Three Royal Air Force Chinook helicopters from RAF Odiham, supported by around 90 British troops, are now on the ground and ready to begin providing logistical and troop movement support to our allies.

Armed Forces minister Mark Lancaster said:

“The UK and France have a unique security and defence relationship that has lasted for more than a century and this deployment demonstrates our shared commitment to tackling terrorism, instability and reducing threats to European security”

The Chinooks will provide niche logistical support and will also help improve safety by moving troops by air, rather than ground where they are more vulnerable to attack.

The UK has been a long-standing supporter of UN and EU military operations in Mali and has worked with international partners to prevent extremists from using the ungoverned space in the Sahel to plan and launch attacks on Europe, as well as counter the illegal trade in people, drugs, weapons and wildlife.

This is in addition to existing wider support to Africa including doubling our UN peacekeeping contribution with additional deployments to South Sudan and Somalia.

Sailors, soldiers and airmen received the Operational Service Medal Iraq and Syria, also know as the Operation Shader medal, from Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson. It is the first operational service medal to be created since 2003 and has its own distinct ribbon and clasp.

The Defence Secretary also confirmed today that Her Majesty the Queen has approved the extension of the eligibility criteria for the medal to new groups of personnel. It means that the medal will also recognise those who have made a significant contribution from outside the conventional area of operations in Iraq and Syria, including civilians.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

The campaign against Daesh is one that our Armed Forces can be extremely proud of. Eliminating the threat from terrorism is critical to our security at home and abroad. Our troops have made huge contributions to the fight against Daesh, helping end its tyranny in large parts of Iraq and Syria. Only by defeating this evil and barbaric group for good will we reduce the deadly threat they pose to us.

I am pleased that today those who have bravely fought against such untold evil will get the recognition they deserve. Reflecting the changing nature of warfare I am pleased to announce that the medal will now recognise those making a vital contribution to Op Shader from outside the conventional area of Operations, for example those Reaper pilots taking life and death decisions from back here in the UK.

Since 2014 the UK Armed Forces have taken a leading role in the counter-Daesh Global Coalition. The RAF has so far conducted over 1,700 strikes against Daesh terrorist targets and units from across the Armed Forces have helped train over 77,000 Iraqi Security Forces in infantry skills, counter-IED, engineering, and medical expertise. As a result, their capacity to defeat Daesh has increased considerably, contributing to the success of this campaign.

Despite recent success over the last year the operation continues and fast jets continue to fly out of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and remotely-piloted Reaper aircraft continue to provide support to the Syrian Democratic Forces on the ground who are clearing the last remaining pockets of Daesh terrorists in Eastern Syria.

Currently around 1,400 personnel still play an important role in the Global Coalition’s counter-Daesh operations in the wider region.

The research institute, RAND Europe, formed the consortium, the Global Strategic Partnership, to respond to DCDC’s need for the provision of research and analysis support to the Strategic Analysis Team.

The consortium includes the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) and the University of Exeter, spearheaded by the Strategy and Security Institute.

It also has access to organisations and individuals providing specific subject matter and analytical expertise. These include: QinetiQ, Newman and Spurr Consultancy (NSC), Aleph Insights, Simplexity Analysis and Professor Sir Huw Strachan.

The visit gave DCDC personnel a chance to engage with the different members of the partnership and hear first-hand how their capabilities could inform and support future work.

Using funding from the CSSF, which delivers and supports security, peacekeeping, and stability across the globe, UK military personnel played a crucial role in several cross-government programmes. The report highlights in particular the defence contribution to the Hurricane Irma relief effort, training provided to the African Union Mission to Somalia and UK support to the Lebanese military.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

“Whether it’s contributing to the destruction of Daesh or rapidly responding to natural disasters, our world class Armed Forces are always ready to help make the world more secure.

“The variety of roles our military does, as highlighted in today’s CSSF report, embodies the role Global Britain plays in maintaining international stability.”

The report details Defence’s significant contribution to the £57 million released towards the Caribbean response to Hurricane Irma. UK military, working alongside other government bodies, helped to deliver the re-electrification of Anguilla within three months of the hurricane.

British support to the African Union Mission to Somalia is building their capacity to restore stability in Somalia and transition to Somali-led security, protecting civilians and tackling the use of child soldiers.

Elsewhere, UK support to the Lebanese military contributes to the country’s successful operations to counter terrorist and destabilising activity within its borders. The Lebanon is still the only nation – and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) the only army – to have successfully repelled an invasion from Daesh.

With an aim of enabling better sustainment of the Armed Forces, LOGNET sought to retain a continuous dialogue between industry and Defence by explaining the challenges which Defence is currently seeking to solve. It highlighted emerging themes where focussed effort was being placed, with the broad spectrum of attendees from across the logistic enterprise providing a useful forum for developing ideas and exploring a breadth of views.

Major General Angus Fay CB, the Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Logistic Operations) opened the event with the strategic context for Defence Logistics:

Coming out of the campaigning era, logistics needed to be made fit for purpose and we have achieved that. But Defence is still transforming and we have big challenges. Currently we are supporting 32 named operations in five continents, enabling over 20 training teams, deploying a force out to Ex SAIF SAREEA in Oman later this year, and at the same time maintaining a physical Royal Navy presence in the Pacific.

From this, the question I’ve been asked is how do we make ourselves more deployable and how do we make ourselves more lethal at the far end? The answer is readiness and being materially ready. And this idea of being prepared and responsive to deploy to continental Europe, the Middle East and to the Pacific remains a major challenge for us. Trying to address these issues is why we need to continue to modernise Defence logistics.

The General’s introduction was followed by presentations from the j-Hub on how they are attempting to achieve faster procurement, an overview of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Sustainment Procurement Agency and the benefits it can provide to civilian companies, and briefs from the Concept and Force Development team on potential areas of technology to conduct research and development. The remainder of the conference focussed on two key technologies that Defence Logistic intends on advancing; additive manufacture and logistic information systems. The deep dives on these areas provided useful feedback from delegates on where they could be better developed, whilst drawing together the stakeholders from Defence to create a coherent view of how they will be driven forward in a productive and efficient manner.

LOGNET 18-1 was fortunate to have two further keynote speeches. The first from Charles Forte, Chief Information Officer for the Ministry of Defence, opened the second day by laying out the challenges for information in the modern age of Defence. Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Matt Wiles provided a different perspective with an industry view of working with Defence, outlining Team Leidos’ success on the Logistic Commodities and Service Transformation Programme.

The outcomes of LOGNET 18-1 will be included in a report to be distributed and fed into a follow-up event later in the year.

18-2 is currently scheduled to be held on 9 October 2018 in London, and those wishing to attend can register at https://lognet18-2.eventbrite.co.uk.

If you would like further information on LOGNET or any of the information briefed at the event, please get in touch with the LOGNET team on 0207 807 8598.