Today’s defence news includes coverage of the MOD’s support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the Defence Secretary's visit to 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment at Woolwich Barracks in London.
SMEs
The Telegraph (Business) covers the MOD’s SME policy refresh, writing that the department has ‘declared war’ on red tape in an attempt to get more defence contracts into the hands of Britain’s smaller businesses. The paper reports that the MOD wants to see a £1bn increase in the amount of work it hands to small and medium-sized businesses to almost £5bn as part of a wider government campaign to see public spending more evenly distributed.
Minister of State for Defence Procurement Philip Dunne said:
We spend £4 billion a year with small firms, and this new policy is a signal of our intent to do more to tap into the innovation of SMEs in our supply chain. This new approach will harness UK brainpower so that our Armed Forces get the best possible equipment, deliver better value for money, and boost exciting new companies.
Tornado Collision
The Sun and the Daily Mail carry reports suggesting that an RAF Tornado was damaged after colliding with a stray dog at RAF Akrotiri. The article includes source quotes that the damage could cost hundreds of thousands of pounds and that the pilot was so fearful that he considered ejecting from the jet.
An RAF spokesperson said:
The RAF can confirm that post landing, a RAF Tornado GR4 hit a feral dog at RAF Akrotiri. There was minimal damage to the aircraft which has returned to service.
This incident was not as reported at ‘200 mph’ nor was there ‘hundreds of thousands’ of pounds of damage done. Damage was caused to the aircraft undercarriage that required repair, however, the aircraft was quickly returned to operational duties. RAF Akrotiri is looking into how the animal gained access to the runway in order to try and ensure that incidents such as this do not occur again.
Sex Attacks
The Mirror writes that 450 armed forces sex attacks have been reported to military police in five years.
A MOD Spokesperson said:
We absolutely do not tolerate this kind of behaviour which is why we have extensive training programmes and awareness campaigns to educate personnel on what is and is not acceptable. The Armed Forces take every allegation of sexual assault extremely seriously and investigate every accusation thoroughly. Any allegation of a criminal nature is handed to the police.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon visited 1st Battallion The Royal Anglian Regiment at Woolwich Barracks in London to view a range of equipment and announce a £175 million investment to a UK company to provide enhanced communications kit to the UK Armed Forces.
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