July 2016 - United Kingdom Special Weapons News

Theresa May delays China-France nuclear plant at Hinkley Point Press TV 31 Jul 2016 -- British Prime Minister Theresa May has personally intervened to delay the construction of a controversial nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point C to further review the costly project.
UK-led high-readiness force trains in inaugural exercise UK MOD 29 Jul 2016 -- British military personnel have taken part in the first ever exercise to train a UK-led high-readiness joint force. 1600 UK personnel took part in Exercise Joint Venture at RAF St Mawgan, in Cornwall which tested the force headquarters to make sure they're ready to deploy under the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).
UK Ready to Grow Defense Budget Even Further For New $240Mln Naval Gun Sputnik 28 Jul 2016 -- Defense Ministry said that UK's growing military budget can accommodate a new weapons system worth over $240.6 million, to be fitted on the next-generation Global Combat Ship.
£183 million deal for new gun on Type 26 Global Combat Ship sustains 43 skilled UK jobs UK MOD 28 Jul 2016 -- The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has signed a £183 million contract for a weapons system which will sit on board the Royal Navy's new next generation Type 26 Global Combat Ship.
UK Supplied $4Bln Worth of Arms to Saudi Arabia in 1st Year of Yemen Conflict Sputnik 27 Jul 2016 -- London sold arms for over than 3 billion pounds ($3.9 billion) worth to Saudi Arabia during the first year of the Yemeni conflict, according to local media.
Update: air strikes against Daesh UK MOD 25 Jul 2016 -- British forces have continued to conduct air operations in the fight against Daesh
Sturgeon vows to protect Scotland's interests in EU Press TV 25 Jul 2016 -- Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland needs to keep "all options open" to protect the nation's place and interests in the European Union following the June 23 referendum to leave the bloc.
Scotland's Independence From UK Only Option to Ensure Post-Brexit Certainty Sputnik 25 Jul 2016 -- Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Monday that the country's independence from the United Kingdom could be the option that would ensure certainty and stability after Brexit.
Tensions Heat Up Between NATO Allies as Spain and UK Spat Over Gibraltar Sputnik 24 Jul 2016 -- Simmering tensions between two NATO allies, Spain and the United Kingdom, over Gibraltar have flared up this week after a British nuclear submarine and a merchant vessel were involved in what the UK Defense Ministry described as a "glancing collision" 3.3 nautical miles from the coast of the peninsula that locals affectionately call the Rock.
No Isolationist Path for Britain, Johnson Insists VOA 22 Jul 2016 -- British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Friday that his country's planned departure from the European Union did not mean it was following an isolationist path.
French president calls for Brexit talks as soon as possible Press TV 21 Jul 2016 -- French President Francois Hollande says Brexit talks must start "as soon as possible," stressing that Britain should not have access to the European Union's single market unless it allows free movement of EU workers.
UK Sub Collides With Merchant Ship in Gibraltar Waters Sputnik 21 Jul 2016 -- A British sub collided with a merchant vessel off the coast of Gibraltar while performing a training exercise, the UK Defense Ministry informed.
Royal Navy statement: 20 July 2016 UK MOD 20 Jul 2016 -- At approximately 1330 local time today, HMS Ambush, an Astute-class submarine, while submerged and conducting a training exercise was involved in a glancing collision with a merchant vessel off the coast of Gibraltar.
Update: air strikes against Daesh UK MOD 20 Jul 2016 -- British forces have continued to conduct air operations in the fight against Daesh
Defence Secretary underlines UK commitment on US visit UK MOD 20 Jul 2016 -- In his first visit to the US since the forming of the new Government, Michael Fallon met with Counter-Daesh coalition partners.
Joint Press Availability With U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson US Dept. of State 19 Jul 2016 -- Remarks by John Kerry, Secretary of State
The UK decides to renew continuous at sea deterrent UK MOD 19 Jul 2016 -- Defence Secretary Michael Fallon welcomes decision to renew the UK's continuous at sea deterrent.
British Parliament Votes to Renew Trident Nuclear Arms Program Sputnik 19 Jul 2016 -- With a vote of 472 to 117, British lawmakers approved the modernization of the country's aging nuclear weapons system and will add four new nuclear submarines to its fleet.
May Calls on UK to Maintain Commitment to Trident Nuclear Deterrent Sputnik 18 Jul 2016 -- UK Prime Minister Theresa May called on the United Kingdom on Monday to maintain commitment to its Trident nuclear deterrent program, expressing confidence that the country's lawmakers would vote in favor of renewing the program.
UK Has No Contingency Plans for Moving Trident Out of Scotland Sputnik 18 Jul 2016 -- There are no contingency plans for moving the Trident nuclear deterrent program from Scotland amid calls for a second independence referendum, UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said Monday.
May urged to delay vote on 'immoral' Trident Press TV 17 Jul 2016 -- The Scottish National Party (SNP) has called on new British Prime Minister Theresa May to delay a parliamentary vote on the renewal of Trident, saying it is wrong to spend billions of pounds to expand the country's "immoral" nuclear weapons program.
Update: air strikes against Daesh UK MOD 14 Jul 2016 -- British forces have continued to conduct air operations in the fight against Daesh
Despite Putin Jibes, Russia Places Hope In 'Brexiteer' Boris Johnson RFE/RL 14 Jul 2016 -- In a single sentence, he once called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "manipulative tyrant" and likened him to the big-eared, bug-eyed "house elf" from the Harry Potter series. But the surprise appointment of Boris Johnson to head the British Foreign Office is being cautiously welcomed by Moscow -- and his predecessor's exit pointedly cheered.
Kerry Congratulates New British Foreign Secretary Johnson As Others React To Appointment RFE/RL 14 Jul 2016 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has called British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to congratulate him on his new post and to urge "a sensible and measured approach" to the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union.
US Pledges Close Cooperation with Britain's New Cabinet VOA 14 Jul 2016 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson have pledged to work closely together as NATO allies to address challenges and meet responsibilities around the world, according to the State Department.
Theresa May formally confirmed as new British Prime Minister Press TV 13 Jul 2016 -- Theresa May has been confirmed as the new British Prime Minister by Queen Elizabeth ll, replacing David Cameron as head of the UK government.
Theresa May Confirmed as Britain's Prime Minister VOA 13 Jul 2016 -- Queen Elizabeth has confirmed Theresa May as Britain's prime minister and invited her to form a new government, after the monarch accepted the resignation Wednesday of David Cameron at Buckingham Palace.
UK Space Agency Invests $5.4Mln in National Propulsion Test Facility Sputnik 12 Jul 2016 -- According to the agency statement, UK Space Agency is investing 4.12 million pounds ($5.4 million at the current exchange rates) in National Propulsion Test Facility that would be used for tests of space technologies.
Update: air strikes against Daesh UK MOD 11 Jul 2016 -- British forces have continued to conduct air operations in the fight against Daesh
HMS Mersey to extend Royal Navy presence in Aegean UK MOD 09 Jul 2016- - Michael Fallon has authorised the deployment of HMS Mersey to the Aegean. The Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has authorised the deployment of HMS Mersey to the Aegean in support of NATO activity to counter migration.
Defence Secretary welcomes vote on CASD UK MOD 09 Jul 2016 -- The Defence Secretary has welcomed the announcement that the Government will hold a full Parliamentary debate on the principle of Continuous at Sea Deterrence (CASD) on Monday 18th July 2016.
Defence Secretary welcomes increased support for Afghanistan UK MOD 09 Jul 2016 -- The Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has authorised an uplift to the UK's enduring commitment to Afghanistan. Around 50 extra personnel will deploy to Kabul in 2017, joining the 450 British troops already in country.
Ban on women in ground close combat roles lifted UK MOD 08 Jul 2016 -- Women to be allowed to serve on the front line in ground close combat roles for the first time.
UK to enhance NATO's ability to rapidly respond to threats UK MOD 08 Jul 2016 -- Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has authorised a package of defence support to allies in the East of Europe. The Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has authorised a package of defence support to allies in the East of Europe as they face threats such as aggression from Russia.
Defenders, Critics Stand Their Ground Following British Iraq Report VOA 06 Jul 2016 -- Western reaction to Britain's 6,000-page report on the Iraq war reflects the remorse of hindsight, but leaders who played a part in going to war are standing by their decisions.
Blair says to "take full responsibility" for any mistakes over Iraq war People's Daily 06 Jul 2016 -- Former British prime minister Tony Blair said he will "take full responsibility for any mistakes without exception or excuse" over the Iraq war, after the publication of a long-awaited inquiry into the war on Wednesday.
Invasion of Iraq made world 'a better place': Blair Press TV 06 Jul 2016 -- Former British prime minister Tony Blair has defied the findings of an scathing inquiry into his decision to assist the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, saying the war has made the world a "better place."
Invasion of Iraq based on false perceptions: Cameron Press TV 06 Jul 2016 -- UK Prime Minister David Cameron has responded to the Chilcot Inquiry into Britain's role in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, saying Britain must never repeat the mistakes of the Iraq war.
Chilcot Inquiry: Iraq war 'unnecessary,' military action 'not last resort' Press TV 06 Jul 2016 -- A long-delayed inquiry into Britain's role in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq has offered a scathing critique of the military intervention, slamming former British prime minister Tony Blair for being too eager to support then US president George W. Bush.
British Inquiry Finds Iraq War 'Went Badly Wrong' VOA 06 Jul 2016 -- The invasion of Iraq 13 years ago by an American- and British-led coalition was "unnecessary" and Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein represented "no imminent threat" to Britain or the Western powers, according to a long-awaited official report into Britain's involvement in the Iraq War.
Statement by Sir John Chilcot: 6 July 2016 Iraq Inquiry 06 Jul 2016 -- "In 2003, for the first time since the Second World War, the United Kingdom took part in an invasion and full-scale occupation of a sovereign State. (...) We have concluded that the UK chose to join the invasion of Iraq before the peaceful options for disarmament had been exhausted. Military action at that time was not a last resort."
U.K.'s Chilcot Inquiry Issues Damning Findings On Iraq War 06 Jul 2016 -- A seven-year public inquiry ordered by the British government into the circumstances and "lessons" of the 2003 invasion of Iraq has concluded that the country's leadership went to war "before the peaceful options for disarmament had been exhausted" and based on flawed intelligence and "wholly inadequate" planning.
Update: air strikes against Daesh UK MOD 05 Jul 2016 -- British forces have continued to conduct air operations in the fight against Daesh
F-35B Lightning II visits new homes for the first time UK MOD 02 Jul 2016 -- Friday 1st July 2016 marks an historic day for the UK as the future of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force combat air fleets, the F-35B Lightning II, flew over their prospective 'homes'; HMS Queen Elizabeth, HMS Prince of Wales in Rosyth and RAF Marham in Norfolk.
Political Knives Flashing as Brexit Fallout Turns Allies into Foes VOA 01 Jul 2016 -- "Tory Day of Treachery" was the headline blazoned across Friday's front page of the Daily Mail, an influential middle-market British tabloid that campaigned vigorously to break with the European Union.
UK High Court to Start Legal Review of Country's Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia Sputnik 01 Jul 2016 -- The High Court of Justice of England and Wales has allowed to start a legal review of country's arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

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July 2016 - United Kingdom Special Weapons News