100 Welsh Guards arrived in Afghanistan last week. They travelled with Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson who was in the country for a three-day visit.

The 100 troops are the first group of the additional 440 troops the Prime Minister committed to NATO’s capacity building mission in Afghanistan at the NATO Summit in July. The UK plays a leading role in NATO, and this troop uplift will make the UK the third largest contributor to Afghanistan with around 1,100 personnel.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

We remain absolutely committed to building an Afghanistan that is a strong security partner for decades to come. A secure and stable Afghanistan helps keep the streets of the UK safe.

The uplift of UK personnel not only underlines our commitment to Afghanistan and regional security, but also to the Alliance that has been the cornerstone of our defence for 70 years. Thousands of our personnel stand shoulder-to-shoulder with NATO allies around the world. Those here in Afghanistan are just one example of Global Britain in action.

The additional troops will bolster the UK’s existing contribution to the UK-led Kabul Security Force (KSF), which plays a critical role in enabling NATO advisors in the city to undertake engagement with the Afghan Government. They will also continue to mentor the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces who are responsible for security in the capital.

The Defence Secretary also travelled to Mazar-e-Sharif where, alongside the German Armed Forces, UK personnel are supporting the expansion of the Afghan Special Police. The force has recently illustrated its increased capability in responding to the InterContinental Hotel and Kabul Military Academy attacks. He met around 40 UK advisors who have been based in the north of the country since January 2018.

He also met President Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah, underlining the UK commitment to a secure and stable Afghanistan.

With the help of the British Army who are working closely with their Kenyan partners to combat terrorism and save lives in East Africa, the facility is expanding into a regional centre of excellence.

Training will be offered to Kenyan security forces and other African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troop-contributing nations in the region. Continued UK support will also include £2.3 million a year from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) and mentoring from the British Army.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

“From supporting counter-terrorist operations in Mali to improvised explosive device disposal training in Kenya, our Armed Forces are helping to build a more secure Africa. By tackling the terrorist threat abroad we are helping to keep our streets safe at home.”

Since 2015, 1,000 military and police personnel from East Africa have been trained by the British Army in identifying and destroying IEDs. Yet, in the same period the use of IEDs has increased by around 300 per cent in Somalia, where casualties are often civilians.

By November 2020, the wing is expected to have developed into a fully-functioning, independent centre of excellence where East African instructors will provide specialised IED disposal training.

The expansion forms part of a new UK-Kenya security agreement which is allowing both countries to keep pace with the changing nature of threats and to renew our cooperation on counter-terrorism, child protection, and regional security. The Prime Minister also announced over £7 million of new UK funding to support AMISOM, as she called on international donors to contribute more to the peacekeeping mission.

Her visit reaffirms that the UK will support the project until it operates independently as a regional and continental centre of excellence.

Overview

LOGNET is the Ministry of Defence’s support engagement and future development event for the defence support network. It is designed to improve the understanding of UK defence’s support requirements, pursue knowledge of developments in academic and commercial capability, whilst reinforcing partnerships through continued engagement. Its outcome is to assist defence in arguing the case for the UK to maintain a credible, highly capable and value for money support capability.

Aim of LOGNET 18-2

This event will focus members of the defence support network on ‘Accelerating Support Innovation’ to help defence face emerging threats. The event will enable this by detailing the current innovation focus, exploring new technologies and areas of research, introduce departments from both industry and defence who can assist and help to assist rapid procurement.

Event content

LOGNET 18-2 will be split into 5 themed sessions over 1 day:

• defence’s innovation agenda
• the potential of autonomy & robotics
• accelerating logistic innovation
• routes to market
• modernising defence support

Capability awareness demonstrations and stands

During LOGNET there will be the opportunity for companies to demonstrate capabilities through both stands and presentations. Stands will provide small areas to be available during breaks whilst the presentations will allocate time to companies to present to a small military audience in a separate room. These are free and selection will be through considered bids using the following criteria:

• the relevance to logistics within defence
• the relevance to defence logistics CUBE sponsored technologies
• the technology readiness level of the capability
• the genuine level of innovation which the technology displays for the betterment of defence logistics

If you would like to bid for a stand or presentation, please email DefLog-Strat-CFDMultiuser@mod.gov.uk to receive an application proforma.

Applications must be submitted by 10 September 2018 and those selected will be informed by no later than 17 September 2018.

Confirmed speakers

The event will be opened by the Minister for Defence Procurement, Stuart Andrew MP and closed by the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Gordon Messenger KCB, DSO & Bar, OBE, ADC.

Benefits of attending LOGNET

• understand defence’s support requirements to propose superior solutions
• opportunity to influence defence support policy, direction and development
• engage with the future vision of defence support capability and industry integration
• opportunity to conduct business with defence partners
• maintain the equitable relationship between defence and the logistics and engineering enterprise
• opportunity for attendees to forward questions, points and comments directly via an interactive conference software app

Administration

Lunch and refreshments will be provided and parking at the hotel is free. Accommodation can be booked here at a discounted rate for LOGNET delegates. Other hotels can be found through price comparison websites.

Attendance

If your organisation is connected to the logistics and engineering support sector and you would like to engage with the defence logistics community, please feel welcome to sign up and attend LOGNET 18-2.

Defence invests £945 million in Welsh industry, supporting more than 6,000 jobs. The Minister visited leading firms befitting from defence work such as Defence Electronics and Components Agency (DECA), Kent Periscopes, Qioptiq and Raytheon, which are all supporting essential equipment to the UK’s Armed Forces.

The crucial relationship between the MOD and Welsh industry was clearly laid out in the recent publication of an independent review published by former Defence Minister Philip Dunne, and has now been showcased to the former Wales Office Minister on his return to the nation in his new role.

Defence Minister Stuart Andrew said:

Wales is crucial to our world-leading defence industry, our Armed Forces and their future capabilities. The hundreds of millions of pounds we are investing in Welsh firms means the nation can continue making a massive contribution to our safety in the face of intensifying threats across the globe.

The 6,000 workers in Wales’ defence sector can be extremely proud that their entrepreneurship, innovation and skills are ensuring our brave servicemen and women are equipped with the latest equipment and systems so they can protect us at home and around the world.

The Minister’s tour of Welsh firms began at DECA Sealand, which will be at the forefront of maintaining the UK’s new supersonic F-35 Lightning Force fighter jets.

The Sealand site will become a global repair hub for the aircraft, providing maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade services for F-35 avionics, electronic and electrical components, fuel, mechanical and hydraulic systems. The fighter jet work will sustain thousands of jobs and pump hundreds of millions of pounds into the local economy.

Whilst at the site, the Minister announced that the F-35B Lightning has carried out its first trials armed with UK-built weapons out in the US.

The minister also visited Raytheon, where he had the chance to see the cutting-edge capabilities for the British aerospace and defence sectors. The company’s technology is used in some of the most advanced aircraft surveillance and intelligence systems in existence.

This includes the Sentinel, which is one of the UK’s most advanced manned surveillance aircraft, and the closely guarded Shadow special mission aircraft. The Defence Minister’s visit coincided with the company celebrating 10 years of Sentinel and more than 30,000 operational hours.

Defence Minister Stuart Andrew added:

The Sentinel has proved its enormous worth time and time again, from tracking terrorists in Syria and Iraq, to helping provide overseas aid and even mapping flooding here in the UK.

The fact it has now been on operations for over 30,000 hours not only demonstrates how the RAF are working around the clock to put it to use on behalf of the country, but is a testament to its home here in North Wales.

The workers here in Broughton should be extremely proud of the fantastic work they are doing to ensure this ‘eye-in-the-sky’ continues to collect the crucial intelligence our Armed Forces need to keep us safe.

The Sentinel programme has supported more than 200 suppliers across the country, while Raytheon has supported 450 jobs through the supply chain.

On the second day of his tour, the Minister was also given an insight into the important work being done by Kent Periscopes. The company provides the British Army with crucial periscopes for armoured personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles and tanks.

The minister’s final stop involved a visit to Qioptiq, a company that specialises in optics and photonics and provides crucial night vision equipment to UK Armed Forces. Qioptiq’s cutting-edge work supports more than 500 jobs in north Wales.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• The Ministry of Defence spent £945 million with Welsh businesses in 2016/17, equivalent to £300 per person per year. This supports over 6,000 industry jobs Wales provides over 3,000 regulars and reserves to the Armed Forces

• Wales is renowned for its vast training areas for the Army and RAF

• Since the 2015 SDSR we have announced new contracts with industry in Wales supporting operations at RAF Valley, maintaining F35 components at the Defence Electronics and Components Agency, developing a new battlefield communication system in Oakdale, building AJAX vehicles in Merthyr Tydfil and more. Alongside the many SMEs in Wales that equip and support our Armed Forces, these are a testament to the skills of the workforce in Wales.

Dstl has been involved in the development of HMS Queen Elizabeth for the past 20 years, starting with the original study to replace the Invincible light carrier fleet. Dstl helped to define the size and shape of the ship and a specialist team investigated ship-air integration, which supported the design of the flight deck and ski-jump used to launch the F-35B Lightning II fighter jets.

Currently on-board is Dstl operational analyst Tom, who will be joined later in September by Hannah, both of whom will provide vital analysis to the battle group and commanders during the voyage. It will be HMS Queen Elizabeth’s maiden voyage across the Atlantic as she prepares to embark her first F-35B Lightning II fighter jets. She is one of two new aircraft carriers built for the Royal Navy with the second, HMS Prince of Wales, nearing the end of construction in Rosyth.

The aim of the flight trials is to use specially equipped test aircraft and sensors around the ship to work out the operating parameters of the aircraft and the carrier itself in a range of conditions. The carrier has already conducted similar trials for helicopters.

During the exercise, Dstl scientists will focus on operational analysis, gathering data that will be used inform future operational activity.

Tom said:

This is a fantastic opportunity, not only to be part of Dstl’s continued involvement with the carrier, but to join more than 1,000 military personnel on-board. It’s a huge craft and quite daunting – and also the first time I’ve deployed to sea, let alone on the Queen Elizabeth – but I’m very much looking forward to the tasks ahead and hopefully witness the F-35 jets on-board and in action off the flight deck for the first time.

In addition to providing analytic support to the carrier strike group and commanders, analysis will include looking at the way manpower use can be improved, from how efficiently the vessel can be cleaned to the sortie rates the fighter aircraft can carry out.

Tom added:

Analysis at this level has never been done before, so we will be learning on task; helping to adapt and shape the way the ship will run come its first operational deployment in 2021.