ICSC(L)7B Media

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Women pilots were not just a flight of fancy

Lt-Cdr Sarah West is poised to become the first woman warship commander in the Navy’s 500-year history. Lt-Cdr Sarah West, is poised to take control of HMS Portland. She will become the first woman warship commander in the Navy’s 500-year history, although a succession of infamous female pirates, such as Lady Killigrew and Grace O’Malley, have demonstrated an equally long tradition of women making gifted seafarers and strategists. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8691367/Women-pilots-were-not-just-a-flight-of-fancy.html

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What the Great War teaches us about military budgets

As defence budgets are scrutinised for further cuts, the role the Allies’ firepower played in winning the First World War holds a crucial lesson for governments today. ...But one lesson stands out to me at this juncture when, once again, big cuts are being proposed to our defence budgets – when it comes to planning military force now and in the future, there can be no substitute for firepower, because this is what matters most in any conflict. Concepts of flexibility and manoeuvrability are sensible notions, but won’t help our forces win unless they have the necessary kinetic resources at their disposal. This was Lord Alanbrooke’s own conclusions from the Great War. He was a gunner and wrote prophetically in the 1920s of the dangers of policy-makers in peacetime underestimating the importance of this vital ingredient in military capability. We may be about to re-learn this lesson yet again. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/britainatwar/8686373/What-the-Great-War-teaches-us-about-military-budgets.html

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Rockhopper rises on profitable Falklands oil hope

Shares in Rockhopper Exploration soared more than 35pc after the company confirmed it would be profitable to produce oil from its discovery in the Falklands. Rockhopper said the Sea Lion well extends to the west of its original discovery but it has not tested the flow of oil. Analysts think the reservoir may contain 200m to 250m barrels of oil, but no guidance has been given by the company yet. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/8691277/Rockhopper-rises-on-profitable-Falklands-oil-hope.html

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UK Forces Afghanistan Blog

A blog run by the Joint Media Operations Centre in Camp Bastion, Helmand Province. The aim is to support the coalition forces throughout Afghanistan, together with the other government departments such as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development.

http://ukforcesafghanistan.wordpress.com/

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COIN Common Sense

COIN Common Sense is a monthly newsletter designed to spark discussions and enhance mindfulness of COIN principles and practices.

http://www.isaf.nato.int/images/stories/File/COIN/coin-207.pdf

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MoD spends £1.3M a month to house Libya forces

LONDON, Aug 7 (KUNA) -- The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is spending 1.3 million pounds a month on accommodation for personnel stationed in Italy while they carry out air strikes on Libya, official figures disclosed Sunday. About 1,000 members of British forces - largely RAF pilots and support crews - are currently deployed to four different parts of Italy as part of the Nato campaign against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime. http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2183853&Language=en

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Liam Fox forced into U-turn over legal spat with US multinational 3M

Ploughshare Innovations, the MoD's civilian research arm, and Porton are suing 3M for up to £41m in damages, claiming that the US group failed to "diligently" develop their BacLite testing technology, which they sold to the technology company in 2007. BacLite uses a type of fluorescent light to detect the presence of the hospital bug MRSA within hours, rather than the days using conventional methods. Lawyers for 3M, which is suing Boulter and Porton for blackmail, are likely to force Fox to give evidence in the trial in the US. The "unprecedented" legal action could make Fox the first serving British cabinet member to give evidence in a serious lawsuit in America. http://m.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/aug/07/liam-fox-porton-capital?cat=business&type=article

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Taliban 'don't want to know' in Warthog fight

British forces have brought a new weapon to bear against the Taliban who “simply don’t want to know” when it arrives on the battlefield, commanders have said. The Warthog is unique in that it is the first armoured vehicle to be built for a Western army by an Asian company. Singapore based ST Kinetics won a £150 million contract for 115 vehicles as the MoD looked for a robust all-terrain vehicle. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8681903/Taliban-dont-want-to-know-in-Warthog-fight.html

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British troops 'could spend year in Afghanistan'

Key UK British military units serving in Afghanistan could see the length of their tours doubled to 12 months, according to Britain’s commander in the Helmand war zone. Brigadier Ed Davis said the change may be needed to put an end to the “constant churn” of personnel and provide continuity. The continuing Taliban threat showed the need for deployments longer than the usual six months, especially for British units involved in “mentoring” Afghan forces, said Brigadier Davis, of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, who is the commander of Task Force Helmand. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8674166/British-troops-could-spend-year-in-Afghanistan.html

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Navy commander jailed for boarding school fraud

Royal Navy commander Anthony Gray was jailed for six months today after being found guilty at a court martial of nine charges of dishonestly claiming £53,000 in allowances to send his two children to an exclusive boarding school. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8684032/Navy-commander-jailed-for-boarding-school-fraud.html

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Taliban helicopter attack kills 31 US special forces troops

A Nato Chinook helicopter has been shot down by Taliban insurgents, killing 31 American special forces soldiers in one of the worst single incidents in Afghanistan. The aircraft was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashed in the Tangi valley of Wardak province, west of the Afghan capital, Kabul. A condolence statement from Hamid Karzai said 31 Americans had been killed and seven Afghans, making it the bloodiest incident for the United States and the coalition in the decade-long campaign. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8685756/Taliban-helicopter-attack-kills-31-US-special-forces-troops.html

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S&P downgrades U.S. credit rating for first time

Standard & Poor’s announced Friday night that it has downgraded the U.S. credit rating for the first time, dealing a symbolic blow to the world’s economic superpower in what was a sharply worded critique of the American political system. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sandp-considering-first-downgrade-of-us-credit-rating/2011/08/05/gIQAqKeIxI_print.html

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An American context for UK defence cuts

...The major weakness is the falling size of the regular army: cut to 84,00 by 2020, off-set by huge increases in the reserves. Substantial deployments will be more difficult to make in future, but what is the likelihood of our needing to do so? ...Britain’s future strategy appears to rely on maintaining technical superiority to ensure constant tactical advantage. To that end, the MoD has obtained a funding settlement from the Treasury post-2015, which is to be spent on equipment improvements and closing the black hole left by previous administrations, which apparently now exceeds £43 billion. http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/7143613/an-american-context-for-uk-defence-cuts.thtml

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World War 2 maps

http://www.dean.usma.edu/history/Atlases/WorldWarTwoEurope/WWII_Europe.html

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Apple now holds more cash than US government

Apple is now more cash-rich than the United States government, figures from the US Treasury department show. The figures, released by the US Treasury department this week, show the country currently has a total operating cash balance of $73.7bn (£44.85bn). This compares with Apple’s $76.4bn of cash reserves, which it has built up during a phenomenal half-decade of strong sales. America's cash balance last closed below Apple's levels on July 14, at $42.8bn, with balances fluctuating regularly throughout the month. Last year, the US government had a cash deficit of $1.294 trillion. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8671523/Apple-now-holds-more-cash-than-US-government.html

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UK's first Stealth fighter in successful catapult test Royal Navy version of the F-35 shot into sky http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/07/28/f35c_cat_test_shot/

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National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies 2010 edition

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/nationalriskregister-2010.pdf