Fitaloon at MicroShaft

Nimrod XV230 – a tragedy waiting to happen

fitaloon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:14:41 +0000

Squadron Leader David Tisdale (ret’d), from the UK National Defence Association’s RAF affairs team, looks at the cultural changes that were partly to blame for the Nimrod XV230 disaster Throughout my RAF career, which spanned 25 years, the concept of flight safety was drummed in to me and my colleagues at all levels. Flight safety briefings [...] Related posts:

Obama Dithering or Not Enough Troops Available?

fitaloon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:53:24 +0000

Politics Daily in the US reports that perhaps the reason that Obama is dithering on the McChyrstal request is that not enough troops are available to sustain the Afghan War. It has this to say: Here’s what worries the planners: The Army has 44 brigade combat teams (BCTs), its basic deploying unit of between 3,500 and 4,500 [...] No related posts.

Harriet Harman: The case of the gender pay discrimination denier

fitaloon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:24:29 +0000

A new “crime” has been invented by Miss Harperson. This is the crime of being a gender pay discrimination denier. Whatever next can Zanu Labour imply about people? In an answer to an otherwise innocuous question as follows: Mark Harper (Shadow Minister (Disabled People), Work and Pensions; Forest of Dean, Conservative) May we have a debate about how to measure [...] Related posts:

Major Nidal Malik Hasan: Kills 12 at US Army base

fitaloon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:11:36 +0000

I hope this will be the last post today on deaths of soldiers serving their country. It is sobering to think that while we wait for President Obama to decide the next moves in Afghanistan many of our armed forces are being killed or wounded. It is time for a decision, are we going to [...] No related posts.

Corporal Thomas Mason: Mother speaks of her hero soldier

fitaloon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:39:10 +0000

The BBC reports on the funeral of Corporal Thomas (Tam) Mason: The mother of a soldier who died from the wounds he received while on service in Afghanistan has said he will always be a hero. Linda Buchanan’s comments came after the funeral of her 27-year-old son, Corporal Thomas Mason, known as Tam. The soldier from Fife was [...] Related posts:

WO1 Darren Chant, Sgt Matthew Telford, Guardsman James Major, Cpl Steven Boote and Cpl Nicholas Webster-Smith killed in Afghanistan

fitaloon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:32:18 +0000

ributes to the five men killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday 3rd November were posted here by the MOD. Warrant Officer Class 1 Darren Chant, Sergeant Matthew Telford and Guardsman James Major, all of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, as well as Corporal Steven Boote and Corporal Nicholas Webster-Smith, both of the Royal Military Police, were killed on Tuesday 3 [...] Related posts:

Ministry of Defence | Defence News | Military Operations | Soldier from 3 RIFLES killed in Afghanistan

fitaloon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:25:32 +0000

Sadly the MOD reports the death of another soldier in Afghanistan. It is with sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that a soldier from 3rd Battalion The Rifles (3 RIFLES) was killed in Afghanistan today, Thursday 5 November 2009. The soldier was killed as a result of an explosion that happened near Sangin in central [...] Related posts:

Five British soldiers killed in Afghanistan

fitaloon — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:02:08 +0000

The sad news of the death of five British Soldiers yesterday means that 2009 has been the worst year for the Armed Forces since the Falkland war. Channel 4 News had this to say : An Afghan policeman shoots dead five British soldiers at a checkpoint in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence confirm. The soldiers, from [...] Related posts:

Staff Sgt Olaf Schmid: Great Britain Loses one of its Finest

fitaloon — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:41:59 +0000

Michael Yon has a pictorial tribute to Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid. Micahel Yon had this to say of him Courage is as common as boots among these soldiers, but Olaf stood out even in that company. You could tell that Olaf knew his business from mean experience, and that he was ready for battle. His mind was [...] Related posts:

A message for Great Britain from David Cameron

Soldier from the Royal Logistic Corps killed in Afghanistan

fitaloon — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:39:17 +0000

The MOD has the sad news of the death of a soldier in Afghanistan. It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of a soldier from the Royal Logistic Corps. The soldier was killed as a result of an explosion that happened near Sangin, in central Helmand Province, during the afternoon [...] Related posts:

BBC: Democracy Live

fitaloon — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:34:09 +0000

Could be a useful site. The BBC says Democracy Live is the BBC’s new website which offers live and on demand video coverage of the UK’s national political institutions and the European Parliament. Alongside the video, we have guides to how the different institutions work and who sits in them. Our search engine is a BBC “first” [...] Related posts:

Live blog 2 – Live bloggers in Scotland

Nimrod: Ainsworth forced to apologise to Families

fitaloon — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:18:09 +0000

More on this later but according to the BBC The highly critical report, by Charles Haddon-Cave QC, said the Afghanistan crash occurred because of a “systemic breach” of the military covenant. A safety review of the Nimrod MR2 carried out by the MoD, BAE Systems and QinetiQ was branded a “lamentable job”. Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth apologised to [...] Related posts:

Brown Bunkered by the TA

fitaloon — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:18:08 +0000

As usual when there is bad news Gordon is to be found in his bunker. As the Telegraph says This pitiful assurance was given in vain. The poor bloody infantry on the Labour backbenches reckon their commander, Gordon Brown, has flung them into yet another unwinnable battle, with the result that [...] No related posts.

Nimrod review to reveal failures

fitaloon — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:30:58 +0000

The long awaited Independent review into the fatal Nimrod crash in Afghanistan will be presented to day and is unlikely to be happy reading for a number of parties. I have blogged on this on a number of occasions It’s interesting to hear also (via Radio Scotland) that of the RAF’s current 11 Nimrods, none are [...] Related posts:

Soldier dies from blast injuries

fitaloon — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:47:44 +0000

Sadly a soldier from Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, has died six weeks after he was struck by an IED explosion. The BBC has this: A British soldier has died in a UK hospital from wounds sustained in an attack in Afghanistan in September. The unnamed soldier, of the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion [...] Related posts: