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Joint Royal Navy and South Korea patrols to target North Korean smuggling operations 21st November 2023 at 4:00pm

HMS Spey is one of the Royal Navy vessels permanently deployed to the Indo-Pacific
HMS Spey is one of the Royal Navy vessels permanently deployed to the Indo-Pacific (Picture: MOD).

The Royal Navy will work alongside its South Korean counterparts on joint sea patrols to prevent North Korean smuggling operations in the Indo-Pacific region.

A new deal, which will be signed by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday, will reinforce the stances of both nations in their use of sea patrols against North Korea who the UK says is using smugglers to bypass international sanctions and potentially support the development of its nuclear weapons programme. 

A “significant” amount of the smuggling takes place in the East China Sea, where Royal Navy ships have previously deployed and captured evidence of this activity, the Ministry of Defence said.

The signing of the agreement will strengthen the Royal Navy’s presence in the Indo-Pacific. Two Royal Navy vessels, HMS Spey and HMS Tamar, are already permanently deployed to the region.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: “The UK is leading the way in supporting our Korean friends in countering North Korea’s aggressive posturing and ensuring the safety and security of the Indo-Pacific.

“Deepening the ties between the Royal Navy and Republic of Korea Navy, our bilateral defence relationship has never been stronger.”

The Downing Street Accord follows similar agreements with Singapore and Japan, coming as the UK seeks to consolidate influence in the Indo-Pacific.

The agreement will support closer relations between the Royal Navy and South Korean Navy during future cooperation to counter this activity, and will support the security of the Indo-Pacific region.

Sea patrols carried out by the Royal Navy have been instrumental in preventing illegal activities, including smuggling, from going unchallenged in the region.

The announcement of the agreement comes as South Korean President Mr Yoon and his wife make a three-day state visit to the UK.

Watch: Exploring North Korea’s nuclear weapon capability,

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USS Slater (DE-766) is a Cannon-class destroyer escort that served in the United States Navy and later in the Hellenic (Greek) Navy.

USS SLATER Commissioning 1944

Following service during World War II, the ship was transferred to Greece and renamed Aetos. Decommissioned in 1991, the destroyer escort was returned to the United States.

USS Slater is now a museum ship on the Hudson River in Albany, New York, the only one of its kind afloat in the United States. As of 2020, fewer than 12 destroyer escorts survive, with Slater the only one in its wartime configuration.[2][3] Slater was designated a National Historic Landmark on 2 March 2012.[4]

USS Slater was struck by the Hudson River touring ship Dutch Apple on 10 September 2019. A mechanical issue aboard Dutch Apple was to blame for the collision.

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https://ussslater.org/

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Imperial Japanese Navy armoured cruiser Asama, Wellington, New Zealand, 1920s.

 

Japanese sailors entertain Wellingtonians to a display of martial arts on Pipitea Wharf beside the warship Asama. Photographed by an Evening Post staff photographer 2 June 1932.

Photographs and a report of this visit were published in the Evening Post 3 June 1932.

The occasion was the visit of a Japanese naval training squadron to Wellington, New Zealand. The two warships were the Asama and the Iwate. From Wellington the squadron sailed to Suva, Fiji.

Asama (淺間) was the lead ship of her class of armored cruisers (Sōkō jun’yōkan) built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in the late 1890s. As Japan lacked the industrial capacity to build such warships herself, the ship was built in Britain. She served in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05 during which she participated in the Battle of Chemulpo Bay and the Battle of the Yellow Sea without damage, although her luck did not hold out during the Battle of Tsushima. Early in World War I, Asama unsuccessfully searched for German commerce raiders until she was severely damaged when she ran aground off the Mexican coast in early 1915. Repairs took over two years to complete and she was mainly used as a training ship for the rest of her career. The ship made a total of 12 training cruises before she was crippled after running aground again in 1935. Asama then became a stationary training ship until she was broken up in 1946–1947.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_cruiser_Asama

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What makes Israel’s Namer one of the world’s best-protected armoured personnel carriers? 20th November 2023 at 11:59am

Watch: Israel’s Namer, one of the most protected APCs in the world.

Weighing in at approximately 62 tonnes, Israel’s Namer heavy armoured personnel carrier (APC) is massive – but it is also seen as one of the world’s best-protected.

It has been developed for the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) after lessons learned in past conflicts, with an estimated 270 by 2021 having been delivered to the IDF.

Sam Cranny-Evans, an associate fellow from the defence and security think tank Rusi told Forces News that “the big difference between Namer and a conventional Western main battle tank is in the West we still haven’t really let go of the idea that a tank needs to be best protected from the front”.

He added: “Any kind of additional protection around the sides is nice to have but not always essential.

“The Namer is designed to carry much more equal levels of protection around the entire vehicle. It’s designed to withstand a lot greater punishment from any angle that it is attacked.”

Mr Cranny-Evans added: “It probably means that maybe it’s a bit easier to penetrate a Namer than it is a frontal arc of a main battle tank, but it means you have to work quite hard from any angle to penetrate it.”

In the video above, Forces News take a closer look at Israel’s Namer.

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Why the trusty Land Rover is still vital to the Army after 74 years David Sivills-McCann 20th November 2023 at 11:20am

Watch: Why the trusty Land Rover remains a key Army vehicle.

It has been a sturdy servant of the British Army for more than 70 years.

The Land Rover has been a vital part of the force since it first came into service in 1949.

Simple, dependable and a workhorse of the British military, it’s a vehicle that still has a key role to play after all these years.

Many other more sophisticated vehicles have come and gone in that time, but it remains a key part of the Army’s fleet of vehicles.

Major Donald Urquhart from 154 (Scottish) Regiment Royal Logistic Corps said: “They are used in liaison roles as communications vehicles, transport vehicles.

“Currently they are used very much in a training role for deploying and operations. On operations, we generally try and go for an armoured vehicle, so these are training platforms normally carrying radios and command posts.

“In summary why they’re good for the job currently, they’re very, very basic and straightforward. These vehicles are still very successful because they don’t have any electronics on them.

“There’s no electronic control unit so a very straightforward to fix and that’s probably the biggest single strength.”

A Land Rover jeep on exercise Mudmaster in Scotland
The Land Rover is durable, reliable and simple to maintain

The vehicle’s simplicity has been a big part of its longevity in service – something that can be fixed easily and is not too complicated.

However, the soldiers need to know what they are doing to use the Land Rover properly.

The Army tests the skills needed to use these vehicles to their full potential every year in Scotland.

For more than 30 years, Exercise Mudmaster has been putting the Land Rovers and their drivers through their paces.

Exercise Mudmaster Off-road drivers from the Army have been testing their skills
Military and civilian drivers have been practising their off-roading skills on Exercise Mudmaster in Scotland for over 30 years

Officer Cadet Rhona Duncan from Aberdeen Officer Training Corps said: “I’ve always been interested in Land Rovers from a young age.

“If you know it drives properly – it can go everywhere.

“The Mudmaster off-road driving exercise helps with learning all the gearings and when to use low-range, high-range, all the different gears.

“If you’re able to use them effectively and you’ve practised it before then you’ll be more likely to be able to carry out your operations effectively and you’ll be able to know when things might go wrong and mitigate that happening.”

British Army Land Rovers in a trial to test electric power on UK military vehicles
The British Army have been testing out electric powered Land Rovers (Picture: Babcock).

The Land Rover was inspired by the military jeeps of the Second World War, but was initially designed for farming and industrial use.

But with some changes, these vehicles became a key part of the force and after seven decades of service they are still valued by the soldiers who use them today.

Lieutenant Tim Johnston from 157 (Welsh) Regiment RLC said: “They are a great platform for training. Great off-road and easy to repair. 

“All soldiers have been trained in basic training how to use the vehicle off-road and Mudmaster offers a great opportunity to put those skills to use and develop them further for operations.”

The Land Rover, with a few modifications over the years, has been a constant in the British Army.

It’s a simple and durable bit of kit that is difficult to replace – even after 74 years.

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Cold weather gear, more rockets and bombs included in new $100M aid package to Ukraine By DOUG G. WARE STARS AND STRIPES • November 20, 2023

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Bravo Battery, 1-3 Field Artillery, 17th Field Artillery Battalion stage their M142 HIMARS at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, on Oct. 31, 2023.

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Bravo Battery, 1-3 Field Artillery, 17th Field Artillery Battalion stage their M142 HIMARS at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, on Oct. 31, 2023. (Cera L. Rodney/U.S. Army)

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon announced a new aid package for Ukraine on Monday that includes more weapons and cold weather gear as the country’s fight with Russia approaches its second winter, officials said.

The Defense Department said the new package is worth as much as $100 million and includes missiles, small-arms ammunition and 155mm artillery shells, which have been in short supply.

“This package includes additional air defense capabilities, artillery ammunition, anti-tank weapons and other equipment to help Ukraine defend its sovereign territory and fight for its freedom from Russia’s ongoing war of aggression,” the department said.

The new package comes from presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to take the items from its shelves and send them to Ukraine on an emergency basis.

Although funding for Ukraine is drying up at the Pentagon, an accounting error earlier this year added roughly $6 billion to the available money pool.

Once the remaining funds are spent, any new money to help Ukraine would have to be authorized by Congress, which is something President Joe Biden and Democrats and many Republicans are currently working on.

“Security assistance for Ukraine is a smart investment in our national security,” the Defense Department said in a statement Monday. “It helps to prevent a larger conflict in the region and deter potential aggression elsewhere, while strengthening our defense industrial base and creating highly skilled jobs for the American people in dozens of states across the country.”

“It is critical that Congress take action to support Ukraine by passing the president’s supplemental funding request,” the department added.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the United States has given the Eastern European country about $44.2 billion in military aid, the Pentagon said.

Monday’s package came on the same day Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a surprise visit to Kyiv in a show of support.

“I was honored to meet with President [Volodymyr Zelensky] in Kyiv (Monday) to reaffirm the United States’ steadfast support for Ukraine,” Austin said. “We, along with our allies and partners, will continue to support Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs and long-term defense requirements.”

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Folorunso Abdul, a field artillery cannoneer with 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, prepares to load an M777 towed 155mm howitzer during exercise Rolling Thunder on Fort Liberty, N.C., Oct. 16, 2023.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Folorunso Abdul, a field artillery cannoneer with 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, prepares to load an M777 towed 155mm howitzer during exercise Rolling Thunder on Fort Liberty, N.C., Oct. 16, 2023. (Grace Stover/U.S. Marine Corps)

Included in Monday’s aid package to Ukraine:

  • Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.
  • A High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and ammunition.
  • 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds.
  • Tube-launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles.
  • Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems.
  • More than 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition.
  • Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing.
  • Cold weather gear.
  • Spare parts, maintenance and other ancillary equipment.
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Doug G. Ware covers the Department of Defense at the Pentagon. He has many years of experience in journalism, digital media and broadcasting and holds a degree from the University of Utah. He is based in Washington, D.C.

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Australia accuses China of unsafe conduct after RAN divers injured – 20 NOVEMBER 2023 | By: Robert Dougherty

HMAS Toowoomba returns to Fleet Base West in Rockingham, Western Australia after returning from deployment. Photo: CPOIS Yuri Ramsey.

The federal government has accused the People’s Republic of China of unsafe and unprofessional conduct after Royal Australian Navy divers were injured by a People’s Liberation Army-Navy destroyer in international waters.

The crew of Anzac Class frigate HMAS Toowoomba suffered minor injuries after being exposed to sonar pulses from hull-mounted sonar on the Chinese destroyer operating within international waters, inside of Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, on 14 November.

HMAS Toowoomba had been undertaking operations in support of United Nations-sanctioned enforcement when it stopped to begin diving operations in order to clear fishing nets that had become entangled around its propellers.

While diving operations were underway, a PLA-N destroyer (DDG-139) operating in the vicinity closed towards HMAS Toowoomba. HMAS Toowoomba communicated its intention to conduct diving operations on normal maritime channels and used internationally recognised signals. It advised the PLA-N destroyer that diving operations were being conducted and requested the ship keep clear.

The Chinese vessel approached at a closer range and was detected operating its hull-mounted sonar in an unsafe and unprofessional manner that posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers who were forced to exit the water.

Medical assessments conducted after the divers exited the water identified they had sustained minor injuries likely due to being subjected to the sonar pulses from the Chinese destroyer.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles said safety and wellbeing of Australian Defence Force personnel continues to be of the utmost priority.

“The Australian government has expressed its serious concerns to the Chinese government following an unsafe and unprofessional interaction with a People’s Liberation Army Navy destroyer,” he said.

“The interaction with HMAS Toowoomba occurred in international waters, inside of Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

“The safety and wellbeing of our ADF personnel is our utmost priority.

“Australia expects all countries, including China, to operate their militaries in a professional and safe manner.

“Defence has for decades undertaken maritime surveillance activities in the region and does so in accordance with international law, exercising the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in international and airspace.”

Shadow Minister for Defence Andrew Hastie also condemned the actions of the People’s Liberation Army-Navy after the Royal Australian Navy divers on HMAS Toowoomba were injured in international waters.

“While the responsibility is solely on the Chinese PLA Navy, the Albanese government also has some serious questions to answer,” he said.

“Reports that the Prime Minister knew about this incident and deliberately withheld information until after leaving for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit are, if true, outrageous and unacceptable.

“The Prime Minister must explain why he chose to wait until after he left the country to disclose this information, and whether he raised it directly with President Xi Jinping at APEC.

“What we continue to see from the Prime Minister and his Labor government is a lack of leadership and a lack of action.

“In a week in which the government has failed its most basic task – to keeping Australians safe – the Albanese government has again proved that it can’t be trusted on national security.

“We have always said that we will judge the Chinese Communist Party on their actions rather than their words, and this provocative behaviour contradicts the government’s belief they are witnessing a stabilisation of the relationship with China. This incident is evidence to the contrary.

“The Prime Minister must immediately disclose whether he raised this matter with President Xi, or whether it was withheld for expedient political purposes. Any failure to do so would rightly raise questions around Anthony Albanese’s ability to lead our nation.”

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