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British helicopters for Afghanistan 'not fit for use': report
Relevance Score: 5.300 2009-08-05 11:59:14
British military helicopters set to be deployed to Afghanistan were not properly equipped to fly combat missions, a newspaper said Tuesday, fuelling a row over adequate resources for troops. The helicopters were not fitted with special armour, leaving them vulnerable to attack by Taliban extremists while transporting troops, the Daily Telegraph newspaper said, citing unnamed Royal Air Force sources. The Ministry of Defence rejected the report, saying the six aircraft set to be deployed by the end of the year were "fit for operational use." "Our Merlin Mk3 helicopters have ballistic protection as standard, and are being fitted with a range of modifications to make them fit for operational use," a spokesman said. The newspaper said pilots wanted the helicopters fitted with Kevlar armour, which would cost about 100,000 pounds (117,000 euros, 169,000 dollars) for each aircraft, to protect them from bullets and rocket-propelled grenades. Claims of a shortage of helicopters have been at the centre of a political row over adequate equipment for the armed forces amid a surge in the British death toll in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been forced to defend the government's strategy in Afghanistan amid ongoing questions about Britain's involvement in the conflict. British forces have suffered their highest casualty rate since the US-led invasion of the country in late 2001. Twenty-two soldiers were killed in July fighting Taliban insurgents in southern Helmand province, as British troops waged the attack phase of an offensive, beating back the extremists ahead of elections on August 20. The row has been deepened by a legal battle by the government to cut the compensation awarded to two injured soldiers. A British soldier also faced court-martial Monday for refusing to return to Afghanistan as the armed forces minister insisted that the fight against the Taliban was improving Afghan lives.
British helicopters for Afghanistan 'not fit for use': report
Relevance Score: 5.281 2009-08-05 11:59:14
British military helicopters set to be deployed to Afghanistan were not properly equipped to fly combat missions, a newspaper said Tuesday, fuelling a row over adequate resources for troops. The helicopters were not fitted with special armour, leaving them vulnerable to attack by Taliban extremists while transporting troops, the Daily Telegraph newspaper said, citing unnamed Royal Air Force sources. The Ministry of Defence rejected the report, saying the six aircraft set to be deployed by the end of the year were "fit for operational use." "Our Merlin Mk3 helicopters have ballistic protection as standard, and are being fitted with a range of modifications to make them fit for operational use," a spokesman said. The newspaper said pilots wanted the helicopters fitted with Kevlar armour, which would cost about 100,000 pounds (117,000 euros, 169,000 dollars) for each aircraft, to protect them from bullets and rocket-propelled grenades. Claims of a shortage of helicopters have been at the centre of a political row over adequate equipment for the armed forces amid a surge in the British death toll in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been forced to defend the government's strategy in Afghanistan amid ongoing questions about Britain's involvement in the conflict. British forces have suffered their highest casualty rate since the US-led invasion of the country in late 2001. Twenty-two soldiers were killed in July fighting Taliban insurgents in southern Helmand province, as British troops waged the attack phase of an offensive, beating back the extremists ahead of elections on August 20. The row has been deepened by a legal battle by the government to cut the compensation awarded to two injured soldiers. A British soldier also faced court-martial Monday for refusing to return to Afghanistan as the armed forces minister insisted that the fight against the Taliban was improving Afghan lives.
SatComms for Soldiers
Relevance Score: 4.210 2009-07-26 20:37:18
Have been out with British forces in the area of Sangin in northern Helmand Province. This area appears to be turning into the main effort of the current fight in Afghanistan, but this is unclear to me at the moment. I do know that air assets are heavy. During our mission yesterday, a B-1 could be seen overhead, though it was miles high. On the ground, this place is loaded with IEDs and there were many firefights during yesterday’s mission. My section of eight soldiers did not fire a single round; we did not come into direct contact, though bullets sometimes zipped overhead. Nearly all missions are conducted on foot and the soldiers like it that way. I am with the British battalion called 2 Rifles. The last mission I did with 2 Rifles was in Iraq, and they killed maybe 26-27 JAM members during that fight. Yesterday they only killed two Taliban (Predator actually made the shot), but the mission was well run, and morale here is very high. Everybody is ready to roll again and missions are near continuous. I’ll ask British commanders to let me stay, though that might not be necessary because there are so few helicopters. More likely I am stuck here. FOB Jackson is probably going to be my Hotel California, but that’s all good because these are great soldiers, in the thick of it, and I want to stay. More broadly speaking, our forces are spread to the high winds across desolate stretches of Afghanistan, sometimes in tiny “bases” with as few as a half-dozen soldiers. Last December, I spent some time with a group of such soldiers in Zabul Province, but hardly wrote a word about them, yet. They were deep in wild country and it took two days for us to drive out to a paved road. Those soldiers had no access to Internet, and said that on one occasion they didn’t even get mail for three months. Until December, I used a satellite antenna called a “Regional BGAN” (R-BGAN) HNS-9101 to transmit dispatches from remote areas. These small, portable systems are expensive; during a fifteen-day period last year, I spent almost exactly $5,000. (Prices based on bandwidth usage.) During late 2008, when I saw the group of a half-dozen American soldiers, out there in the boondocks, two days from a road and once going three months without mail, I told Mrs. Frankie Mayo, who runs Operation AC. Frankie and Operation AC had sent loads of gear to Iraq, including air conditioners and generators. When I told Frankie about the isolated soldiers, she got to work with Hughes to send R-BGANs to Afghanistan. Lucky for me, with the old R-BGAN no longer usable, Hughes, through Frankie, shipped a newer model, the Hughes 9201 BGAN Inmarsat Terminal. Many of this year’s dispatches will come through the 9201. Without such a terminal, large numbers of Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors will be without regular communications for much or most of their time in Afghanistan. The infrastructure is Spartan to non-existent. Life here is tougher than it was in Iraq, and the fighting will be tougher still. Yes, there are the gigantic bases-as in Iraq-where everything is available, but little of the war is being fought from the larger bases. Extended battlefield journalism from Afghanistan is relatively non-existent. Broadly speaking, folks at home will not know how their loved ones are doing unless they can communicate directly. To learn more about the effort to send satellite communications gear to troops downrange, please see Operation AC.
Killed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan.
Relevance Score: 4.108 2009-07-07 00:18:34
AFGHANISTAN: Insurgent attacks killed three British soldiers during the weekend in the southern Afghanistan region where thousands of U.S. Marines pushed forward with the American troops biggest anti-Taliban campaign since the hard-line Islamist regime was toppled. Roadside bombs killed two of the soldiers and a rocket-propelled grenade killed another one. IRAQ: Enemies attacked police patrols in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Sunday, killing a police officer with a grenade and injuring 14 people in a car bomb blast, authorities informed. Separately, bombs in Baqouba, northeast of Baghdad, killed one civilian and injured 14, police said. PAKISTAN: Pakistani fighter jets targeted suspected Taliban hideouts in a tribal region near Afghanistan on Sunday, killing as many as six people, intelligence officials informed. Elsewhere in the northwest, two bomb explosions killed two people and wounded 15 more in Upper Dir district at the edge of Swat Valley where Pakistan army informes it is wrapping up a two-month-old offensive against Taliban militants.
UK troops to get new body armour
Relevance Score: 3.817 2009-07-09 11:29:57
The British armed forces are to get new body armour and helmets this autumn. More than 10,000 enhanced Mark 7 helmets and the new Osprey Assault body armour have been ordered. The MoD says the new body armour has "all the stopping power of the kit it is replacing, but is lighter, closer fitting and easier to move in". It is hoped the new lighter Osprey Assault will go some way to answering soldiers complaints about heavy or ill fitting armour. The new armour and helmet were unveiled at the MoD's DVD 2009 event at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire. The new helmet will eventually replace the existing Mark. It comes with a new four-point harness to keep the helmet more stable when night vision equipment is fitted to it. It also has a new gap above the eye to compensate for the helmet tilting forward when a soldier goes into the prone position before firing, and there are plans to fit it with mounting brackets. While the ballistic protection of the Osprey Assault is the same as its predecessor, the Osprey, the MoD says the overall fit has been tailored to the needs of dismounted troops, particularly those in Afghanistan. British forces in Iraq were predominantly vehicle based, but in Afghanistan the terrain and conditions means that foot patrols are far more common. Quentin Davies MP, Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, discusses the new Osprey Assault body armour. Speaking at the launch of the kit, the MoD's chief of defence materiel, General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue, said Osprey was a "proven world class system" and the new body armour order would ensure troops would "get the best kit for the job they are doing". "Troops will be issued with a new ballistic plate that is much thinner, reducing their bulk and burden and improving their endurance," he said. Current Army directives state that all soldiers must wear the latest Osprey body armour and Mark 6 Alpha helmets in any combat situation. However, there have been a number of deaths due to troops either removing kit or wearing inappropriate gear.
Bundeswehr Inspector General: German Troopies an "Embarassment"
Relevance Score: 3.560 2009-06-17 10:33:12
From the horse's mouth, so they say, German soldiers "are softies who lack discipline, hate responsibility and show an inadequate desire to serve their country." General Wolfgang Schneiderhahn, the general inspector of the Bundeswehr, told the German parliament that depite their positive contribution in Afghanistan, complaints from troops about their conditions were an "embarrassment". "We have given a good account of ourselves in Afghanistan, but we cannot guarantee an all-round feel-good feeling for soldiers," said the general, before going on to detail the less dignified side of the country's armed forces. He cited complaints reaching him about the quality of sleeping bags used in a deployment in the Congo. "Are our soldiers too soft?" asked the best-selling daily German newspaper Bild. Gen Schneiderhahn told politicians in Berlin on Monday that the descendants of the country's mighty military machines of the past needed to have "a better feeling for discipline and to show a greater readiness to serve the state". Interesting devolution, from what was once the most feared military machine in the world to nothing more than a glorified gendarmerie. In fairness to our Kraut allies, this is largely a political problem, in that the Germans are -understandably, given their history- reluctant to use military force outside their borders. Remember that up until 1994, the Bundeswehr was restricted to border defense only. Here, war might be the answer. There's nothing more demoralizing to a combat unit than to be demoted to occupational force (the German army mainly does peacekeeping and reconstruction). Allowing the Germans to fight in Afghanistan, alongside their British, Dutch, American, and Canadian allies, could jumpstart their inner warriors -- and hopefully give them more important to worry about than sleeping bags.
Supacat bids for new U.K. combat vehicle
Relevance Score: 3.553 2010-01-25 12:15:31
Supacat is gearing up to supply British forces fighting in Afghanistan with a new generation of light protected patrol vehicles. Unveiled by the company earlier this week, Supacat has delivered the SPV400 to the British Defense Ministry for detailed testing alongside machines from two other suppliers in hopes of replacing the Snatch Land Rover with a better protected vehicle. The SPV Series is the next generation design from Supacat, intended to boost what the company calls its successful range of "high-mobility vehicles." These include the Jackal and Coyote, which are currently being used by British forces deployed in Afghanistan. The protection system has been developed with NP Aerospace and the system features mine blast seats and configurable ballistic armor to meet specific operational threats. The SPV400 prototype is competing against the new Ocelot vehicle design from Force Protection Europe and Ricardo Specialist Vehicles. Another team short-listed by the Ministry of Defense for the trials failed to provide vehicles after prime contractor Babcock withdrew at the last moment, according to reports.
Bundeswehr Inspector General: German Troopies an "Embarassment"
Relevance Score: 3.528 2009-06-17 10:33:12
From the horse's mouth, so they say, German soldiers "are softies who lack discipline, hate responsibility and show an inadequate desire to serve their country." General Wolfgang Schneiderhahn, the general inspector of the Bundeswehr, told the German parliament that depite their positive contribution in Afghanistan, complaints from troops about their conditions were an "embarrassment". "We have given a good account of ourselves in Afghanistan, but we cannot guarantee an all-round feel-good feeling for soldiers," said the general, before going on to detail the less dignified side of the country's armed forces. He cited complaints reaching him about the quality of sleeping bags used in a deployment in the Congo. "Are our soldiers too soft?" asked the best-selling daily German newspaper Bild. Gen Schneiderhahn told politicians in Berlin on Monday that the descendants of the country's mighty military machines of the past needed to have "a better feeling for discipline and to show a greater readiness to serve the state". Interesting devolution, from what was once the most feared military machine in the world to nothing more than a glorified gendarmerie. In fairness to our Kraut allies, this is largely a political problem, in that the Germans are -understandably, given their history- reluctant to use military force outside their borders. Remember that up until 1994, the Bundeswehr was restricted to border defense only. Here, war might be the answer. There's nothing more demoralizing to a combat unit than to be demoted to occupational force (the German army mainly does peacekeeping and reconstruction). Allowing the Germans to fight in Afghanistan, alongside their British, Dutch, American, and Canadian allies, could jumpstart their inner warriors -- and hopefully give them more important to worry about than sleeping bags.
US soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq offered Internet service
Relevance Score: 3.527 2010-02-07 13:11:40
Soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq are being offered an Internet service primarily aimed at companies in Asia. The new service offers high-speed Internet access with out the need for phone lines, cable or dial-up modem. TS2 Satellite Technologies company is using satellites to power their Internet service. For soldiers deployed to the war zones this service can allow for communications back home. Many of the soldiers arrive in Afghanistan and Iraq with their own lap top hoping to stay in contact with loved ones. The troops can connect with the service when they are in their barracks. Not everyone though in the service is just using the Internet to stay close with family some are using it to blog and stay in touch with their business associates in the US. Having that connect with family and those at home have upped the morale of the troops.
Kentucky Guard Team Heading To Afghanistan.
Relevance Score: 3.328 2009-07-10 22:09:46
Lots of Kentucky National Guard personnel are going to Afghanistan, but in a non-combat capacity. Public Affairs Officer First Lieutenant Stephen Martin says the group will help Afghans boost their local agricultural economies. “The Agribusiness Development Team is a team of soldiers and airmen, 64 soldiers and airmen, who are going to Afghanistan as part of a unique mission for helping develop the agricultural industry over there, to help build up the economy,” Martin said. He says team members have a variety of skills and backgrounds in agricultural matters. The group will be send to Afghanistan after several weeks of mobilization training at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. This mission will last one year.