I had a negative backlash to a proposed reform to the Georgian military, and I was more polite to my antagonists than they deserved, with hindsight. I caused so much consternation and anger by suggesting that a) the Georgian Reserve service needs to be revamped and reorganised and b) the 2008 conflict with Russia was, in fact, a winnable war. Rather than read my comments closely and respond with measured argument, I received a stream of abuse from angry Georgians who didn’t really know what they were talking about, but decided to comment on it anyway because I was a foreigner criticising something about Georgia.

I recently commented on a news article on the Georgian Journal website wherein their resident military specialist (Irakli something-or-other) was talking about the need to reorganise Georgia’s Reserve forces. Hear hear, thought I, this is what we need, but then I read his article and realised his ideas were hardly revolutionary, and were in fact just simple improvements on the existing system of conscription and a less than efficient Reserve.

I stand by what I said last year. The Georgian Reserve service needs to be totally abolished, and replaced with professional part-timers who train one weekend a month and one weeknight per week. Reserve soldiers need to be present in every Corps (ie. Engineers, Logistics, Signals etc.) and not just emergency conscript truck-borne infantry. They must be able to reinforce and integrate with Regular soldiers easily, so their training must reflect that of their regular counterparts. That, more or less, is the British system, and a damned effective one it is, too. The point is, I don’t see why we couldn’t introduce the same thing in Georgia; I honestly can’t think of a single reason.

There are a few things I don’t understand about the Georgian military, though. Irakli Alasania recently said ‘We need the help of the Armed Forces of the USA to train our military to make it into a modern Western-style Army’. The Americans have been training Georgian soldiers since 2004. I was under the impression that is exactly what they’d been doing for the last decade. What the hell have they been doing for ten years if not exactly that? I find it hard to believe no progress has been at all, but then if the training given to Georgian troops had been successful, why do they still need the Americans? Can’t the Army become self-training like it is in every other country?

Equipment is another issue that looks like it needs to be resolved, though my speculations come from outside observation rather than insider knowledge. For instance, I always see the Georgian soldiers on parade all wear spanking new combat uniforms, holding their American-made weapons fresh out of the box, while brand new Turkish/Israeli/American armoured vehicles rumble by. However, I looked at the pictures of Georgian Special Forces being deployed to the Dagestani border last year to deal with the crisis there last summer. The US M4 carbines and hi-tech armoured personnel carriers were nowhere to be seen. Instead, it was back to the old banged-up Toyota wagons and AK-47s; they looked like the Georgian Army of the ’90s. I have absolutely no idea what happened there. The obvious conclusion is that the military only has enough new kit to put on parades to look smart and shiny, while the real fighting is still done with the old-fashioned tried and true Soviet surplus…but that won’t answer either, since I’ve found that the amount of new armoured vehicles delivered to Georgia is well into the hundreds. What a mystery.

I remember I also put forward the idea of an airborne Rapid Response Force, since Georgia has a fleet of helicopters that could be put under one command structure which could then dispatch several hundred para-commandos to anywhere within the country. That idea was rubbished by one Georgian who said that Russia’s air superiority would undoubtedly render that idea useless. I disagree wholeheartedly. A friend of mine is a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force, and I have his word for it that helicopters are notoriously tricky to bring down from a jet, particularly in mountainous terrain such as in Afghanistan or, indeed, in Georgia. So that won’t fly (HA!) either. Helicopters are (or should be, according to European standards) also equipped with flares, that defend against SAMs or AAMs (and if the Georgian Ministry of Defence doesn’t have any of those for its choppers yet, then it’s about time the Americans gave them something useful). Besides, Georgia does have a small fleet of fighter planes that engaged Russian pilots successfully in ’08. Indeed, according to several of my sources, Georgia managed to bring down a fair few Russian aircraft, causing the loss of several experienced pilots. Things that I’ve read and people I’ve spoken to make me think that Georgian fear of Russian air superiority might be overestimated.

Another oft-quoted reason for defeat is Russia’s greater number of tanks. You can read the specifications online about how Russian tanks can’t weigh over a certain amount, since they rely on rail transport to get around, which renders their armour significantly thinner than American or British counterparts. Georgia also has over 180 tanks of its own, which are of no worse quality than Russia’s. Perhaps the Georgian Army needs a greater number of anti-tank weapons, but I don’t think so. One man last year told me that the problem in the Georgian Army was management, and I think he’s right. Management…and structure.

At the moment, every Georgian Army Brigade has a tank battalion. Simply put, that means that all of Georgia’s 180 or so tanks are spread thinly over 5 Brigades, which means that one Brigade has just 36 tanks. Imagine a small pat of butter spread over too much bread. This is not how European armies are structured. First, however, let’s look at how the Georgian Army is organised.

HQ, Land Forces Command (Tbilisi)
Central Command Point
Mixed-Transport Aviation Base
Air-Defence Technique Repair Base
Communications Unit

1st Infantry Brigade
11th Telavi Light Infantry Battalion
12th Light Infantry Battalion
13th “Shavnabada” Light Infantry Battalion
support role: anti tank battalion, motorized infantry battalion, mechanized battalion, mountain battalion, tank battalion, air assault battalion

2nd Infantry Brigade (Senaki)
21st Light Infantry Battalion
22nd Light Infantry Battalion
23rd Light Infantry Battalion
support role: anti-tank battalion, two motorized infantry battalions, mechanized battalion, tank battalion

3rd Infantry Brigade (The Mamelukes) (Kutaisi)
31st Light Infantry Battalion
32nd Light Infantry Battalion
33rd Light Infantry Battalion – deployed in Afghanistan
support role: anti tank battalion, motorized infantry battalion, mechanized battalion, tank battalion

4th Infantry Brigade (Vaziani)
41st Light Infantry Battalion
42nd Light Infantry Battalion
43rd Light Infantry Battalion
support role: anti tank battalion, two mechanized battalion, air-support wing, special reconnaissance and surveillance battalion, mountain battalion, tank battalion.

5th Infantry Brigade (Gori)
51st Light Infantry Battalion
52nd Light Infantry Battalion
53rd Light Infantry Battalion
support role: anti-tank battalion, mechanized battalion, motorized infantry battalion, tank battalion

Engineer Brigade
Air Defence Brigade
Air Defence Brigade (Kutaisi)
Separate Tank Battalion (Gori)
1st separate Anti-Tank Battalion (Gori)
2nd separate Anti-Tank Battalion
Separate Light Infantry Battalion (Adlia)
Separate Pioneer Battalion (Saguramo)
Separate Technical Reconnaissance Battalion (Kobuleti)
separate Communications Battalion
Medical Regiment (Saguramo)

Two Artillery Brigades, equipped with everything from heavy guns to light mortars/air defence

Special Forces
Army HQ, Special Operations Main Division (Tbilisi)
Special Forces Brigade
Special Operations Battalion
Naval Special Operations Squadron
“Iverioni” Attack Battalion
Support Battalion
Special Forces Training Center

That information was all pulled from wikipedia, so if that’s inaccurate, I apologise, but as far as I know it’s up to date (I consulted some Georgian military friends and they say it’s more or less correct).

From where I’m standing, the fact that these combat formations have support units (such as engineers etc.) in entirely different brigades is something of serious concern. I also don’t believe that the Georgian definition of ‘Light Infantry’ is the same as a Western one, since for NATO countries light infantry soldiers are those who march everywhere without the use of vehicles, rather than simply being truck-borne.

Here, then, is how I would reorganise things in my imaginary Georgian Army:

1st Armoured Brigade
Rather than spread Georgia’s limited tanks thinly, I would concentrate them in two Armoured Brigades of 90 tanks each, giving Georgia two armoured fists that could witstand and repel enemy tank formations. Infantry in these units would be transported by the armoured personnel carriers which Georgia has inherited from the Soviet Union, purchased from Turkey/Israel/France or developed domestically. So, my fantasy 1st Armoured Brigade would look like this:

1st Armoured Battalion – 45 Main Battle Tanks, approx. 70 Armoured Personnel Carriers, giving a total of approx. 600 deployable infantry
2nd Armoured Battalion – as above
1st Truck Battalion – Truck-borne infantry reinforcements
1st Support Battalion – 1 Combat Engineer Company, 1 Signals/Communications Company, 1 Reconnaissance Company (Humvee/soft-skin vehicle equipped)
1st Artillery Battalion – General artillery/air defence guns

2nd Armoured Brigade – As above.

3rd Mechanised Brigade
This would depend on Georgia having enough APCs/IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicles) left over from the Armoured formations, but looking at the statistics, Georgia has ordered many different types of these vehicle from Israel, France and Turkey, as well as inheriting some from the USSR which will be upgraded (apparently) and developing its own vehicles. With that in mind, I’m sure there would be enough to put my Mechanised Brigade together.

1st Mechanised Battalion – Composed of enough APCs/IFVs to deploy 600 infantry
2nd Mechanised Battalion – As above
3rd Truck Battalion – Truck-borne infantry reinforcements
3rd Support Battalion – As in Armoured Brigades
3rd Artillery Battalion – As in Armoured Brigades

4th Light Infantry Brigade
I would imagine this to be a Light Infantry Brigade in the truest form of the word. These types of soldiers are no less capable of eliminating armoured units than tank formations, but they are forced to carry all of their equipment on their backs, including anti-air and anti-tank weapons. I’m sure Georgian soldiers would be up to the task. I’m listing all Light Infantry battalions as the same, but I see no reason why some couldn’t specialise in mountain, arctic or amphibious warfare. As far as I know, Georgia has schools for all three.

1st Light Infantry Battalion – 600 infantry
2nd Light Infantry Battalion – as above
3rd Light Infantry Battalion – as above
4th Support Battalion – as in other Brigades
4th Artillery Battalion – as in other Brigades

5th Light Infantry Brigade – As above

6th Airborne Brigade – Rapid Response Force
In Britain, these types of soldiers are halfway between special and regular forces (such as the Royal Marines or the Parachute Regiment or in the US, the US Army Rangers or Marine Force Recon). They operate in regular unit formations, such as platoons, companies etc. rather than the 4 or 8 man of Special Forces units, but will typically operate with limited support. Georgia has only a limited number of helicopters, but if I’ve done my maths right (which is questionable) there should be enough choppers to cater for this unit’s needs.

1st Airborne Battalion – 4 Hip Helicopters, approx. 96 infantry
2nd Airborne Battalion – As above
3rd Airborne Battalion – As above
6th Support (Airborne) Battalion – 3 Huey Helicopters, 1 Engineer Company, 1 Signals Company, HQ company etc.
1st Air support Battalion – 3 Hind gunships.

Special Forces Brigade
I would change this Georgian SF up a little, too. I don’t know what the role of the ‘Iverioni Attack Battalion’ is, though my friend Lasha’s father served in it. My point is, I don’t know how that battalion’s role is different to that of Georgia’s first Special Operations battalion. I would change it so that both battalions are about 100 strong of the fittest and most able soldiers across the military, chosen after a year-long selection course in the manner of the British SAS (the world’s first special forces, on which all others were modeled). I don’t see why Georgia needs a Naval Operations battalion, since it doesn’t have much of a navy, which I’d think would be a prerequisite.

1st Special Operations Battalion – 100 men, divided into 4 squadrons of 25, divided into 5 teams of 5.
2nd Special Operations Battalion – As above
1st Special Forces Support Battalion – 600 elite infantry, to provide supplementary infantry to SF operations.
2nd Special Forces Support Battalion – As above

Note
I think due to my heavy use of vehicles in my fantasy Georgian Army, some of the Brigade sizes would end up smaller than they currently are. If so, I’d probably just create more Light Infantry Brigades.

Reserves
Thinking about it, I’m not sure quite how I’d like to organise the Reserve forces. On the one hand, I think there should be Reserve units for each Brigade respectively, wherein the part-time soldiers are trained in the same role as their regular colleagues and reinforce them at need. However, another idea could be to have Reserve Brigades made up wholly of part-timers, which would then deploy into battle as stand-alone units. Food for thought. One thing I am sure of, however, is that I would cancel conscription, freeing up sections of the budget and streamlining the Army to contain only well-trained professional regulars and reserves.

So there you go. That’s my rough draft of my imaginary Georgian Army. Feel free to comment and discuss, but don’t be a fucking whiny prick over it, saying ‘Stop experting, I know better because I was born in Georgia and you weren’t’ or all the other shit I got hit with last year. So yeah. Enjoy.

British soldiers are due to leave Afghanistan next year (Picture: EPA/File)

Two British soldiers have been sentenced for abusing Afghan civilians, including children, during the ongoing war in the country.

One of the serviceman, known only as Soldier X, admitted pulling an Afghan boy’s hand towards his crotch and saying: ‘Touch my special place’ while he was on tour in Afghanistan in December 2011, a court martial heard.

He pleaded guilty to conduct to the prejudice of good order and service discipline at the start of a court martial in Sennelager, Germany. He was later fined £1,000.

Soldier X, who has been granted anonymity amid fears for his life and his family’s safety, also admitted insulting another Afghan child between October 2011 and January 2012.

The second serviceman, a 23-year-old serving officer, known as Soldier Y, admitted that he was involved in having an Afghan man photographed with a sign which read ‘Silly Paki’ between the same dates.

He pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated offence likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress under the Crime and Disorder Act. He was later reduced to the ranks during sentencing.

The pair’s patrol commander, referred to as Soldier Z, was cleared of failing in his duty to deal with the offences.

And Soldier X was cleared of disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind and of forcing an Afghan girl to touch him on a separate occasion.

Source: Metro News

To Kĩrĩmakũyũ, and to execute the movement’s task;

To encounter a sudden violent engagement, at Tumu Tumu, with the foe, head on

The commander did not anticipate a cowardly ambush by British militias at dusk.

Taken by surprise at the lonely hill by the opportunist mercenaries,

And blockaded by the murderers colonialist with its allies;

General China dispatched Faranja disguised in women’s cloths.

Down hill, the brave warrior spied on foe forces fearless of death.

It is on the intelligence of the patriotic little girl: Kangunia (about the foe’s sinister intent)

The General acted, before sent he out a captain, and before ordering the earth wrecking engagement.

Assisted by Generals: Rũi, Tanganyika and Kariba,

China  drew out a marvelous war strategies against the uncircumcised British gangs in Karatina.

Commanding  five thousand strong;

Subduing mountains and hacking mist with a bang

The roaring Generals marshaled platoons  to the enemy’s line in war songs.

Wielding guns and bending bows, at the cry of battle bugle,

guerrillas rose to action,and slashed

Natural history of Mount Kenya (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

to pacify the barbaric rivals.

Braving cannons, tanks,missiles, grenades, bullets and bombs;

At last, the forest fighters broke through the enemy encirclement with a violent storm!

Starting for Rũĩ-rũirũ, and still pursued by the stubborn foe,

fighters marched across gorges and  ridges in rows.

With Guns, grenades at ready, and arrows fixed on set bows.

At Rũĩ-rũirũ and when the enemy tired, grew confused or chewed a cud of rue,

General Kariba,riding a lion, Declared a full blown bloody engagement anew

this way in a horrible war cry:

‘Hakai tĩri aa-nyakeerũ, tiganai na mbarĩ ya nyakairũ, nĩ wana  marĩ  naguo.’

it‘s hinted that, the sky, of the grave legendary battle, darkened with billows of  fog;

bamboo leaves, combed by hail of bullets and bombs, ignited with hellish fire!

What honor follows heroes, for their country, whom faithfully die!

Starting for Kĩamachimbi again , and after excelling the colonialist with defeat,

At Mũgumo wa Ndũng’ũ, General Rũi unexpectedly and without warning,

Ran suddenly into the savage enemy’s line and in to a narrow trap.

‘Fight bravely to save your lives!’ at the river with ‘two sleeves’

Colonel Mũraya in desperation this way urged his tiring company

the battle unexpectedly when grew too hot for the soaring guerrillas.

spiting thunder and vomiting hurricanes, General  Rũi angryly commanded his solders

this way: ‘employ superior tactics againt the castrated dogs !’

Churning mist and taming winds, captains and lieutenants

Hided and set the grass and bushes on fire to confuse the uncicumcised  hogs .

turning rainbows to wings and squeezing dew to powder,

solders in pairs of five or six split in to smaller units,

for efficiency and to out maneuver  the long-haired barbarians,

doubled their efforts to quel the stubborn foe .

Working hard under the cover of the heavy cloud –like smoke;

The host  in dethroning the British army, gained  strength over the brutal colonialist!

At Kĩamachimbiat last, and overunning the imperialist in doubles,

worthy Land and Freedom fighters raided the foe’s  Home Guard post.

Losing only 21 against 61 of British  ghosts,

It was a great triumph for Mau Mau. A victory for and to the unbowed  host.

General china was the chief commander of the Kenya Land and Freedom army, on the Mt Kenya front. His Generals were: Tanganyika, Kariba, Rui, Bai munge, and Musa mwariama, Abasweni, Kanji, Chui and Montgomery. These are some of the well known Generals for the brave roles they played liberating Kenyans and in defeating the British colonialist; hence leading Kenya and generally the whole of Africa to regaining their lost independence. This poem celebrates a major victory   won by General China in 1953, in the legendary battle of Tumutumu against the British colonial army. Despite the brute force and power the colonialist used against the Mau Mau army, during the war of liberation in Kenya, the British were unable to subdue the forest guerrillas. The last freedom fighters come out in thousands in 1963-64. General china died a natural death 1994. All the other generals apart from Musa Mwariama and Montgomery died in action in the 1950s.General Chui and Bai munge were assassinated in (1964) one year after independence for defying Kenyatta’s government. In 2010 Mau Mau sued the British government for turning Kenya in to Hitler Germany during the war on independence in the 1950s and early 60s.Despite the former colonialist constant denial against tortures it committed to civilians during those warring years, it was forced by strong evidence of atrocities produced by war veterans to pay up compensation to the war victims. They are in the process of finalizing the deal. They preferred to settle outside the court for the fear that embarrassing evidence which Mau Mau may produce may tarnish the British name and reputation. In our opinion, the British and Hitler is one and the same thing. For more info, read: THE BRITISH GULAG IN KENYA, THE HISTORY OF THE HANGED, MAU MAU FROM WITHIN.

British soldiers are due to leave Afghanistan next year (Picture: EPA/File)

Two British soldiers have been sentenced for abusing Afghan civilians, including children, during the ongoing war in the country.

One of the serviceman, known only as Soldier X, admitted pulling an Afghan boy’s hand towards his crotch and saying: ‘Touch my special place’ while he was on tour in Afghanistan in December 2011, a court martial heard.

He pleaded guilty to conduct to the prejudice of good order and service discipline at the start of a court martial in Sennelager, Germany. He was later fined £1,000.

Soldier X, who has been granted anonymity amid fears for his life and his family’s safety, also admitted insulting another Afghan child between October 2011 and January 2012.

The second serviceman, a 23-year-old serving officer, known as Soldier Y, admitted that he was involved in having an Afghan man photographed with a sign which read ‘Silly Paki’ between the same dates.

He pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated offence likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress under the Crime and Disorder Act. He was later reduced to the ranks during sentencing.

The pair’s patrol commander, referred to as Soldier Z, was cleared of failing in his duty to deal with the offences.

And Soldier X was cleared of disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind and of forcing an Afghan girl to touch him on a separate occasion.

Yet another one of my army poems written from the perspective of a soldier.

A Junior Sea Cadet takes instruction from an ex cadet and member of the British Army (Coldstream Guards)

I think this photo nicely sums up my day, busy but ending with a feeling of satisfaction at a job well done.

This is a poem which I wrote last year when British soldier Channing Day was sadly killed in Afghanistan, as she was from Northern Ireland where I live I felt it only right that I wrote a memory poem in her honour.

The picture took me hours to get but so worth the time, don’t you agree?

It is printed as A3 size canvas price:£30

This poem will resonate with a lot of people especially those who have served in the army, many whom are too proud to admit that they are battling a real illness within their minds.

]]> http://savethecrescent.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/another-way-to-help-the-crescent-and-get-a-good-read/ Mon, 03 Jun 2013 10:26:55 +0000 savethecrescent http://savethecrescent.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/another-way-to-help-the-crescent-and-get-a-good-read/ Hi all,

Have just been informed of another way you can help raise money for the Crescent and save money yourself if you want a copy of James Wharton’s book “Out in The Army”

If you visit https://www.bitebackpublishing.com/promotions and enter promo code THE CRESCENT you will receive the book at a discounted rate and a percentage of the sale will go to The Crescent as a donation.

For those ordering before release on the 24th you will receive a signed copy too.

Here is the publisher’s outline of the book;

“Seeking escape from the quiet countryside of North Wales, the young James Wharton joined the British Army with adventure on his mind – and he found it. At basic training, boozing and brawling accompany the daily trials of army life but all the while James faces a battle of his own: he is gay and finding the courage to tell not only his family and friends but his fellow soldiers will be the biggest challenge of all.

Written with searing honesty, James charts his incredible journey from punch bag to poster boy, along the way describing the troubles and trials of coming to terms with his sexuality. Late nights in the clubs of Soho to early mornings guarding the Queen; rocket attacks in the deserts of Iraq to tank rides with Prince Harry on the plains of Canada – this is James’s life out in the army.”

Promises to be an exciting read so get your copy now and help the Crescent at the same time!

Thanks for your support as ever,

The Crescent Team

This is another one of my army poems that I wrote on the subject of post traumatic stress disorder. It also illustrates how we very often don’t see the real pain behind peoples eyes and assume that because a person has or still is a soldier that they can cope with everything.

Printed on A3 size canvas @£30

Yesterday the British National Party showed dignity and discipline in the face of far-left provocation.

We gathered peacefully in the shadow of Parliament to demand that the Government take action to kick Islamic Hate Preachers Out of Britain.

Who could possibly object to that?

Well, it’s clear that there are warped people in our country who have no objection to the poisonous hatred spewed out by these Islamic Hate Preachers or their calls for the ritual slaughter of British soldiers and the terrorising of British people.

Red Fascists sought to attack our supporters and prevent our people from exercising their democratic rights.

58 of them were loaded onto double-decker London buses marked ‘Special Service’ and sent straight to the cells!

Not one BNP member was arrested.

The contrast couldn’t be clearer: on the one hand peaceful protestors and on the other violent bigots attacking the right of BNP members to free expression and assembly.

All the violence and trouble was from the Red rabble who, unlike the BNP, failed to respond to police pleas for people to limit their actions to democratic protest.

As Partrick Buchanan wrote in Death of the West:

“…those who loudly preach diversity often do not practice it, that those who decry intolerance may be found among the most intolerant…”

The BNP is a legitimate politcal party which campaigns peacefully to protect our British identity and culture.

If you care about the future of our country then you should be with us!

Yesterday you saw the choice: violent anti-British haters or peaceful, patriotic people.

What a contrast and what a choice! Which future do you prefer?

Are you going to make the decision today to join those who are already fighting for a better Britain?

By becoming a BNP member you will count yourself among thousands of patriotic British people with a united will to bring about real change and spread our message of Hope.

We want you to be reasoned, calm and responsible.

Our members are motivated by a love of their country – not bitterness and hatred like the Reds.

Are you the kind of person we are looking for?

Do you care about your country and the future of our children?

Do you have a sense of duty to your people and a desire to make a positive difference in your community and workplace?

If the answer is yes, you belong with us.

Joining online here is easy.

Alternatively join over the phone today by calling our hotline
on 0844 809 4581.

Thank you for your ongoing support,

Adam Walker

BNP National Organiser

Designed and promoted by the Roaring Lion Group 2013 © All rights reserved
British National Party | PO Box 213, Wigton, Cumbria, CA7 7AL

The UAF are the great unwashed they are financed by the Labour party – they are a mixed bunch of thugs from tree huggers, dole scroungers and lefty students.

Membership | Donate | Home | BNPtv

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The @soldieruk Twitter aims to set out military best practice for social media use both for the job but also in military personnel’s private life.

Part teacher and part digital Military Policeman the account also taps people on the shoulder to let them know they’ve strayed across the line.

It’s also fascinating to watch how they strike the balance between adopting a voice that’s somewhere between the parade ground and the water cooler. A retro profile pic and reminders that ‘careless tweets sink ships’ does this rather well.

There are more than 200,000 British servicemen and women. There’s no way the digital genie can be put back into the bottle and it’s clear that social poses a real danger to the MOD as well as opportunity. It’s not just the giving away of troop movements that’s an issue. It’s the personal data that can put individual service personnel in harms way too. The murder of a soldier in Woolwich shows this.

When one serviceman tweeted about the far right English Defence League they were met with this from @soldierUK.

@exsacerdotal The views of the EDL, (like any extremist motivated group) are contrary to the core ethos & values of the UK Armed Forces.

— SoldierUK (@SoldierUK) June 2, 2013

@exsacerdotal Attendance at public rallies or behaviour directly connecting an individual to extremism is a breach of the Service Test — SoldierUK (@SoldierUK) June 2, 2013

@exsacerdotal Appropriate administrative or disciplinary action will be pursued by CoC or the Police >> Is the official line — SoldierUK (@SoldierUK) June 2, 2013

There’s also more general messages too…

Are you running a Mil WAGs Facebook group? Think about making it a closed group and verifying members. #BeSafeOnline

— Roger Noduff (@Walter_Mitty007) May 31, 2013

In addition, there is general advice on how to use social media and to stay safe online. It’ll be interesting to see how the account pans out. Certainly, by embracing digital the MOD stand a far better chance of knowing the risks, pitfalls and opportunities. But with so many accounts to keep an eye on is just one team enough?

The flags, which bare the insignia of the Parachute regiment, have been fixed onto lamp-posts on the loyalist side of the Donegall Road interface at the Broadway roundabout. They had already been erected in other areas of Belfast and show support for the ‘Paras’ who will forever be despised in nationalist areas of Ulster. Soldiers of the parchute Regiment were responsible for the Bloody Sunday murders in Derry were 14 innocent civilians were shot dead during a civil rights march in 1972. They were also the regiment in the Ballymurphy massacre where 11 innocent civilians were murdered. But it’s the fact these flags were erected just days after loyalist leaders including Winkie Irvine and Jackie McDonald returned from Cardiff that have caused the most surprise. And also the First and deputy ffirst ministers statements around a shared further. Following talks in Cardiff it was declared by all sides that “respect” would be the order of the day to help prevent a violent summer. It’s understood a notorious UVF gang from the Donegall Road, run by ‘The meerkat’ Colin Fulton, was behind the flags.”You have to assume the only reason is they want to intimidate people on this side of the road.” The flags issue is one of the most contentious facing politicians here and the situation has only been made worse since the row over the flying of the union flag at Belfast City Hall. A spokesman for Sinn Fein said last night : “The erection of UVF flags along with flags of the British Parachute Regiment at Broadway roundabout is both provocative and inflammatory.”

Turf

“This is Jackie McDonald’s turf and by putting these flags up after he and other loyalists came back from Cerdiff promising a new dawn, is sending a clear message,” said a loyalist source. “And that message is that not everyone is on board with the peace plan.” Why on earth would someone in Belfast want to put up a flag of this particular regiment of the British Army?” asked one nationalist resident who lives nearby. 

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• Talks in Wales Evidence of ‘Political Policing’ : Loyalists (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)

Happy with this image! xx

I’m putting this one on though I haven’t quite got the image right, but the poem means a lot to me as it will to many parents whose child is wanting to join the army.

The Type 42 Destroyer HMS Edinburgh is due for decommissioning on 06 June marking the end of an era for the Type 42 in Royal Navy service.

HMS Edinburgh is the last T42 in service, having served 30 Years on the frontline.

She was absent from the First Gulf War having been in the middle of a refit but took part in the 2003 Gulf War escorting HMS Ocean and supporting the Royal Marines on shore.

After another series of refits, she was deployed to the Middle and Far East as part of Orion 2008 during which she took part in interception of drug cargo.

The Type 42 Class of Destroyers have been an ever present Force in the Royal Navy since the 1970′s, amounting to nearly 4 Decades of service in major conflicts throughout the globe, from the Falklands to the 1st Gulf War.

They hold a significant record namely; the only confirmed kill of a missile by another missile when an Iraqi “Silkworm” aimed at the USS Missouri was shot down by HMS Gloucester and her Sea Dart Missiles in 1991. HMS Gloucester’s Lynx Helicopter was also responsible for sinking a number of Iraqi navy vessels during the 91 Gulf War and led boarding actions with her compliment of Royal Marines, resulting in Gloucester being the longest coalition vessel “up threat” during the conflict.

It was not all plain sailing however; HMS Sheffield and HMS Coventry were sunk during the Falklands war by French built – Argentinian Exocet missiles. Two mis-haps in 1988 and 2002 sparked headlines when HMS Southampton collided with a buoy in Portland resulting in a major refit being required.  HMS Nottingham then ran aground on well charted submerged rocks near Australia.

Despite this the vessels have had the longest period of Service in the Royal Navy for a single ship class. Not even the Dreadnought Battleships that served the Royal Navy through two world wars can match the service length of the Type 42s.

The class will be survived by the Argentinian Vessel ARA Hércules which saw service during the Falklands conflict squaring off against the Royal Navy’s Type 42s.

The Royal Navy has replaced the Type 42 Destroyer with the Type 45 Daring Class, widely regarded as the best Air Defence Destroyer in the world. The 6 new vessels, Daring, Dauntless, Diamond, Dragon, Defender and Duncan have big boots to fill, but I’m sure they are up to the task.

Were you a sailor on a Type 42 Destroyer? Did you serve on HMS Edinburgh?

Tell us about it here!

Image: Wikipedia

Blogger: ThoBen

Did you, a friend, or family member serve during the Falklands Conflict? See if you can find them amongst the 1 Million Members of Forces Reunited

This poem has been written in honour of Christian around Britain, who is the inspirational soldier walking around Britain to highlight the plight of our homeless army soldiers on our streets.

SEATTLE –  John Henry Browne says the memories came flooding back over time.

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English: Saudi Arabia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Supplicating Pilgrim at Masjid Al Haram. Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Français : Pélerin en prière dans Masjid Al Haram, la mosquée interdite, à La Mecque (Arabie Saoudite). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Hamid Mir interviewing Osama bin Laden for Daily Pakistan in 1997 behind them on the wall is an AKS-74U carbine. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The cold blooded murder and mutilation of a young man in Woolwich – a serving British soldier – saw Al Qaeda-type savagery and bestiality explode in our midst for the first time since 7/7. It is the kind of savagery and bestiality that is no respector of borders, race, religion, or creed. It is the same savagery we saw last week in the film of the so-called freedom fighter in Syria cutting out the heart and lungs of a dead Syrian soldier, holding them up to the camera before starting to eat them.

What should never be forgotten is that the vast majority of victims of the disgusting fundamentalist ideology which fuels this savagery are Muslims, whether in Iraq, Libya, Somalia, or Syria. The reason it is crucial to highlight this point is that such heinous acts and those responsible are as unrepresentative of Islam and Muslims as the mass murderer Anders Brevik is of Christianity and Christians.

The word connecting both is extremism. It links the beasts responsible for what took place in Woolwich and groups such as the EDL, who immediately sought to capitalise on it in order to foment the same kind of sectarian war that Muslims and Arabs around the war have suffered for the past decade and more. Surely now, witnessing the racist ingrates of the EDL at work in the immediate aftermath of this brutal murder, it is time for society to come together and drive these racist thugs off our streets.

The overriding priority of all right thinking people – a categorisation that unfortunately at this point does not extend to our political leaders – is to understand where this sick ideology comes from, what feeds it, and the most effective way of combating it. Clearly the tools employed up to now have been wanting. Fighting fire with fire only produces more fire; and fire is what we have been spreading unabated throughout the Muslim world since way before 9/11. Surely now, after more than a decade of piling up bodies in the name of democracy we can no longer afford the luxury of fooling ourselves that killing innocent people over ‘there’ – directly or by proxy – will not result in the killing of innocent people here.

The Muslim community in this country has nothing to apologise for. It does not deserve to be put in the dock for the actions of a few crazed killers who seek to justify bestiality with a distorted and twisted ideology. What does deserve to be put in the dock is a foreign policy that on the one hand fuels and courts extremism and extremists, while on the other wages war on it with the blunt instrument of drone strikes, missile strikes, and wars of occupation.

Britain’s participation in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq has been a disaster – both for the Afghan and Iraqi people, yes, but also for society here at home. While the hatred these wars have resulted in towards the West is no justification for the brutal murder in Woolwich, they cannot be abstracted from the equation either. In an age of electronic communications, social media, and YouTube, the ability of a hate-filled ideology to spread and feed a twisted understanding of the world in response to the West’s immersion in these wars is self evident.

Hypocrisy is never far from any British prime minister’s lips at times like this. How can any British government proclaim its revulsion of Islamic extremism when it continues to enjoy close and friendly relations with the Saudis, a government that legitimates the very same? In case anyone has forgotten, in Saudi Arabia people are beheaded in public, women are treated as no better than chattel, and human rights do not exist. The most barbaric cultural and religious practices are embraced in Saudi Arabia under the rubric of Wahhabism and yet we sell its government of clapped-out potentates billions of pounds in weapons and military hardware every year.

The point is that Islamic extremism is something our leaders have used when its suits them, doing so in order to pursue certain geopolitical objectives. The beast who mutilated the body of the dead soldier in Syria last week is no different from the beasts who butchered a British soldier in Woolwich. Yet Britain along with France is currently seeking to overturn a EU ban on supplying weapons to non state actors in order to arm various rebel factions operating in Syria, many if not most of which are adherents of Sunni extremism and the ideology of Al Qaeda.

It is utter madness.

In response to Woolwich the Muslim community, via its various organisations, has been united in its condemnation and revulsion. This is no time for Britain’s Muslim community to be forced to its knees, as if they are somehow complicit in this butchery. Victims and opponents of extremism must stand together – which means Muslims, non-Muslims, white, Asian, black, everyone who understands that those responsible for butchering innocent people come in all guises. They come dressed in jeans and trainers armed with knives and meat cleavers, and they come dressed in tailored suits armed with smiles and the imprimatur of government.

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• Islamic Cleric Calls UK Soldier’s Beheading “A Courageous And Heroic Act” (freedomoutpost.com)
• The Woolwich attack – “The day Baghdad-style violence came to South London” (mumbleinthejungle.com)
• Britain’s wars fuel terror. Denying it only feeds Islamophobia (guardian.co.uk)
• Woolwich suspect leaves hospital (bbc.co.uk)
• Woolwich beheading analysis: We expect more extremist grief (mirror.co.uk)