Page 20 - Mod Crown News Today

When America, along with its allies, launched ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’ less than a month after the 9/11 attacks, few could have guessed it would be stepping into its longest war. Yet if the legacy of this two-decade conflict will be long disputed, bleeding as it did both literally and metaphorically into the invasion of Iraq two years later, and a broader War on Terror, it would be wrong to forget the unity of that pre-invasion month in 2001. For 9/11 shocked the world and left no room ...

RAF Typhoons return to Romania for air policing mission Primary tabs 28th April 2021 Four Royal Air Force (RAF)-operated Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4s from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, have arrived in Romania to support NATO’s ongoing enhanced Air Policing (eAP) mission. This quartet of multi-role fighters – assigned to the RAF’s No 9 (Bomber) Squadron – flew from Lossiemouth to Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base near Constanta, located on Romania’s Black Sea coast, on April 23. The fou...

Joint British-Qatari Hawk squadron to be based at RAF Leeming Primary tabs 6th April 2021 UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and his Qatari counterpart, Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, have announced an expansion of the relationship between each nation’s air forces. As part of the agreement, announced on April 1, RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire will become the British base for the new UK-Qatar joint Hawk training squadron. The unit will utilise the Qatar Emiri Air Force’s (QEAF’s) fleet of...

Around 70 Royal Irish reservists have returned to Northern Ireland following a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Cyprus. The men and women from 2 Royal Irish were part of the largest deployment of British Army reservists in decades, as part of the 6 Rifles battlegroup. The soldiers spent the last six months based in the United Nations Protected Area on the outskirts of the city of Nicosia, part of a reserve who are kept at constant readiness to respond to challenges across the island. 2 Ro...

Why Britain is tilting to the Indo-Pacific region Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor © MoD/Crown Copyright/PA The new UK aircraft carrier, Queen Elizabeth, seen through the cockpit of a Merlin helicopter during trials. It will deploy in May to the Indian Ocean. Some will call it a tilt, others a rebalancing and yet others a pivot but, either way, the new big idea due to emerge from the government’s foreign and defence policy review on Tuesday will be the importance of the In...

Troops, armed with blank-firing weapons and smoke grenades, stormed buildings and climbed walls to hunt for and destroy the enemies barricaded within. Then to mark the end of the exercise, soldiers enjoyed a ‘Covid-secure’ Christmas brunch of soup, roast turkey – with all the trimmings in a Christmas roll – and mince pies. Troops from 4 PWRR fire and manoeuvre towards the enemy position. Photo: Sgt Nick Johns RLC / MoD Crown Among those tucking into their Christmas treat was, Lance Corp...

Submitted by Sarah Hyde An Army Officer who serves with an Aldershot-based unit has been recognised for her contribution and ability to drive integration with UN Police and Civil Affairs components during her deployment to Cyprus on Operation TOSCA (Op TOSCA). Army Officer Captain (Capt) Gemma Darrington, 33, who serves with unit 27 Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps (RLC), has been awarded the Joint Commander’s Certificate of Commendation. The award was given in recognition of her efforts and ha...