Cold wars suddenly got colder - Official .. Re - run those reels won't yah ?

This is a copy of the post made on December 3rd 2006. - we referred to remarks by Senator Lugar in our post on Saturday European Energy security exposed by events in Georgia - and winter is 2/3 months away - UK decades of delay ... A kind visitor remembered this post and suggested it was repeated 20 months later. Oil was then around US$60 a barrel and in the US Regular Unleaded gas was US$2.10 at the pump ... As we remarked then .. he highlighted that we live in a much changed .. and rapidly changing world of energy flows.

Mobile Topol-M ballistic missile
Lord Patel met Senator Richard Lugar , Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations committe at Purdue this summer, whilst his immediate interest was to boondoggle for his home state Indiana's share of ethanol subsidies he made some trenchant remarks about energy security in the modern world.

He is a tough, shrewd, worldly wise politician who is now bowing out from centre stage. Following his summertime remarks in Purdue, he made a chracteristically blunt (but unremarked ) speech at the Marshall Fund conference in Riga, in Latvia in advance of the NATO summit. In the light of Turkmenbashis's death it is worth considering. Full text at US Embassy

NATO he points out is bigger, it is busier than ever. That is not a guarantee however of security in a global world - when NATO was originally forged to deal with the defence of Europe from the Warsaw Pact countries. He dwelt at some length on the role of NATO in Afghanistan ...

"Although the hunt for al-Qaeda terrorists continues, the primary threat to the stability of Afghanistan is Taliban insurgents who are challenging ISAF in greater numbers, sowing dissent among Afghanis, cooperating with the bourgeoning narcotics trade, and complicating security efforts in ways that inhibit the rule of law and reconstruction."

He pointed out that whatever the political will, action was dependent upon expenditure ..

"To overcome these challenges and similar ones, we must reverse the downward spiral of defense budgets. Only a handful of members spend more than 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense. Good intentions can only carry a military force so far ..."

He pointed out what many in the US see as the foot dragging of NATO nations ..

"It is imperative that NATO fulfills its commitments to Afghanistan. The Alliance has found it difficult to generate the political will to meet NATO objectives.....Unfortunately, NATO capitals are making the military mission even more difficult by placing national caveats on the use of their forces. These restrictions, coupled with troop shortages, are making ISAF a less cohesive and capable force."

He moved on and marked the " Centrality of Energy" to the NATO mission, to prevent wars and not fight them. He then outlined a key problem which a less than united Europe should consider..

" In the coming decades, the most likely source of armed conflict in the European theater and the surrounding regions will be energy scarcity and manipulation. It would be irresponsible for NATO to decline involvement in energy security, when it is abundantly apparent that the jobs, health, and security of our modern economies and societies depend on the sufficiency and timely availability of diverse energy resources."

" .... our experiences provide little reason to be confident that market rationality will be the governing force behind energy policy and transactions."

He then highlighted that we live in a much changed .. and rapidly changing world of energy flows.

"As recently as four years ago, spare production capacity exceeded world oil consumption by about ten percent. As world demand for oil has rapidly increased in the last few years, spare capacity has declined to two percent or less. Thus, even minor disruptions of oil supply can drive up prices."

He continued, to describe what he was to call geo-strategic blackmail.

"We are used to thinking in terms of conventional warfare between nations, but energy could become the weapon of choice for those who possess it. It may seem to be a less lethal weapon than military force, but a natural gas shutdown to a European country in the middle of winter could cause death and economic loss on the scale of a military attack."

he then warmed to the core of his concerns, which affects NATO and their allies.

"We must move now to address our energy vulnerability. "

"Article Five of the NATO Charter identifies an attack on one member as an attack on all.....We should recognize that there is little ultimate difference between a member being forced to submit to foreign coercion because of an energy cutoff and a member facing a military blockade or other military demonstration on its borders."

Addressing the concerns about Rusia he called for dialogue ..

"I believe that Russia has a long-term interest in achieving a more prosperous stability that comes with greater investment in its energy sector and the development of a reputation as a trusted supplier. But its recent actions to temporarily reduce gas supplies to the West, confiscate some foreign energy investments, and create further barriers to new investment are undermining confidence in Moscow’s reliability. "

Remember ....this was before Gazprom successfully strong armed Shell over Sakhalin and Tblisi gave in on a new price for gas from next week.

He concluded ..

"I understand that adopting energy security as a mission is a major advancement from NATO’s origins. But it represents an historic opportunity to change the circumstances of geopolitics to the benefit of all members".

Meanwhile the first regiment of Topol-M mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) went on active duty in the Ivanovo region in central Russia this month and received a visit from President Vladimir Putin on 14 December 2006. He called the deployment a "significant step forward in improving our defense capabilities".(see exclusive pic)

"Maintaining a strategic balance will mean that our strategic deterrent forces should be able to guarantee the neutralization of any potential aggressor, no matter what modern weapon systems he possesses," Putin said.

The state-of-the-art mobile Topol-M ballistic missile, with a liftoff weight of 47.2 tonnes, a range of more than 10,000 kilometers and capability of carrying a 1,200-kilogram warhead, which is immune to electromagnetic impulses is a valuable reminder of the uncreasingly tough competition between the great powers for unimpeded access to raw materials, including energy resources.

On 15 December 2006 Colonel-General Nikolai Solovtsov, commander or Russia's Strategic Missile Forces,said "We will begin to equip the Topol-M mobile missile system with multiple re-entry vehicles in a few years."

Ukraine's Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych had a visitor to discuss gas supplies for winter this week. President Putin.

Grim future for the Reaper - crashed in Afghanistan, short of money in Whitehall- Watchkeeper along real soon now

The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, the most recent model based on the Predator is described as a hunter killer unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It has been operation in Afghanistan since its inaugural flight on September 26th last year. At the time Gen. T. Michael Moseley, US Air Force chief of staff. "We've taken these aircraft from performing mainly as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms to carrying out true hunter-killer missions." ( Gen. T. Michael Moseley lost his job was sackedthis week partly due to rsistance to deploying UAV's and also losing atomic bombs.)

Like the Predator, the Reaper is launched, recovered and maintained at deployed locations in theatre, while being remotely operated by pilots and sensor operators 7,000 miles (11,300km) away, at the US Air Force's Creech airbase in Nevada USA.

The MQ-9 has nearly nine times the range, can fly twice as high and carries more munitions - notably , 4 Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, plus two Raytheon 500lb (226kg) Paveway II-class laser-guided bombs. (see pic)

Now this week Caroline Wyatt of the BBC reports on the role of the RAF operating the single current Reaper they have in Afghanistan. One of the 3 units which the UK's Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, who was in Kandahar at the time of their delivery described as ""major milestone for the RAF, which will significantly enhance the U.K.'s surveillance capability in Afghanistan," referring to the ISTAR capability - Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance.

They also make a major dent in the pocket at £5Mn each plus base kit bringing the bill for 3 units to £50Mn. Now 44 RAF crew from RAF 39 Squadron also help fly the one RAF Reaper curently airborne - apparently they also "help fly the US's Predator surveillance aircraft from their base in the Nevada desert". They rely on the the Skynet 5 satelites another of those wonderful private finance initiatives, earning their owner a modest pittance no doubt. The MoD wanted its own satellites, but had no money to pay for them to be built, nor any cash to run them.

Skynet 5 is unusual (up to date) among UK military equipment as it has been provided under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI). The £3.6bn satellites and supporting infrastructure are owned by Paradigm Communications, which bought them using City money.The similiar plan for tankers is as they say,..."on hold".

One of the initial brace of RAF Reapers met its nemesis on Apri l9th this year. At the time the MoD said the vehicle "made a forced landing whilst on an operation over a remote unpopulated area of southern Afghanistan. Sensitive items were recovered and the remaining wreckage was destroyed. The reason for the forced landing is under investigation; however, mechanical issues are suspected." (The U.S. Air Force lost two Predator MQ-1s in the space of one week in April in Iraq).

To keep it's technical secrets from the Taliban (and onward sale) it had to be destroyed. (See Hercules in Maysan)

The third wonderbird is due to be delivered in January, while a replacement for the lost plane is also on order. Order for 10 more have been placed perhaps to be followed by orders for more of the toys vital airborne surveillance units.However recent "MOD funding crises" may mean a cut back on this order.

Not only can the Reaper, "loiter above a potential target, for example the home of an insurgent commander, for hours on end, watching the pattern of life and ensuring that the target individual is in the building and - just as importantly - there aren't innocent people in there as well, " eco warriors will be relieved to know that it is eco-friendly - Caroline was told that "Thanks to their light weight and big wings, they burn just 25lb (11kg) of fuel per hour." A massive cost saving considering the price of gas these days.

Reapers cannot fly at all times .. theyare limited. Ceilings of 6,000 feet or less will prevent collection during mission, headwind of 35 knots, tailwind of 3 knots, and crosswind of 20 knots and higher level speeds exceeding 50 knots or when (as is not unusual in mountainous Afghanistan) lightning within 10 nautical miles and ground ice conditions all prevent use.

As well as the the Reaper, the RAF use several Isaeli Elbit-built Hermes 450 UAVs operating in Afghanistan under a novel pay-as-you-fly arrangement with contractor Thales UK. This was yet another. " make do and mend " as they wait around for the much vaunted British Army's Watchkeeper UAV program.

Watchkeeper - a modified Hermes 450, is due in service in late 2010, although work is under way to see if the system can be introduced earlier. The National Audit Office report lists the forecast cost of the prgram as £901m. For this sum, the British army will receive just 54 robot aircraft, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Tax payers might note that when available the long awaited (since 2000 delayed in January 2005 for shortage of MOD cash "initial operating capability in early 2006 ") Watchkeeper (watched over by Air Commodore ‘Flash’ Gordon RAF MBE MBA MA FCIPD the UK Ministry of Defence’s Director Equipment Capability ISTAR)will not be a British aircraft. (See Hansard Jan 2003)

Main contractor Thales UK (French owned) admits it will be using French expertise in the Watchkeeper's I-MASTER radar, and the drone's airframe, electro-optics and engine tech all come from Israel originally.The Thales team also includes QinetiQ, Aerosystems International, Thales Sensors, Thales Defence Information Systems and Thales Optronics. The UK engine making firm will remain fully Israeli owned, and the U-Tacs joint venture between Thales and Israel's Elbit (UAV Tactical Systems) will be 51% Israeli - thus, Israeli controlled. This led to problems and delays because Thales had problems obtaining US export licences for the Ice Management System using an innovative electro-expulsive de-icing system (EEDS) because of the Israeli involvement.

Ground and flight testing for Project Watchkeeper will be handled by Qinetiq,and be based at the MOD site at ParcAberporth where the Army have been trying (with notabkle lack of succes) to design and build UAVs for decades. Rhodri Morgan First Minister of the Welsh Assembly, was ecstatic when this was announced just in time for Christmas last year ..." test and evaluation in Wales reinforces the role of ParcAberporth as a site of worldwide importance for unmanned system development,"

Britain's only other tactical UAV, the Phoenix, was pensioned off in January.
UPDATE Sunday 8th June

A Daily Mail article claims that the team have had a kill - Sources at the Ministry of Defence said the strike, which took place in the last ten days, killed a 'high value' Taliban target, but officials would not confirm the insurgent's identity - see "snuff" pictures.

They also report that the RAF is due to buy its own control system for the Reapers, and in future the drones will be 'flown' by aircrew based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire.

Schematic diagram and lurid pictures here

The Bristol Belvedere, Britain's Chinook flew 50 years ago....

It is necessary when visiting the Manchester Museum of Science and Technology to go on the right day.

In a small and cramped aviation section is a fascinating bit of aeronautical history, the first and only twin rotor helicopter flown by the British Army. This is the Bristol 192 , (XG454)*** the final successor from a line of prototypes started before Westland took over the helicopter division of Bristol aircraft.

The Bristol 192 (AKA Bristol Belvedere) was the production version of Model 191 for RAF use with two cabin windows only, starboard cargo hatch, cargo hoist beneath fuselage, large anhedralled tailplane and powered by two 1465shp Napier Gazelle turboshafts. The first flew nearly 50 years ago on (Prot. XG447 FF) 5 Jul. 1958. 26 built were eventually built. (XG447 was broken up at Boscombe Down on 7th August 1966)

As the Westland Belvedere this entered service with the Royal Air Force, though this was only after the 191 and 193 had been cancelled by the RAF and Royal Canadian Air Force respectively. The 192 was powered by two Napier Gazelle Series 2 engines derated to 920shp.

As the 192C it was tested by BEA and offered its 24 passengers a unique high-speed service between London and Paris.

On May 30, 1961, C T D Hosegood flew from city centre London to Paris in 1 hour 41 min 28 sec and on June 2, 1961, from Paris to London in 1 hour 40 mm 55 sec. This is the equivalent of 202.32km/h outwards and 203.51 km/h on the return flight.

Technical data for Bristol "Belvedere" HC.1

Engine: 2 x Napier Gazelle N.Ga.2 turboshafts, rated at 1092KW, rotor diameter: 14.91m, length with rotors turning: 27.36m, height: 5.26m, max take-off weight: 9072kg, empty weight: 5277kg, max cruising speed: 222km/h, service ceiling: 7,000 m, range with 2722kg payload (3 tonnes !) : 720 km . It could carry (and did) 18 fully equipped troops with a total load capacity of 6,000 lb. The two rotors were synchronised through a shaft allowing the aircraft to operate through only one engine in the event of an emergency - a world first.

This aircraft was not without problems, but it saw service in many theatres and 66 Sqn, RAF Seletar, Singapore operated the last operational Belvedere Sqn from 1967 to its disbandment in 1969. This aircraft was a very difficult aircraft both to maintain and to fly, but proved to be very successfull with the army in Malaya and supported the army on all there major excercises.This was the only heavy lift helicopter in service at that time and 66Sqn operated 12 aircraft until their final disbandment.

It is interesting to comopare with the Boeing CH-47A Chinook which entered service in Vietnam with the U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Division in late 1965. The CH-47B was the standard troop transport used by the U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam.

Current Chinooks can carry 28,000 lbs of cargo = 13,600 Kg with a cruise speed of 220KM/hr and a service ceiling of 5640 m and range of 700 km.

Another opportunity for the post war British aircraft industry squandered.

***XG454 is the seventh pre-production Belvedere, and was built at Weston-super-Mare in July 1960. It entered service with the Belvedere Trials Unit (BTU) at Odiham on 17th October 1960, but suffered a category 3 flying accident on 22 November. Repairs were completed at 71 Maintenance Unit by March 1961, but on 30 August ‘XG454' crashed a second time. This was during a practice flight for the SBAC Farnborough Air Show. Damage was classed as category 5, which meant that the Belvedere was considered irreparable. As a result ‘XG454' was sent to the Army Air Training and Development Centre, at Old Sarum, to be used as an instructional airframe.

On 15 October 1964, however, it was decided that ‘XG454' should be returned to Weston-super-Mare for rebuilding prior to joining the Ministry of Technology’s trials fleet.

In 1968, ‘XG454' was moved to RAF Abingdon to form part of the RAF’s 50th anniversary aircraft display, after which it was moved to Henlow for storage. On 4 November 1982, ‘XG454' was moved to Manchester .

If you want to know how to build the Airfix kit go here

HMS Superb - well not quite. Far called our navies melt away...

The Times/Sun report today that a watchman fell asleep while on duty on 32 year old nuclear submarine HMS Superb whilst it was docked at the Faslane naval base on the River Clyde in January . It is claimed that the watchman had been drinking lager and was found asleep in front of a DVD.

The sleepy DVD watching, drinking sailor was removed from the crew and is now awaiting court-martial.

In an extraordinary piece of mobile phone footage (link) obtained by The Sun a commander on the vessel identified by the paper as Geordie, Executive Officer Lieutenant Commander John Aitken, is seen and heard lambasting the crew the next day: “The incident last night is entirely . . . unacceptable.” ...
“We cannot have idiotic incidents like this undermining the safety of HMS Superb, or, indeed, all on board on it,” he is heard saying. BBC have the footage also and provide a transcripit from the Geordie of the more expletive loaded remonstration.

"Getting your f***ing napper down while watching a f***ing DVD and swigging lager isn't accepting responsibility for your shipmates.

"It's throwing that responsibility away and saying, to me - I don't give a f*** what happens to my mates on board the boat and I don't give a f*** what happens to the boat.

"That's the worst example I can f***ing think of, but it stirs up some of the other things that have been going on." .

HMS Superb a 272 foot long Swiftsure-class attack submarine with a crew of 112, hit an underwater pinnacle 80 miles south of Suez. on Monday May 27th damaging its sonar equipment, forcing it to surface. The commanding officer is Steve Drysdale from Miskin, near Llantrisant, Wales , he took command in December 2006 and was previously on sister ships HMS Sovereign and HMS Spartan....His interests include sailing dinghies and yachts.

An MoD spokesman the following day said the submarine's nuclear reactor was "completely unaffected" and there was "no environmental impact" from the collision.

"There were no casualties and the submarine remains watertight, is safe on the surface and able to operate under her own power." It was also revealed the vessel could not dive and the Royal navy were examinignmethods to return the vessel for repair.

HMS Superb was built by Vickers Shipbuilding at Barrow and commissioned in 1976. In 2001 she was deployed in support of operations in Afghanistan and was on counter-terrorism duties in 2006.

HMS Superb had a 7 month refit and extensive maintenance in 06/07 and did operational sea trials in August last year.

Some reports suggest that as a result of this accident it will be scrapped. HMS Superb stopped at Gibralter in early May which was the cause of much criticism by an noisy ecological group led by Antonio Muñoz spokesperson for Verdemar ‘Ecologistas en Acción’ .

This week a group called The Voice of Gibraltar said they would welcome HMS Superb returning for repair but say rather sourly ..."We consider it more likely that a repair will be effected in the UK, as the Ministry of Defence has run down its facilities on the Rock in a 'penny pinching' cost-cutting exercise to the level that they need to import generators to provide shore power for visiting ships. "

There is a very interesting video news report from Russia Today about the HMS Superb crash which mentions the onboard Tomahawk missiles and the unknown reason why the vessel was in the Red Sea. It is possible given the recent re-fit that these would be the Block IV long range (1,500 km plus ?) Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM) test fired in March 2007 , at the time the MOD said they were ,"due to enter service with the Royal Navy in 2008 and will be used to equip the RN's existing attack submarines and the new astute class."

Lord Drayson said of the 64 Raytheon missiles bought for £70 Mn that they were,"a tangible demonstration of our ability to deliver precision attack at long range against selected targets. They will give the Royal Navy a world class capability and the ability to pre-position the missile covertly in our attack submarines gives enormous flexibility to our forces."

See post announcing fitting these missiles Friday, April 04, 2008 Royal Navy's new Yankee £1.5Mn. firecrackers now defending freedom , fighting global terrism,making profits for Raytheon

Anyway however world class the Royal navy's capability and the ability to pre-position the missile covertly in our attack submarines giving enormous flexibility to our forces it won't be being done by HMS Superb in the near future.

Typhoon production to be halted, one carrier scrapped.

The decision has been made that the third tranche of the Typhoon will not be going ahead and one of the planned aircraft carriers will be scrapped.... or at least introduction delayed ...er .... indefinitely.

This will be announced next Friday the day the Crewe and Nantwich results are announced.

There will be an intensive "review" of the SVTOL JSF for the remaining carrier.

Sell BAe (466.75) and Rolls Royce (439.25).

Major General Tim Cross - crucified .. or he fucking well ought to be

Major General Tim Cross,CBE, the most senior British officer involved with Jay Garner and one of his three deputies within the Pentagon's Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance is mentioned once in Paul "Call me Jerry" Bremer's " My Year in IRAQ". He appears once in it's pages, on Page 17 his presence is noted at the first meeting of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad. He apparently had an impressive history in logistics and He became the first Commander Logistic Support of 3 (UK) Division in preparation for the formation of the Royal Logistic Corps in April 1993.

It was at this meeting (described on Page 19) that "Jerry" told them that he was going to introduce an order on De-Baatification - anathematised by General Janus Jackson - "Jerry" doesn't record that there was a single peep of resistance to the idea.

On Page 20 he records at the end of the meeting..."Some .. at the table looked inspired some faces showed no emotion and a few seemed dubious" Who knows , Tim maybe looked dubious.

In today's Sunday Mirror, sandwiched between a Brazilian call girl's steamy encounter "Our Orgy with Man United Aces" and "Big brother faces Axe" , now retired, Major General Tim Cross follows (and endorses his every word) his retired ex - boss General Janus Jackson in an arse covering article attempting to absolve the blame for the post invasion fiasco on the shoulders of anyone and everyone but him.

" I had lunch with Rumsfeld in Washington before the invasion in 2003 and raised concerns about the need to internationalise the reconstruction of Iraq and work closely with the United Nations."

"I also raised concerns over the numbers of troops available to maintain security and aid reconstruction. He didn't want to hear that message. The US had already convinced themselves that Iraq would emerge reasonably quickly as a stable democracy"

"Anybody who tried to tell them anything that challenged that idea - they simply shut it out. Myself and others were suggesting things simply would not be as easy as that."

"But he ignored my comment. He dismissed it. There is no doubt with hindsight the US post-war plan was fatally flawed - and many of us sensed that at the time."

Ex Major General Tim Cross, General Janus Jackson , Major General Patrick Cordingley, ( who led the Desert Rats in the 1991 Gulf War the Mirror reminds us) , Malcolm Rifkind, Menzies Campbell, William Hague, foreign affairs spokesman for the Conservatives .... it is not sufficient to make the argument - it is necessary to win it.

The British politcial and military leadership signed off, indeed Parliament approved the illegal invasion which millions marched against. They signed up willingly, as brothers in arms with Dubya's gang, they accepted and often promulgated lies. They deceived the public with dossiers - they cannot cast off their responsibilities, conceal their cowardice by now calling the US policies , "intellectually bankrupt" or looking for a handy scapegoat.

This Post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy will not wash. The whole illegal military endeavour, the invasion , designed to outflank diplomacy - merely a continuation of a rape that started with sanctions and no-fly zones was a conspiracy.

It was a conspiracy that the military leaders (however unwilling) failed to modify, it was a compact with a flawed and dishonest leadership - across all parties. Mealy mouthed apologies and casuistic explanations re-directing the blame cannot and must not be allowed.

Major General Tim Cross had a choice he could have resigned his commission - he would of course not be enjoying quite the serene and safe financial benefits he might now enjoy (Pension £36,000 p.a plus a nice little earner from Nottingham University) - but at least he could relax, satisfied that he had stood up against the folly of the invasion and all that ensued. That Major General Tim Cross , a specialist in logistics failed to make an impression on Donald Rumsfeld is hardly news - that he was party to the UK Government machine being bullied is a memory of his disservice to it's citizens - he could have stood up to be counted.

He didn't. Now his squalid apology fights for attention with the sordid capers of drink fuelled whores in a 4 hour hour footballers sex orgy - hardly the public arena for a resolute Christian, (like anothor gobby General, - Dannatt, his old boss) who spoke at the Association of Military Christian Fellowships' (AMCF) European conference in 2002.

It makes one wonder how his fee from the Mirror compares with that of 24 year old Brazilian Blonde Bombshell , Juliana Baltrusch.

PS Let's not forget that the desert booted and suited, clean cut, Mr Bremer (call me "Jerry") who of course so carefully laid the plans for the current disaster, destruction of the Army, de-Baatification, looting, incredible Allied corruption etc etc., was of course ex Managing Director of Kissinger Associates

See UPDATE

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

The Iraqi Post War shambles - Tim Cross the crux that cracked under the strain.

Friendly Fire ?

In Baghdad, U.S. forces fired an artillery barrage in southern Baghdad early today (Sunday), rocking the capital with loud explosions.

The size and the pattern of the explosions, which began after 9 a.m. and lasted for at least 15 minutes, suggested they were directed at Sunni militant neighborhoods along the city's southern rim. Such blasts have been heard in the evenings but are rare at that time of day.

In a brief statement to The Associated Press, the U.S. military said it fired the artillery from a forward operating base near Iraq's Rasheed military base southeast of Baghdad, but provided no other details.

Blair, Beckett - fucking hyprocrites. Paxo and the Urban Myth for the Tower and the mystery of the Missing Lynx

On 23 March a boarding team 7 Royal Marines and 8 sailors - in 2 boats embarked from corvette HMS CORNWALL to conduct the latest of 66 boardings in March and of 4 in this immediate area. The anchored Indian flagged vessel (name ?) had unloaded cars onto barges and their investigation was co-operative throughout- the on board survey started at 0739 local time and was completed at 0910 with the merchant vessel having been cleared to continue with her business.The Royal Navy state the vessel location was The position was 29 degrees 50.36 minutes North 048 degrees 43.08 minutes East.(slightly different from this MOD pic from the Missing Lynx taken later over the vehicle.

At 9.10 communications were lost and the Cornwall's Lynx helicopter immediately returned to the scene to locate the boarding team. The MOD statement of events does not explain why the Lynx which had accompanied the original boarding did not remain on station to give aerial cover - The Urban myth on Newsnight 28th March stated they returned to the Cornwall as fuel was low and they needed to re-fuel..

Debriefing of the helicopter crew and a conversation with the master of the merchant ship both indicate that the boarding team were ambushed while disembarking from the merchant vessel. Both boats were equipped with a GPS chart plotter.

Iranian Televsion have released a film which is a mixture of RN footage, and Iranian footage of the event and another film showing the kidnapped staff eating and a verbal statement by a WREN who was part of the boarding party - plus releasing a photo and text of a letter from her to her parents.

BBC filming crew, had the day prior to the kidnap filmed and interviewed sassy married mother of 3 year old, WREN, Leading Seaman Faye Turney about her life in the RN which had been widely broadcast by BBC and other YK TV channels and probably elsewhere.

Before the Iranians broadcast and released the video film of the capture a spokesman for Blair said .,"any showing of British personnel on TV would be a breach of the Geneva Conventions."

After the footage was aired, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said:

“I am very concerned about these pictures and any indication of pressure or coercion of our personnel who were carrying out a routine operation in accordance with international law and under a United Nations Resolution.

I am particularly disappointed that a private letter has been used in a way which can only add to the distress of the families.”

The Sun reports fun loving Defence Secretary Des Browne was also upset:

"It’s completely unacceptable to parade our people in this way. My whole focus is to secure the immediate release of our people."

At the Morning press briefing today 29th March 2007 When asked for the Prime Minister's reaction to the TV pictures of the naval personnel last night, the PMOS replied ....

".... that nobody should be put in that position. It was an impossible position to be put in and it was wrong. It was wrong in terms of the usual conventions that cover this kind of situation, and it was wrong just in terms of basic humanity."

Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett (pic - or is that a really pissed off Tess who has lost her casinos - another of Tony's apparently unsackable female cabinet colleagues) made a statement in the house today which yuo can read at the FCO website. She didn't mention the Iranian TV films, she didn't say she was "concerned", she didn't say the films were "wrong" ... which is just as well because the BBC - most of which is a section staffed, funded and paid for by the Foreign Office have been repeatedly showing the films both on UK and worldwide on BBC World programs.

On BBC Newsnight last night the UK benefited from a frame by frame analysis by the Urban myth, (Hon. Sec. The BBC2 Quizzical Raised Eyebrow Club Prop. J Paxman Esq.) who deconstructed the triumphal Iranian film, identified the RN clips (presumably seized from their video kit) .. and amazingly the fact that one soldier after being kidnapped retained his S-30 Assault Rifle - He also explained in painstaking detail (courtesy MOD) how the stationary Indian (un-named) vessel was in 2 places simultaneously and where the Brits drew the boundary between Iranian and Iraqi waters - in Mercantile Law a fiction as no such line has been agreed by the adjoining sovereign states.viz Iran & Iraq.

Perhaps we should get Plod round to White City and have the Newsnight crew hauled off to the Tower of London , breach of Human Rights, Law of the Sea, Geneva Conventions.

PS Virtually every UK daily newspaper had the photograph of WREN Leading Seaman Faye Turney wearing a black Hijab (some of them complete with her smoking a fag) - Human Rights anyone ? Geneva Conventions anyone?

.. and as for the Missing Lynx top cover that wasn't adequately fuelled for the task ...

Hurry, Hurry Trips around the Gulf of Tonkin, book now whilst the opportunity is here.

Dodgy Maritime Maps Dossier from the MOD see Craig Murray
Also Blair's Faked Border by Alabama Moon

Surgery - Baghdad

Someone from Langley VA. has kindly sent Lord Patel this (apparently) authentic, but doctored battle plan for Baghdad entitled "Surgery" ( and labelled "Secure Confidential " left click on image to enlarge.

Oddly the The U.S. 3rd Brigade Combat Team / 3rd Infantry Division has been reported as being in Iraq, bound for Baghdad, do not appear, but Army Sgt. Adrian J. Lewis, 30, Mauldin, S.C.; is reported to have died Wednesday in Ramadi of wounds suffered from small-arms fire; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. He was on his 3rd Combat tour to Iraq - the previous tours were each of one year.