increase over the past year," he said.
The EADS-led AirTanker consortium behind the tanker aircraft said rising fuel prices were not an intrinsic part of the project and should not have a bearing on assessments of programme delivery

British Pioneers Launch Private Navy to Combat Piracy in Indian Ocean

A private navy founded by businessmen, former marines, retired captains and soldiers will protect its first group of oil tankers and bulk carriers from pirates in the Indian Ocean in late March or April, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

Typhon, a venture formed by a group of U.K. businessmen led by Glencore International’s Chairman Simon Murray, will recruit 240 former marines and sailors for its navy. This is the first undertaking of its kind in nearly 200 years in the United Kingdom.

These pioneers are frustrated at the inability of various governmental agencies and navies to effectively secure the shipping lanes in a substantially small area of ocean, mainly because they lack the budget to do so.

This private navy will include a mother ship, high-speed armored patrol boats, and armed soldiers.  Their aim is to deter pirates rather than engage in gunfights.

RT reports that the vessel will be UK-flagged, which would give them the legal right to carry their weapons into harbor rather than keep them on platforms in international waters. The navy’s funding will come from shipping firms - in much the same way as the cargo ships sailing under Russian, Chinese and Indian flags hire private convoys.

Although there is a large international presence in the pirate-infested areas, piracy still remains a major issue for mariners and shipping firms.

Stunning images show off size of giant warships

THEY are the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy – and these newly-released graphics show their sheer scale better than ever.

The Aircraft Carrier Alliance – a consortium of defence companies behind the construction of Portsmouth’s newest carriers – has released a series of powerful posters showing off the size of the warships.
The computer-generated images show the warships dwarfing some of the country’s most recognisable landmarks.
And one of the most striking posters is of the under-construction HMS Queen Elizabeth berthed alongside in Portsmouth.
Ian Booth, the programme director of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, said: ‘These posters depict the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers in front of the Houses of Parliament and in Portsmouth.
‘They’re stunning images and show that Portsmouth can expect two really spectacular ships to be resident at the city’s naval base once construction is complete.’
A computer-generated image released last year showed how the first of the two carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth, would look alongside at Portsmouth Naval Base.
Now the image has been used in the series of posters which put the size of the ships into context.
The images reveal the length of the ship is the equivalent of 28 London buses and is almost three times the size of Buckingham Palace.

The carriers are 280m in length, 65,000 tonnes and capable of embarking 40 aircraft – twice the capacity of HMS Illustrious.
They are being constructed at shipyards around the country and taken for assembly at Rosyth in Scotland.
As reported in The News, work is ongoing in Portsmouth to complete the forward island of the ship which will house the bridge.
The Aircraft Carrier Alliance is formed of BAE Systems, Babcock, Thales and the Ministry of Defence.
Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock said he couldn’t wait to see the work being completed.
‘This is superb and it is great news. It’s going to benefit the city and the country on many different levels.
‘I can’t wait to see the work being completed and then seeing these ships in Portsmouth.
‘The people of Portsmouth should be welcoming this.
‘These ships are going to create more jobs here.’

Britain orders GPS anti-jam system

Raytheon UK reports it has been contracted by Britain's Ministry of Defense for a new GPS Anti-Jam Antenna System for use by land vehicles.

The award was issued under an Urgent Operational Requirement. It is the first for the company's GPS Anti-Jam Land product family.

Delivery of the systems to the Defense Ministry will be completed within six months, Raytheon said.

"Raytheon UK has a track record of on-time delivery for GPS AJ systems, having delivered over 7,000 units for air and naval capabilities in the U.K. and U.S.," said Bob Delorge, chief executive, Raytheon UK.

"Many of the military platforms used in operations are protected by the proven Raytheon GPS anti-jam technology and the first order for our Land GPS AJ product family marks a significant success."

British industry in line for £1bn boost from Kuwait

Britain's security industry is in store for a potential £1bn boost as a result of a government-to-government agreement between the UK and Kuwait.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was working with the Kuwaiti government to enhance Kuwait’s homeland security.

Under the agreement, the British Government would manage the project and award contracts to British companies on Kuwait’s behalf.

It is understood the partnership would be worth around £100m to £150m every year for the next seven years to the UK.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said that a letter of “mutual intent” had been signed by Britain and Kuwait on Thursday, allowing negotiations on the government-to-government deal to go ahead.

“Securing the agreement would represent a significant opportunity for UK industry. In addition to the value of the Kuwait Security Programme, there will be considerable associated investment, and the prospect for further commercial growth,” the spokesman said.

The security programme would be run by a branch of the Foreign Office called FCO Services, and would address a range of both physical and virtual threats to Kuwait.

It is thought that the deal would include the provision of state-of-the-art surveillance systems, along the lines of those used during the Olympics.

The agreement was struck during a state visit to Britain by the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.

It comes at a time when activists in Kuwait are campaigning for the prime minister to be elected, rather than appointed by the Emir.

Britain will lose nuclear capability for 20 years if Scotland votes for independence

Britain would lose its nuclear deterrent for two decades if Scotland votes for independence because it would no longer have the capability to house Trident submarines.

Scottish independence will force the remainder of the UK to abandon nuclear weapons for at least two decades, according to report by MPs published today.

The Commons Scottish Affairs select committee said it would be possible to move Trident submarines and their missiles from their base on the Clyde within two weeks of separation.

However, the construction of replacement facilities south of the Border could take up to 20 years, they said, effectively forcing the UK Government into “unilateral nuclear disarmament”.

The Continuous At Sea Deterrent, whereby at least one of the submarines is patrolling the UK’s shores around the clock, would stop as a result.

The MPs said it was extremely unlikely a separate Scotland would allow Trident to remain permanently, while basing the submarines abroad would be politically fraught.

A possible solution would be a gentleman’s agreement that would allow the UK to continue basing the submarines inScotland while they found a suitable alternative elsewhere and built the necessary facilities.

But, although there are several potential sites in England and Wales, the committee said all have drawbacks that renderthem unsuitable or expensive to convert for the nuclear deterrent.

Devonport in Plymouth has too large a population in the surrounding area to safely store nuclear warheads, MPs said, while the approach to the Barrow naval base in Cumbria is too shallow for the submarines to regularly dock.

Defence ministers told their inquiry they have made no preparations if Scots vote for separation in autumn 2014 and are pressing ahead with plans to move the Royal Navy’s entire submarine fleet north of the Border by 2017.

But the committee urged both the UK and Scottish governments to publish contingency plans for removing Trident before the referendum so voters understand the consequences.

The naval base at Faslane that houses the submarines is on course to employ 7,500 people by 2022, making it Scotland’s largest worksite, while the missiles and warheads are stored at nearby Coulport.

Replacing them south of the Border is expected to cost well in excess of £3.5 billion, a cost the MPs said would be divided between taxpayers in Scotland and the remainder of the UK as part of the separation deal.

Ian Davidson, the committee’s chairman and the Labour MP for Glasgow South West, said: “The full details of how and when Trident would be removed from Scotland and the full consequences of that plan must be worked out before any referendum is held.”

UK intelligence officers knew of CIA's rendition plans within days of 9/11

Meeting at British embassy in US raises questions about repeated denials by MI5 and MI6 of connivance in torture

 Jack Straw, who told MPs in 2005 there was 'simply no truth in the claims that the United Kingdom has been involved in rendition

Within days of the 9/11 attacks on the US, the CIA told British intelligence officers of its plans to abduct al-Qaida suspects and fly them to secret prisons where they would be systematically abused.
The meeting, at the British embassy in Washington, is disclosed in a forthcoming book by the Guardian journalist Ian Cobain. It raises serious questions about repeated claims by senior MI5 and MI6 officers that they were slow to appreciate the US response to the attacks, and never connived in torture.
The meeting signalled to British officials that the US was preparing to embark on a global kidnapping programme which became known as extraordinary rendition. Cobain reveals that at the end of a three-hour presentation by Cofer Black, President George Bush's top counter-terrorist adviser, Mark Allen – his opposite number in MI6 – commented that it all sounded "rather bloodcurdling".

A few weeks later, in early October 2001, at a secret meeting at Nato headquarters in Brussels, US officials drew up a list of "necessary measures to increase security", Cobain discloses. They included flights to and from secret prisons in Asia, Africa, and throughout Europe. "Quietly, Britain pledged logistics support for the rendition programme, which resulted in the CIA's Gulfstream V and other jets becoming frequent visitors to British airports en route to the agency's secret prisons," writes Cobain.
Over the next four years CIA rendition flights used British airports at least 210 times. The book reveals that Washington asked the UK for permission to build a large prison on Diego Garcia, the British territory in the Indian Ocean where the US has a large bomber base. The project was dropped, for logistical rather than legal reasons.
However, Diego Garcia was used as a stopover for CIA flights taking detainees to secret prisons around the world. And in secret memos, Labour ministers said in early 2002 that their "preferred option" was to render British nationals to Guantánamo Bay, Cobain records. MI5 and MI6 officers carried out around 100 interrogations at the US prison on Cuba between 2002 and 2004.
Yet for years ministers emphatically denied any British involvement in America's rendition programme. As late as December 2005, Jack Straw, then foreign secretary, was telling MPs there was "simply no truth in the claims that the United Kingdom has been involved in rendition". Just a year earlier, we now know, MI6 – under Straw's watch and with the blessing of ministers, officials say – helped to render two leading Libyan dissidents to Muammar Gaddafi's secret police.
Despite the post-9/11 Washington embassy and Nato meetings, and other evidence of their early involvement in rendition, MI5 and MI6 witnesses told the parliamentary intelligence and security committee (ISC) that it was some time before they knew what the US was up to. As late as July 2007, the misinformed ISC stated in a report on rendition that MI5 and MI6 "were … slow to detect the emerging pattern of renditions to detention".
Cobain's book, Cruel Britannia, says the British military operated a "torture centre" throughout the 1940s "in complete secrecy, in a row of Victorian villas in one of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in London". They also ran an "interrogation centre" near Hanover in Germany. Evidence from newly released records shows that British involvement in abuse was common earlier – in the colonies, later in Northern Ireland, and much more recently in Iraq.
The book reveals that Allen (who was later to develop a cosy relationship with Gaddafi's intelligence chiefs) expressed concern after the post-9/11 meeting in the UK embassy in Washington about what would happen once the Americans had "hammered the mercury in Afghanistan". Al-Qaida would simply scatter elsewhere, destabilising entire regions, Allen suggested. A CIA officer who was present at the embassy meeting remarked later that while the British appeared laid back, "it was clear they were worried, and not without reason".

Britain, Hungary seek more cybersecurity

Budapest, Hungary - Tough economic times are heightening the need for more and better international efforts to counter ever-rising cybercrime, Britain and Hungary said this week.

Official representatives of the two nations will be among the more than 600 participants attending this week's Budapest Conference on Cyberspace, which is attracting international business, government and organization leaders to brainstorm the potential and pitfalls of the world's reliance on the Internet.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague and his Hungarian counterpart Janos Martonyi said Tuesday they will be seeking to build on the agenda first discussed at last year's London Conference on Cyberspace.

That event focused on the Internet's growth and development, its social benefits and how to ensure safe and reliable access for all -- those topics will again be examined in Budapest.

Two other panels will again address cybercrime and international security, with latest emerging threats to be discussed.

Those threats must be urgently addressed as economically stressed Europeans increasingly turn to the Internet for the necessary functions of work and life, Hague and Martonyi wrote in a joint statement.

"Our meeting comes at crucial time," they said. "The global economic climate means we must work harder to maintain and enhance the benefits of the Internet for all.

"And as cybercrime increases, we must work together to address a threat that does not recognize national borders, is costing the world economy billions of Euros every year and the numbers and sophistication of cyberattacks on national infrastructures is rising all the time."

The security threat, they said, cannot be ignored, even though European governments also remain committed to "transparency, open information and the free exchange of ideas" in cyberspace.

"London was the start of a process. This week we take the next step," they said. "We hope (Budapest) will be a major milestone in building a broad, international consensus on the future of cyberspace."

There is consensus that cybercrime is major problem in Hungary. A 2010 study indicated that among the nations with the most online crime, it ranked 10th, the Hungarian news service MTI reported.

The country also was ranked ninth-worst in the world terms of data "phishing." Five percent of its websites were found to be engaging in the practice, in which sensitive data is illegally collected from viewers. That was up from 1 percent in 2008.

Budapest attendees will be identifying key emerging threats -- especially those posed to "regional and international organizations" -- as well as exchanging information on specific threats aimed at mobile Internet users.

That focus comes as a report indicated Hungarians who use their mobile phones to access the Internet are among the fastest-growing segments of cybercrime victims. The online security company Symantec said in February they are particularly at risk, with criminal attacks on mobile phones up 42 percent since 2009.

Another report found that worldwide, men 18-30 years old accessing the Internet through their mobile phones are particularly vulnerable, with four-out-of-five becoming cybercrime victims, the English-language Budapest Times reported.

Philip Hammond: British troops could withdraw from Afghanistan before 2014

British troops could pull out of Afghanistan sooner than expected, the Defence Secretary has indicated.

The speed at which the Armed Forces are leaving the country could increase next year as Afghan authorities take control of the fight against the Taliban.

Philip Hammond said military commanders had been surprised at the Afghans’ readiness to “take the lion’s share of the combat role” from British forces.

He insisted the UK would not be “spooked” by a growing number of “green on blue” attacks in which Afghan soldiers attack Nato colleagues, including five such deaths in recent months.

Shadow international development secretary Ivan Lewis told MPs yesterday that there had been 34 incidents involving coalition forces, causing 45 deaths.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening admitted it was “concerning” and last month, President Obama expressed concern over a string of killings by Afghan police or soldiers.

Mr Hammond also said Britain must accept that peace would only be achieved through “Northern Ireland-style” talks with the moderate element of the insurgency.

For the first time, he revealed the Army was taking a new approach to the timescale of the withdrawal as he visited British troops in Camp Bastion, Helmand.

"I think there is a bit of a rethinking going on about how many troops we do actually need,” he said, speaking in an interview with The Guardian.

“There may be some scope for a little bit more flexibility on the way we draw down, and that is something commanders on the ground are looking at very actively."

Mr Hammond did not indicate a revised timetable but said Britain’s departure from Afghanistan could be quickened rather than waiting until 2014. He suggested the change in thinking had occurred in the last six months.

"I think that the message I am getting clearly from the military is that it might be possible to draw down further troops in 2013," he said.

"Whereas six months ago the message coming from them was that we really need to hold on to everything we have got for as long as we possibly can. I think they are seeing potentially more flexibility in the situation.

"Talking to senior commanders you get a clear sense that their view of force levels is evolving in light of their experiences."

Under current plans, the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) will take over from the middle of next year with all International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) withdrawing by 2014.

Mr Hammond’s comments were made after the commander in charge of Helmand province told The Daily Telegraph there was no point in having soldiers “sitting around” if there was nothing to do before the end of 2014.

Last month, Brig Doug Chalmers said it was pointless to risk the lives of soldiers with nothing to achieve.

"We are not going to be here if we don't need to be here," Brig Chalmers said.

“It's an increasing handover of responsibility, getting us out of the conversation.”

The Defence Secretary said greater democracy was am ambition for Afghanistan but said it was not the final measure of success.

"The ultimate measure of success must be the extent to which we can leave Afghanistan in a state that will continue to deny its territory to international terrorists," he said.

"Even if we had achieved nothing lasting, every year that goes by keeping the bombers at bay, keeping them off our streets, is a significant achievement in itself. But we have clearly built the basics of a future that will deny the space of Afghanistan to those who would seek to harm us."

Last night, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said there had been no formal change of timetable but said the speed of the withdrawal was “variable”.

British soldier killed in Afghanistan

A British soldier was killed by a roadside bomb on Sunday in Afghanistan’s restive Helmand province, the Ministry of Defence in London said.
“It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must announce the death of a soldier from The Light Dragoons,” the MoD said in a statement.
The soldier was killed when the vehicle in which he was travelling struck an improvised explosive device in the Nahr-e Saraj district of the southern province of Helmand, the statement added.
No further details were given about the soldier’s identity.
The soldier’s death brought to 427 the number of British troops killed since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001. Of these, at least 387 have died as a result of hostile action.

Britain has around 9,500 troops in Afghanistan, making it the second-largest contributor to the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force after the United States.
They are based in central Helmand, battling Taliban insurgents and training local security forces. Britain intends to pull out all its combat troops by the end of 2014.

High Court rejects probe into Malayan Emergency 'massacre'

Campaigners calling for an official investigation into the alleged massacre of 24 Malaysian rubber plantation workers by British troops more than 60 years ago lost a High Court fight today.

relatives of victims challenged a Government decision not to hold an inquiry into the shootings at Batang Kali, Malaya, in December 1948.

Judge ruled against them following a hearing in London in May.

British troops were conducting operations against communist insurgents during the Malayan Emergency when the plantation workers were killed, judges heard.

Relatives described the alleged killings as a "a blot on British colonisation and decolonisation" and said there was enough evidence to justify an independent inquiry.

They asked judges to overturn the Government's refusal to hold a formal investigation.

Foreign Secretary William Hague and Defence Secretary Philip Hammond opposed the relatives' application, arguing that the decision not to hold any form of inquiry was reached lawfully.
Solicitor John Halford, who represents relatives, said after today's hearing: "We are appealing. As long as the injustice remains, the families will be pursuing legal action."
He called on ministers to "do the right thing" and "end the ongoing injustices at the heart of this case".
Judges concluded that decisions - taken by Mr Hague and Mr Hammond - not to set up an inquiry were "not unreasonable".
"In our judgment, the decisions of the secretaries of state were ones that took into account the relevant considerations and were not unreasonable," said Sir John Thomas, president of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court, who sat with Mr Justice Treacy.
"There are no grounds for disturbing their conclusion. In our judgment, they had regard to the relevant factors and weighed them carefully and reached a conclusion which it was plainly open to them to reach."
A relative of one victim said he was disappointed.
"I am disappointed with the finding that no inquiry is required," said Chong Koon Yin - whose father Chong Voon died - in a statement released by lawyers.
"The truth has not been fully revealed."

 

1,000 British Troops Are Expected To Be Investigated For War Crimes In Iraq

Hundreds of British troops to be questioned over 'weak' war crime allegations

Up to 1,000 British troops are expected to be investigated for crimes allegedly committed during the Iraq war, it can be revealed. 

Investigators with the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT) have already identified more than 100 serving and former members of the armed forces who they want to interview about the alleged torture of Iraqi civilians.

But the number under investigation is expected to rise rapidly over the next 12 months as IHAT detectives begin reviewing the evidence from two public inquiries into alleged war crimes.

One, the al-Sweady Inquiry into the so-called Battle of Danny Boy in 2004, has already identified more than 500 troops who will have to give evidence and who will also be interviewed by IHAT.

Members of the SAS, the SBS, interrogators from a unit called the Joint Support Group, medics, senior officers and hundreds of soldiers are expected to be questioned.

British lawyers acting for the Iraqis claim the abuse took place between 2003 and 2008, when many civilians were detained on suspicion of being in Shia militia groups.

The vast majority of the allegations are based on witness statements by Iraqis, most of whom are seeking financial compensation from Britain, say senior sources.

Only a few servicemen have been prosecuted so far, and only four have been jailed.
Lawyers acting for troops questioned by members of IHAT, however, say the evidence against them is “extremely weak”.
One lawyer said that his client, a member of the special forces, was accused of “inhumane and degrading treatment” of a detainee because the suspected gunman had not been allowed to eat for 24 hours.
The lawyer said: “During the time the offence was alleged to have taken place, the Iraqi had been in British custody for only four hours.
"It later transpired that he had been attacking British troops for at least 12 hours, which explained why he hadn’t eaten. Yet those facts hadn’t been considered.”
In another case, a British interrogator was alleged to have assaulted an Iraqi by “hitting him on the back of the head with a piece of rolled-up A4 paper”.
And in a third charge of assault, it has been alleged that two interrogators had brutalised a suspected Iraqi insurgent by making him conduct heavy exercise over several hours.
But video evidence, revealed the suspect was only out of the interview room for two-and-a-half minutes.
Simon Mckay, a criminal law and human rights expert, who has represented several soldiers accused of war crimes, questioned the motivation behind the charges.
He said: “I have to say that given the weakness of evidence in the cases in which I have been involved, it is doubtful that a similar approach would be taken against the clients if they were civilians, which raises questions about the motivation behind some of these accusations and whether the current approach is appropriate.”
One soldier who was accused of shooting dead an Iraqi civilian said his Army career was almost destroyed by a Royal Military Police investigation.
He said: “There was never any evidence against me. It was always a scam to try and get compensation and I became the victim, although for a long while I was treated as though I was a murderer.”
The main allegations centre on the killing of Baha Mousa, an Iraqi hotel worker who died in 2003 while in British custody; the Battle of Danny Boy, where it is alleged that British soldiers tortured and murdered Iraqi gunmen after a fire fight; and a series of interrogations by British troops at the Shaibah detention centre in Basra, southern Iraq.
One soldier has been jailed in relation to the death of Baha Mousa, at least 19 are to be investigated by IHAT, and of those three have been suspended from duty.
The allegations behind the al-Sweady inquiry, some of the most damaging to be made against UK troops, have been denied by the Army and the Ministry of Defence.
The cost of the inquiries is expected to reach £100m.

 

Chavez Warns London Against Assaulting Ecuadorian Embassy

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez threatened London with radical measures in case British authorities attempt to break into the Embassy of Ecuador to arrest WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Assange has been holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London for two months as he fights extradition to Sweden on sex crime charges, which he denies. Last Thursday Assange was granted asylum in Ecuador but he still faces arrest the minute he steps out of the embassy building.
“If Britain decides to violate the sovereignty of Ecuador, our response will be radical. We advise the British government to think well over this since the epoch, when empires did whatever they wanted to, is long over,” Chavez told a national television.

The Venezuelan leader did not specify the nature of the measures that would be taken in response, but said they were already being prepared.
The world's most famous whistleblower is suspected of sexual assault against two women that allegedly took place in August 2010. He claims the sex was consensual and the accusations against him are politically motivated.



Asian Defence News

Britain faces legal challenge over secret US 'kill list' in Afghanistan

Afghan man who lost relatives in missile strike says UK role in supplying information to US military may be unlawful
 Britain's role in supplying information to an American military "kill list" in Afghanistan is being subjected to legal challenge amid growing international concern over targeted strikes against suspected insurgents and drug traffickers.
An Afghan man who lost five relatives in a missile strike started proceedings against the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) and the Ministry of Defence demanding to know details of the UK's participation "in the compilation, review and execution of the list and what form it takes".
Legal letters sent to Soca and the MoD state the involvement of UK officials in these decisions "may give rise to criminal offences and thus be unlawful". They say Britain's contribution raises several concerns, particularly in cases where international humanitarian laws protecting civilians and non-combatants may have been broken.

"We need to know whether the rule of law is being followed and that safeguards are in place to prevent what could be clear breaches of international law," said Rosa Curling from the solicitors Leigh Day & Co. "We have a family here that is desperate to know what happened, and to ensure this kind of thing never happens again."
Targeting Taliban commanders in precision attacks has been an important part of Nato's strategy in Afghanistan, and it has involved US, British and Afghan special forces, and the use of drones.
But who is put on the "kill list" and why remains a closely guarded secret – and has become a huge concern for human rights groups. They have questioned the legality of such operations and said civilians are often killed.
Soca refused to discuss its intelligence work, but the agency and the MoD said they worked "strictly within the bounds of international law". Its role in the operation to compile a "kill list" was first explained in a report to the US Senate's committee on foreign relations.
The report described how a new task force targeting drug traffickers, insurgents and corrupt officials was being set up at Kandahar air field in southern Afghanistan. "The unit will link the US and British military with the DEA [Drug Enforcement Agency], Britain's Serious and Organised Crime Agency, and police and intelligence agencies from other countries." The 31-page report from 2009 acknowledged the precise rules of engagement were classified.
But it said two generals in Afghanistan had explained they "have been interpreted to allow them to put drug traffickers with proven links to insurgency on a kill list, called the joint integrated prioritised target list".
"The military places no restrictions on the use of force with these selected targets, which means they can be killed or captured on the battlefield," the Senate report said. "It does not, however, authorise targeted assassinations away from the battlefield. The generals said standards for getting on the list require two verifiable human sources and substantial additional evidence."
The legal challenge has been brought by an Afghan who believes his relatives were unlawfully killed in a case of mistaken identity during one "kill list" operation. A bank worker in Kabul, Habib Rahman lost two brothers, two uncles and his father-in-law in a US missile attack on their cars on 2 September 2010. They had been helping another member of the family who had been campaigning in Takhar province in northern Afghanistan in the runup to the country's parliamentary elections. In total, 10 Afghans were killed and several others injured.
Rahman says most of those who died were election workers. But the attack was praised by Nato's International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) which said the target had been a man in the convoy called Muhammad Amin. The US accused him of being a Taliban commander and member of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and said the people who had been travelling with him had been insurgents.
A detailed study of the incident by the research group Afghanistan Analysts Network contradicted the official account, saying Isaf had killed Zabet Amanullah. Amin was tracked down after the incident and is still alive, said the study's author, Kate Clark. "Even now, there does not seem to be any acknowledgment within the military that they may have got the wrong man," she said. "It is really very bizarre. They think Amin and Amanullah are one and the same."
Rahman's lawyers acknowledge they do not know whether information provided by Britain contributed to this attack, but hope the legal challenge will force officials to be more open about the British contribution to the "kill list".
The letters to Soca's director general, Trevor Pearce, and the defence secretary, Philip Hammond, point to the Geneva conventions, which say that persons taking no active part in hostilities are protected from "violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds".
They also draw on the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has said anyone accompanying an organised group who is not directly involved in hostilities "remains civilian assuming support functions".
The legal letters, the first step towards seeking judicial review, say "drug traffickers who merely support the insurgency financially could not legitimately be included in the list" under these principles. The lawyers believe that, even if Isaf had targeted the right man, it may have been unlawful for others to have been killed in the missile strike.
"The general practice of international forces in Afghanistan and the experience of our client suggest that proximity to a listed target is, on its own, sufficient for an individual to be considered a legitimate target for attack. Such a policy would be unlawful under the international humanitarian law principles," they say.
Curling said: "Ensuring the UK government and its agencies are operating within their legal obligations could not be more important. Our client's case suggests the establishment and maintenance of the 'killing list' is not in line with the UK's duties under international humanitarian law. Our client lost five of his relatives in an attack by the international military forces as a result of this list. It is important that the Ministry of Defence and Soca provide us with the reassurances sought."
Soca said: "Soca does not discuss intelligence. Soca works strictly within the bounds of international law.
"Our activity overseas is conducted in line with other UK government departments, which comply with the principles of international humanitarian law and human rights."
The MoD said: "As part of Isaf, UK forces operate alongside numerous partner nations in the fight against an insurgency that seeks to maim and kill both innocent Afghan civilians and allied forces alike. We continue to work towards a stable Afghanistan that can effectively manage its own security by the time our combat operations cease at the end of 2014.
"In doing so, UK forces operate strictly within the bounds of international law under rules of engagement which, for reasons of operational security, we do not discuss in detail."




Asian Defence News

British Soldiers Protecting The Olympics Must Sleep In A Sweltering, Cramped And Poorly-Lit Underground Car Park

Poor: These are the spartan sleeping conditions facing many of the British heroes helping provide security at the Olympics

 Grim: More than 2,000 soldiers guarding London venues are forced to share a sweltering, cramped and poorly-lit concrete bunker at a disused shopping centre at Tobacco Dock

• More than 2,000 soldiers guarding London venues are sharing a sweltering, cramped and poorly-lit concrete bunker at a disused shopping centre
• One soldier’s furious mother said the billets were ‘worse than Afghanistan’
•  

In a grimy underground car park, row upon row of camp beds are crammed together.
These are the spartan sleeping conditions facing many of the British heroes helping provide security at the Olympics.
More than 2,000 soldiers guarding London venues are forced to share a sweltering, cramped and poorly-lit concrete bunker at a disused shopping centre.
The stench from a row of overflowing portable lavatories wafts through Tobacco Dock, near Tower Bridge, which has green military cots spread along nearly every corridor as every available piece of space is used.
Local businesses and shops have stepped in to top up the soldiers’ Army rations – offering half-price pizzas and fast food.

The living conditions outraged relatives of personnel from the 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (1PWRR).

One soldier’s furious mother said the billets were ‘worse than Afghanistan’.
The Ministry of Defence said it was ‘working hard’ to make accommodation comfortable.
Many of the uniformed troops had their annual leave cancelled after returning home from six gruelling months on the front line in Afghanistan to cover for the troubled private security firm G4S.
Fiona Mason, 51, from Fair Oak, Hampshire, whose son Paul, 21, serves with 1PWRR – known as the Tigers – said: ‘It’s absolutely disgusting.  

 They were treated better in the desert.’ Simon Lynch-Garbett, 56, from Tenerife, whose son James, 28, was deployed to the Olympics, said: ‘They’ve spent months in Afghanistan fighting for our country and this is the way they’re being treated.
‘I understand they have got some free tickets but that’s only because the seats are empty.’
A soldier, who asked not to be identified, told the Mail: ‘Everyone’s feeling really miserable about it. Morale is really low.
‘We’re proud to be part of the Olympics but the conditions we are being asked to live in are grim.’
One military source said: ‘It’s nightmarishly hot in some of the rooms because they heat up all day and then are crammed full of the lads.
They’re bringing more and more men in and just lining up rows of camp beds anywhere they can find.
‘It really does stink in there when it’s hot. If the RSPCA found dogs being kept like that they’d take them away.’
Around 18,000 troops were drafted in at the last minute to provide security at the Games after G4S admitted it did not have the manpower to fulfil its Olympic contract.
Labour MP John Denham said: ‘When the troops were put on standby, we were told that this was part of a contingency plan being put in place. If it was a contingency plan you have got to ask what plans did they make to accommodate the soldiers?’
An MoD spokesman said: ‘The specific area shown in the photograph is underground; it is dry, lit, equipped with ablution facilities and has power and WiFi capability.
‘It compares very positively with the type of living arrangements soldiers will have experienced on overseas operations and on regular military exercises in the UK.’

Source

Israel warns of Iranian terrorists’ attack on London Olympics

 London—Israeli officials have warned that an Iranian terror squad in Europe may be planning to attack its athletes at the 2012 Olympic Games, sparking the largest security operation in peacetime Britain, British media reported on Sunday.

According to a report by the Sunday Times, more than 17,000 troops and 7,000 private security guards will secure the Olympic Park and 26 other venues, and an additional 12,500 police will be deployed to patrol London’s streets in a “series of ‘rings of steel.’”

The Sunday Times reports further that “panic rooms have been installed beneath the stadium as a haven for VIPs and spectators in the event of an attack.” MI5 and New Scotland Yard are reportedly thought to have raised their threat assessment in light of the terrorist attack in Bulgaria on Wednesday that killed 5 Israelis, the bus driver and a suicide bomber. In addition, the Sunday Times reports, the Israeli government has dispatched agents from the Shin Bet and Mossad to protect its 38-strong delegation.


The Mossad, says the Sunday Times, “is hunting a group of white Europeans who are thought to have converted to Islam and to be working with the Iranian Quds force and Hezbollah, backed by Tehran. “One of the Israelis’ targets is thought to be a terrorist carrying a US passport under the name of David Jefferson, who is believed to have fled after the Burgas attack” and “is thought to have another powerful device” like that used in last week’s bombing, said the report. According to the Sunday Times, “Security experts say the Quds force - a unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards - has recruited a number of white European Islamic converts, including two Germans, one from Sweden and a couple of Britons.” New York police believe Iranian Revolutionary Guards or their proxies have been involved so far this year in nine plots against Israeli or Jewish targets around the world, according to restricted police documents. —Online
Asian Defence News

British Helicopter Engineers Overcome the Heat in Afghanistan

As daytime temperatures soar towards 50 degrees Celsius in the shade in Afghanistan the heat is on for the engineers who keep the fleet of helicopters in the air.

The tri-Service Joint Aviation Group provides rotary wing support to British and coalition forces. At Camp Bastion in Helmand province RAF Chinook and Merlin crews operate alongside colleagues from the Army Air Corps and the Fleet Air Arm flying Apache, Lynx and Sea King helicopters.

For the ground crew who keep the aircraft serviceable the extreme heat of the summer months brings with it a unique set of engineering challenges.

The Merlin HC3 helicopters of 1419 Flight are being operated by 78 Squadron's A Flight from RAF Benson: "When we first came here last July and got off the aircraft at midnight it was like walking into an oven," said Senior Aircraftman Chris Bird. "I didn't expect it to be that hot in the middle of the night."

"The aircraft isn't specifically designed to operate in these extreme temperatures, which brings with it a whole host of engineering challenges which we don't see in the UK," said Flight Lieutenant Suzie Gray.

"For example the engines require cleaning regularly, which requires more manpower, and our other equipment can also overheat very quickly in the height of summer," continued the junior Engineering Officer.

"These helos were primarily designed for the North Sea environment and the vast amount of avionics equipment fitted does get to a phenomenal temperature out here," explained Corporal Stuart Robertson, an Avionics Technician.


"The Merlin is equipped with a complex avionics suite which generates a lot of heat when in use. Couple that with the extreme temperatures and dusty environment here and the kit gets very hot."

Sensible precautions are drilled into the RAF personnel who work through the day and night, whatever the conditions: "When an aircraft returns we have to wait for it to cool down" said Corporal Robertson.

"You take on plenty of water and keep an eye out for each other. If anyone looks like they're struggling you take them off the job immediately and take them to cool down."

"Most of our work is up around the gearbox and engines which run at temperatures of 150 degrees C plus," explained Corporal Tristan Gill.

"Even if you leave the engines for three hours they are still very warm. We therefore have to wear our sleeves down as a precaution, which in the temperatures out here can make you a tad warm.

"I normally have two guys working for me and I am therefore responsible for ensuring they take on water and do not stay in the sun too long," he added.

"Even in the hangar we have a break at least every 30 minutes which results in jobs taking twice as long to complete."

Whilst working out on the pan in the blazing sun wearing personal protective equipment is very uncomfortable, working in the cockpit where the heat is unable to escape is far worse:

"It's surreal that you have to put on more layers because of the heat," said Senior Aircraftman Bird. "The cockpit is like a greenhouse and it's not uncommon to see the pilots' temperature gauge off the 50 degrees C scale.

"When you kneel on top of the aircraft you can feel the heat through your overalls and so the trick I've learned is to tip a bottle of water over the airframe I'm working on. It evaporates instantly but it does make it slightly easier," he added.

For Flight Lieutenant Gray, who is experiencing her first HERRICK tour, the ground crew had exceeded expectations:

"The team have done absolutely brilliantly. We have some very senior guys here and have been able to deal with everything the environment has thrown at us.

"Because we've got a mixture of experience, the younger guys are mentored from day one, and as we work 12 hours on, 12 hours off, it only takes a matter of days to settle into a routine," she added.

But despite the harsh environment the RAF personnel do consider themselves to be in a fortunate position:

"The work's hard and just when you think things are going all right something else will happen," said Corporal Robertson.

"But it's satisfying to know we're making a difference and helping the troops on the front line, and we all appreciate that we're privileged to be here where we're not in any great danger."

"We're very linked in to our aircrew who tell us what they've been doing and so the engineers do get a sense of satisfaction from knowing their work is extremely valued," said Flight Lieutenant Gray.

Despite the workload 78 Squadron are finding time to raise money for charity. They have set themselves the target of travelling around the world in 60 days without the aid of transport. With an hour in the gym equating to one minute in each of 24 time zones, to accomplish their task the RAF team will need to spend a total of 1,440 hours working out.

British immigration laws spark Pakistan wedding boom

New British immigration laws have unleashed a stampede to wed and a frenzy of English lessons for Pakistanis desperate to migrate as new restrictions come into effect.
The boom was particularly marked in Mirpur, where Islamabad estimates 200,000 of Britain’s 1.2 million Pakistanis have their family origins.
Almost all the town’s 403,000 residents have relatives in the former colonial power, after a huge surge of migration from the area in the 1960s when a major dam was built, costing thousands of farmers their livelihoods.
At the time Britain needed more workers for its factories in the industrial cities of central and northern England, and granted immigration permits to many of them and their families.
Now with immigration an increasingly controversial issue in Britain, Mirpuris rushed to secure residency rights before the door was pushed tighter.
Wedding planners were rushed off their feet, English teachers overwhelmed and immigration consultants buried under mounds of paperwork as brides and grooms queued to file immigration papers by July 6, the last working day before the deadline.
Faisal Mehmood, a self-styled immigration consultant, said business was several times higher than the six to eight cases he normally processes a week.
“I consulted on and helped fill in immigration papers for 53 couples in the first week of July,” he told AFP in his office in Mirpur, the wealthiest town in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, 83 kilometres (50 miles) east of Islamabad.
From July 9, new restrictions made it impossible for anyone who earns less than £18,600 ($29,000) a year to move a foreign spouse to Britain, or less than £22,400 if that spouse has a child.
To acquire British nationality, foreign spouses now have to wait five rather than two years to test whether a relationship is genuine, must be proficient in English and once in Britain, pass a Life in the UK test.
For Britons of Pakistani descent, April is by tradition the peak month for holidays and weddings in their parents’ homeland, before the summer heat becomes unbearable for those accustomed to northern climes.
But wedding planners say they saw record business from Britons in June and the first week of July, with nuptials up 20 percent in Mirpur so far this year.
Arshad Hussein Shah, the manager of eight marriage halls, said his company organised weddings for 15 Britons from June 1 to July 6.
“There was a sudden surge because the UK government changed the immigration laws for spouses and everybody rushed to marry and file papers before the deadline,” he said.
It was a similar tale for Ali Raza, managing director of the UK College of English Language, who says 35 students enrolled in June — 50 percent more than usual.
“There were more girls than boys. Everybody wanted to complete a quick English course and obtain certificates to file immigration papers,” said Raza.
“Nobody was expecting this sudden implementation of the new laws. It created panic among the candidates,” he added.
Batool Bukhari, 25, married her cousin in April and raced through an English course as quickly as possible.
“I applied for immigration in the second week of June. I had to rush my application when I found out that the new laws are being implemented soon. It was very tense,” said Bukhari.
In Islamabad, the British High Commission said there had been a “significant increase” in the number of applications to join a spouse and live permanently in Britain ahead of the new rules coming into force.
The surge has caused delays in processing applications, the commission said, with some taking up to six months to be resolved.
For those who missed the deadline, the new rules mean new uncertainty.
Naeem Lodhi, 32, who has dreamt of moving to Britain since childhood, married on June 22 but was unable to file the necessary paperwork in time.
“My wife, who came here to marry me, is leaving for the UK in a month. I’m worried about my immigration because her salary is much lower than the amount required,” he said.
Similarly, a hairdresser in London who gave her name only as Irum married her cousin on July 1 after a seven-year engagement, but was depressed about their chances of married life in Britain.
“I don’t know when will I be able to live with my husband in the UK,” she said, adding she would have to find a better paid job.
“It may take weeks, months or years. I don’t know, I am really not sure about my future.