Hundreds protest outside Britain's first drone base
Around 400 anti-war protesters descended on an RAF base today to protest the use of "barbaric" armed drones from UK soil in Afghanistan.
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Protester says drones are 'fundamentally wrong'
Chris Nineham, from the Stop the War Coalition, believes armed drones are fundamentally wrong, and he will campaign until the technology is banned.
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Hundreds start drone protest march to RAF Waddington
Hundreds of peace campaigners have started marching from Lincoln to RAF Waddington, in protest of a new fleet of armed drones being based in the UK for the first time.
The RAF began remotely operating its Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles earlier this week from the airbase in Lincolnshire.
Previously operated from a United States Air Force base in Nevada, the aircraft are used to support coalition ground forces in Afghanistan.
Members of the Stop The War Coalition, CND, The Drone Campaign Network and War on Want are estimated to walk the four mile route in around two hours.
War protester: 'Now is the time to ban killer drones'
Ahead of a planned protest outside an RAF base today against the UK's use of armed drones in Afghanistan, War on Want senior campaigns officer Rafeef Ziadah said:
Drones, controlled far away from conflict zones, ease politicians' decisions to launch military strikes and order extrajudicial assassinations, without democratic oversight or accountability to the public.
"Now is the time to ban killer drones - before it is too late.
Anti-drones protest set to be staged at RAF base
Anti-war protesters are set to gather outside an RAF base today to voice their opposition to the UK's use of armed drones in Afghanistan.
Members of the Stop The War Coalition, CND, The Drone Campaign Network and War on Want will march from Lincoln to nearby RAF Waddington.
The RAF began remotely operating its Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles deployed to Afghanistan from the Lincolnshire airbase earlier this week.
In a statement, the RAF said it had started supporting the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan ground troops with "armed intelligence and surveillance missions" remotely piloted from RAF Waddington.
The aircraft were previously operated from a United States Air Force base in Nevada.
Majority of recruits 'enjoy a great army career'
The Ministry of Defence has been accused of wasting almost £94 million a year by training teenagers for the army.
Colonel Bob Stewart, who served in Bosnia and is now an MP, told Daybreak "yes there's a cost for doing it" but that it was entirely beneficial. He said:
The vast majority absolutely love doing it and they go straight into the army and enjoy a great career.
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Tory MP: Report needs to be examined carefully
Tory MP and former army officer Patrick Mercer has responded to a report stating that the army is wasting £94 million training young recruits, he said the report needed to be examined carefully.
– Patrick Mercer, Member of Parliament for NewarkI commanded 150 Junior Leaders in the 1980s, the majority of whom went on to be first class infantry soldiers.
However, social conditions, financial conditions and recruiting have all changed over the last couple of decades and if it now seems that junior entry soldiers are less than cost effective, the whole issue needs to be looked at.
UK armed forces at risk of 'international isolation'
Campaign groups have warned that the UK is becoming "increasingly isolated" internationally in continuing to recruit people below the age of 18 into the armed forces.
A report by Child Soldiers International and ForcesWatch found:
- It cost an estimated minimum of £88,985 to recruit and train each new soldier aged 16 to 17-and-a-half, compared with £42,818 for each adult recruit, including salary costs
- Initial training for minors lasted either 23 or 50 weeks, depending on the recruit's trade, but enlisting adults could complete the phase one course in 14 weeks
- The drop-out rate for minors was 36.6% compared with 28.3% for adults but under-18s who complete training are likely to serve for 10 years rather than the 7.6-year average for over-18s
£94 million a year is 'wasted on army recruits'
The Ministry of Defence wastes up to £94 million a year training 16 and 17-year-old army recruits for roles which could be filled by adults, campaign groups have said.
According to a report by Child Soldiers International and ForcesWatch, it costs as much to train a 16-year-old as an 18-year-old.
General Houghton named new Chief of Defence Staff
General Sir Nicholas Houghton has been named as the new Chief of the Defence Staff and will replace General Sir David Richards from July.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed the appointment and said: "I look forward to working with Sir Nicholas as we continue radical reforms to the Ministry of Defence and deliver Future Force 2020."
He paid tribute to the outgoing General Richards and "the leadership he has shown (amid) a period of significant change in the military environment while securing operational successes across the globe, including in Afghanistan and Libya."
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