Month: September 2018

On 1st November, I will be giving the Centenary Armistice lecture at the Royal United Services Institute in Whitehall, London.

Titled  Armistice 1918: The End of the War to End All Wars? the talk will discuss the aftermath of the First World War for the people affected and remind the audience that 1919 was full of conflict all over the World.  The event is in aid of Combat Stress, the leading Veteran’s charity for mental health.

Tickets are available at:

https://www.combatstress.org.uk/support-us/armistice-lecture-0

 

It is gratifying that the two young officers facing court martial in Bulford over the death of three soldiers in Wales have been acquitted.

The tragic accident, that took place in 2013 when I was working as head of Defence Training Capability, shocked everyone in the Army.

We all have the utmost sympathy for the grieving families, but there have been too many recent cases of lawyers chasing soldiers doing their best for Queen and Country.  The Army must be allowed to maintain demanding tests for soldiers hoping to serve in elite units.  In the long term, this will save lives on the future battlefield.

 

Mitiga Airport has been closed due to the advance of the Tarhuna 7th Infantry Brigade and the spread of fighting from southern Tripoli to the northern part of the city.

Mitiga is the most important air base in Libya.  It was the only safe landing zone when the International Airport was closed for four years and the Foreign Secretary flew there for his Libyan visits last year.

This shows that the current crisis is more than just a “turf war” and could cause the downfall of the US backed Serraj government.  Look out for pre-emptive retaliation!

See Chapter 6 of Belfast to Benghazi for my arrival at Mitiga and our meeting in Tarhuna where Libya’s famous wine used to be made.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/belfast-to-benghazi/rupert-wieloch/9781861515667