Tag: Ministry of Defence

More than 6,000 men and women of the United Kingdom’s Armed Forces will participate in the historic Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla next month.

In the largest military ceremonial operation for 70 years sailors, soldiers and aviators from across the UK and the breadth of the Commonwealth will take part in two magnificent processions accompanying Their Majesties to and from Westminster Abbey, where the Coronation Service takes place.

Later in the day, military personnel will conduct a breath-taking Coronation flypast of more than 60 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force flying over The Mall in Central London.

From military bases in all corners of the country and on His Majesty’s ships at sea, gun salutes will sound out to herald the moment when The King is crowned.

Across the coming weeks, Armed Forces personnel around the country will be busy rehearsing for their role in a display of pageantry, professionalism and pride to honour their new Commander-in-Chief, The King.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

I am incredibly proud of our brilliant military personnel who are preparing to honour centuries of military tradition by taking to the streets, skies and seas to pay tribute to our new King and Queen and mark the Coronation next month.

As they stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our Commonwealth friends and allies, I know the hard work of thousands of our servicemen and women during the past weeks and months will culminate in an incredible display that will amaze crowds at home and across the world.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

We can be enormously proud of the professionalism and precision of our Armed Forces as they honour His Majesty, their new Commander-in-Chief.

From the Procession on The Mall, to the flypast over London, with gun salutes at sea and across the country, it will be a spectacular and fitting tribute and a privilege to take part in for all those involved and watching from afar.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Chief of the Defence Staff, said:

The contribution of the Armed Forces to the Coronation symbolises unyielding service to King and Country. It reflects centuries of tradition, but is indicative of the integral role the Armed Forces play in modern Britain and the extraordinary ways we support the nation, whether deterring aggression and maintaining stability worldwide or strengthening our domestic resilience and prosperity.

The soldiers, sailors and aviators participating in the Coronation are privileged to be part of this historic ceremony and all it represents. Thousands more servicemen and women will be watching at home and overseas, and are justly proud to wear The King’s Uniform on this special day.

Nearly 400 Armed Forces personnel from at least 35 Commonwealth countries will also be on parade to mark the historic moment.

Coronation flypast

The final crescendo following a spectacular military procession will be a six-minute flypast through the skies of London.

As they soar over The Mall in formation, aircraft from all three services will be watched on by members of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team – the Red Arrows – will follow dozens of aircraft used by the Armed Forces on operations around the world. Featured amongst the aerial procession will be aircraft that have delivered support to Ukraine, policed NATO airspace, supported disaster relief, deterred drug trafficking and countered terrorism in the Middle East and Africa.

Included will be 16 helicopters, the historic Spitfires of the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the RAF’s brand-new P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, Joint RAF and RN crewed state-of-the art F-35B Lightning II jets and transport aircraft from the RAF’s Air Mobility Force. It will feature the first flypast involvement of the RAF’s new Envoy IV CC1 aircraft.

Coronation processions

Around 5,000 Armed Forces personnel will accompany their Sovereign from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey and back in two separate processions.

The first, The King’s Procession, is the smaller in scale of the two and will feature just under 200 members, centred around The Sovereign’s Escort of The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.

Travelling down The Mall to Trafalgar Square, where they’ll turn onto Whitehall before marching to Westminster Abbey, the Procession will cover 1.42 miles. Flanking them will be over 1,000 Forces route liners from all three services.

The Coronation Procession will follow the same route back to Buckingham Palace from Westminster Abbey. Featuring nearly 4,000 personnel, this major military ceremonial operation will be the largest of its kind for a generation.

The Coronation Procession will represent the diversity and traditions of the UK and Commonwealth Armed Forces. A full-spectrum display of unique and historic uniforms whose designs are in some cases hundreds of years old, flags from across the Commonwealth and 20 different bands – all marching in exact rhythm – will demonstrate the very best of the Armed Forces. They will guide Their Majesties back to Buckingham Palace, before conducting a Royal Salute.

The Royal British Legion will provide a Guard of Honour of 100 Standard Bearers to line the procession route in Parliament Square on the day of the Coronation. The charity’s participation is in line with its support at previous significant Royal events. The Standard Bearers will represent the RBL and seven other associated Armed Forces charities; The Royal Naval Association, Royal Marines Association, Army Benevolent Fund, Air Forces Association, Royal Commonwealth and Ex Services League, Merchant Navy Association and SSAFA, the Armed Forces Charity.

Gun salutes

In all corners of the Union, including at firing stations in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, gun salutes will sound at the moment of The King’s Coronation to celebrate the historic moment.

Featuring more than 400 personnel, across 13 locations and deployed Royal Navy ships, 21 rounds will fire to mark the Coronation with the exception of The Tower of London and Horse Guards Parade, where a 62 round salute and a six-gun salvo will fire respectively.

On the 35th anniversary, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, said:

Today, we mark the 35th Anniversary of the Anfal Campaign and honour the memory of those who were killed or affected during these tragic events.

Between 1986 and 1989, Saddam Hussein’s regime conducted a brutal, coordinated campaign against Kurdish and other minority groups in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This included Saddam Hussein’s abhorrent order to use chemical weapons against his own civilians, most infamously at Halabja.

The Anfal Campaign resulted in 4,000 Kurdish villages being destroyed and between 50,000-100,000 men, women and children being murdered or maimed, and forcibly displaced from their homes. We must never forget the inhumane nature of Saddam Hussein’s monstrous crimes.

My thoughts are with the families of those who were killed and the survivors who are still living with unimaginable, life-changing consequences.

The UK remains committed in its support for the peace, stability and prosperity of the people of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

The latest Operational Honours and Awards List has been announced recognising the bravery, commitment, and commendable service of Armed Forces personnel.

The recipients have all shown outstanding courage and dedication while on operations.

The full list is below:

Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

• Lieutenant Colonel (now Colonel) Oliver James STEAD, Army Air Corps
• Lieutenant Colonel Simon Paul WORTH, Royal Tank Regiment

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

• Lance Corporal (now Acting Corporal) Elizabeth DUGGLEBY-CANTRELL, Intelligence Corps
• Captain Darren JOHNSON, The Royal Dragoon Guards
• Staff Sergeant Jodi Marie JOHNSON, Intelligence Corps
• Major Mark Richard Hort PLAYER, The Royal Logistic Corps
• Major Lauren Frances SHEPHERD, The Royal Logistic Corps
• Acting Warrant Officer James William PUTLAND, Royal Air Force

King’s Commendation for Valuable Service (KCVS)

• Staff Sergeant (now Warrant Officer Class 2) Kenneth Robert COPELAND, Army Air Corps
• Major Stephanie Ann MANNING-DEGOBERTIERE, Royal Regiment of Artillery
• Captain Lucy Monica Manners POWELL, The Royal Logistic Corps
• Major Benjamin Andrew WHITE, Corps of Royal Engineers
• Private Harry James DEAR, The Royal Logistic Corps

King’s Commendation for Bravery (KCB)

• Lance Sergeant Robert John PADGHAM, Coldstream Guards

Foreign Awards List

The full list is below:

US LEGION OF MERIT (Degree of Officer)

• Commodore (now Rear Admiral) Edward Graham AHLGREN, OBE
• Brigadier Oliver Charles Christopher BROWN
• Brigadier (now Retired) Stephen John CARTWRIGHT, OBE

US BRONZE STAR MEDAL

• Major Marc Edward HUGHES, Royal Tank Regiment
• Warrant Officer Class 2, Nicholas Hywel PUGH, The Parachute Regiment
• Captain (now Major) Robert James SMITH, The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment
• Squadron Leader Robert James HURCOMB, Royal Air Force
• Squadron Leader Alan John SWAN, Royal Air Force

CANADIAN MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL

• Colonel (now Brigadier) Richard Frederick Lander Lyne

CANADIAN SPECIAL SERVICE MEDAL WITH “NATO” BAR

• Major Simon TUCKER, Royal Corps of Signals

CANADIAN SPECIAL SERVICE MEDAL WITH “Expedition” BAR

• Captain Thomas Oliver MILTON, Corps of Royal Engineers

Médaille DE LA DÉFENSE NATIONALE (ÉCHELON BRONZE)

• Major Samuel MORETON, Royal Marines
• Lieutenant (now Lieutenant Commander) Kristopher John STOREY, Royal Navy
• Lieutenant Commander David John THOMPSON, Royal Navy

Médaille d’outre-mer (SAHEL)

• Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Neale MASON, Royal Regiment of Artillery

• More than £650 million allocated to continue development of next generation fighter jet
• Programme to support thousands of jobs across the country as it expands with GCAP partners Japan and Italy
• UK focused on aircraft’s 2035 in-service date to ensure the UK Armed Forces remain a step ahead of adversaries

As part of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) – a trilateral collaboration with Japan and Italy to develop the next generation of fighter jet – the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded the major contract to BAE Systems on behalf of British defence firms; Leonardo UK, MBDA UK and Rolls-Royce, to progress the design and development of this aircraft. Tempest is the UK name for the aircraft in development under GCAP.

The contract will build on the ground-breaking science, research and engineering already completed. The UK MOD and our industry partners are working in close collaboration with GCAP partners Japan and Italy. Together, the partners will now progress the maturity of more than 60 cutting-edge technology demonstrations, digital concepts and new technologies.

These are critical to the UK’s sovereign defence capability and will help shape the final requirements with Japan and Italy for the combat air platform, due to enter service by 2035.

The aircraft is designed to be an innovative stealth fighter with supersonic capability and equipped with cutting edge technologies, including state-of-the-art sensing and protection capabilities. This will make the aircraft one of the world’s most advanced, interoperable, adaptable and connected fighter jets in service globally.

Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace said:

The next tranche of funding for future combat air will help fuse the combined technologies and expertise we have with our international partners – both in Europe and the Pacific – to deliver this world-leading fighter jet by 2035, protecting our skies for decades to come.

This investment forms part of more than £2 billion worth of UK Government spending on the project up to May 2025, announced in the 2021 Defence Command Paper.

Delivering on the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy, creating better-paid jobs and opportunity right across the UK, GCAP will span several decades, creating thousands of jobs and economic value to the UK. There are already more than 2,800 people working at the UK partners and wider industry, with almost 600 organisations on contract across the UK, including SMEs and academic institutions.

A 2021 report by PWC suggested the UK taking a core role in a combat air system could support an average of 21,000 jobs a year and contribute an estimated £26.2 billion to the economy by 2050.

Across UK industry, work on this programme is driving investment in new digital technologies, tools and techniques, including model-based systems engineering with open architectures, digital twins and virtual environments. This will ensure the next generation combat aircraft will be delivered more rapidly and more cost-effectively than previous combat air programmes.

Herman Claesen, Managing Director, Future Combat Air Systems – BAE Systems Air, said:

This contract reflects the continued commitment by the UK Government and ensures we continue to mature this significant programme and the vital technology pipeline that will drive innovation into – and beyond – the combat air sector for decades to come.

This important work is at the core of the newly created Global Combat Air Programme; a major international partnership and ambitious endeavour between the UK, Japan and Italy with the shared goal to deliver the next generation of combat air fighter jets by 2035.

The announcement follows the UK, Japan and Italy joining forces at DSEI Japan to showcase GCAP publicly for the first time since it was announced by the Prime Ministers of the UK, Japan and Italy late last year. In March, the Defence Secretary visited Tokyo to view some of the leading technology that is driving this unique programme.

By combining forces, the UK and our partners will deliver the military capability we need to overcome fast evolving threats, share costs and ensure the RAF remains interoperable with some of our closest partners.

The ten Chiefs of Defence from the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) nations met in Helsinki today (12 April), hosted by Finland’s Chiefs of Defence, General Timo Kivinen. UK Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin attended the meeting.

The Chiefs of Defence discussed Baltic Sea and the High North security, the future development of the joint force and the groups’ commitment to wider regional stability.

The JEF is a group of like-minded, northern European nations: the UK, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

The Chiefs agreed to continue the enhanced programme of JEF exercises and activities in the High North, Baltic Sea and North Atlantic region. Recently, forces from JEF nations have taken part in operations and exercises together, including in the Baltic Sea and Exercise Joint Viking in the arctic circle in Norway.

UK Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said:

The past year has demonstrated that the security of Europe can never be taken for granted, but it was also the year when the Joint Expeditionary Force came of age. While President Putin has sought to divide, this ten nation partnership is another example of just how strong and united we have become.

It was therefore excellent to meet with my counterparts in Helsinki for the first time since Finland joined NATO.  We discussed how the JEF can continue to complement NATO through its focus on the security of the North Atlantic, High North and Baltic Sea, and we considered how we may better coordinate future exercises and operations”.

Finland Chief of Defence General Timo Kivinen said:

JEF’s agile way of planning and operating enhances security in Northern Europe. JEF’s combined capacity and capability is a clear sign of how we stand together, providing reassurance to our populations and deterrence to any would-be adversaries.

In the last year, the JEF has also deployed forces and provided defensive assurances to Finland and Sweden during their accession to NATO. The Chiefs welcomed the news of Finland’s accession to the Alliance last week and committed steadfast support to Sweden becoming full members of NATO. The JEF continues to play an active role in promoting regional security, complementary to NATO’s defence and deterrence posture and international partnerships.

Recent developments in Ukraine and the continued support to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity was also discussed. JEF member nations have made significant commitments and provisions of aid to Ukraine in the last year. Seven JEF partner nations are supporting the training of Ukrainian volunteers in the UK – Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and the UK.

JEF Defence Ministers are expected to meet in Amsterdam, Netherlands in June 2023, where work is expected to be progressed further.

Established in 2020, the National Cyber Force (NCF) is a partnership between GCHQ and the Ministry of Defence which carries out cyber operations on a daily basis to protect against threats to the UK, further the UK’s foreign policy, support military operations, and prevent serious crime.

Following the publication of the Government’s Integrated Review Refresh (IRR) last month, the publication of a new document titled ‘NCF: Responsible Cyber Power in Practice’ today delivers on the commitment in the IRR to be as transparent as possible about the NCF’s cyber capabilities and provide clarity on how the UK acts as a responsible and democratic cyber power.

The UK is reiterating its commitment to international stability and security, and illustrating how states can act responsibly in cyberspace through demonstrating how the NCF’s operations are accountable, precise and calibrated. This contrasts with the reckless and indiscriminate activities of those who would do harm to the UK and its allies.

All of the NCF’s operations are conducted in a legal and ethical manner, in line with domestic and international law and our national values. The operations are based on a deep understanding of the cyber environment, which enables NCF to design, time and target them with precision.

Central to the NCF’s approach is the ‘doctrine of cognitive effect’ – using techniques that have the potential to sow distrust, decrease morale, and weaken our adversaries’ abilities to plan and conduct their activities effectively. This can include preventing terrorist groups from publishing pieces of extremist media online or making it harder for states to use the internet to spread disinformation by affecting their perception of the operating environment.

The NCF’s work is covert and we therefore do not reveal details of individual operations. Indeed the intent is sometimes that adversaries do not realise that the effects they are experiencing are the result of a cyber operation. This ambiguity can help to amplify the cognitive effect.

Despite the necessary level of secrecy, in line with our commitment to being a responsible cyber actor, we have disclosed that over the last three years the NCF has delivered operations to:

• protect military deployments overseas;
• disrupt terrorist groups;
• counter sophisticated, stealthy and continuous cyber threats;
• counter state disinformation campaigns;
• reduce the threat of external interference in democratic elections; and
• remove child sexual abuse material from public spaces online.

Through ‘NCF: Responsible Cyber Power in Practice’, the UK is reiterating its commitment to international stability and security, and illustrating how states can act responsibly in cyberspace, in line with domestic and international law.

Director GCHQ, Sir Jeremy Fleming, said:

In an increasingly volatile and interconnected world, to be a truly responsible cyber power, nations must be able to contest and compete with adversaries in cyberspace. In the UK, the National Cyber Force complements the UK’s world class cyber resilience to give the country operational cyber capabilities at the scale needed to protect our free, open, and peaceful society.

Building upon two decades of experience, the dynamic new partnership has countered state threats, made key contributions to military operations, and disrupted terrorist cells and serious criminals including child sex offenders.

With the threat growing and the stakes higher than ever before, we hope this document provides a benchmark for the UK’s approach and a basis for like-minded governments to come together internationally to establish a shared vision and values for the responsible use of cyber operations.

General Sir Jim Hockenhull, Commander of Strategic Command, said:

The National Cyber Force is a crucial tool in our integrated approach to national security and our defence of the UK.

Working across Government and with our international allies is vital. There is a power in partnerships, and we must go further to out-cooperate and out-compete states that are driving instability.

The NCF is also today avowing its Commander for the first time, as part of the Government’s commitment to provide transparency about how the UK conducts responsible cyber operations.

James Babbage, a GCHQ intelligence officer for nearly 30 years, has led the NCF since its inception in 2020, scaled its operations and led efforts to integrate it effectively with a broad range of other agencies and partners.

He has spent most of his career at GCHQ, with a secondment to the Ministry of Defence and a tour as a liaison officer in the US.