Catterick Garrison soldiers discover Taliban bomb stockpile

Troops from the Queen’s Royal Lancers (QRL), based at Catterick Garrison, in North Yorkshire, discovered a significant cache of explosives and bomb-making equipment in a dawn raid on an enemy compound. 

Soldiers from the QRL-led Brigade Reconnaissance Force (BRF) were inserted by helicopter into the Taliban base in the Nad ‘Ali region of Helmand after receiving intelligence. 

Searching alongside Afghan troops, they discovered more than 200kgs of home-made explosives, as well as a large quantity of remote controls and pressure plates used for triggering deadly improvised explosive devices (IEDs). 

The teams also found a motorbike packed with explosives intended to be used as a suicide bomb.

The operation, which saw the QRL work shoulder-to-shoulder with colleagues from the Afghan National Army, marks a successful end to their six-month tour on Operation Herrick 17. 

The operation was conducted jointly as part of a handover with the incoming 1 Mechanized Brigade Reconnaissance Force, made up of soldiers from the Household Cavalry Regiment and 4 Battalion the Rifles, as well as specialists from other units. 

 

Major Adam Foden, commanding officer of the outgoing 4 Mechanized Brigade Reconnaissance Force, said: “We have remained at high readiness for seven months and have deployed 40 times, seizing 1,700kgs of insurgent explosives in all. 

“This operation enabled my officers and soldiers to hand over responsibility for our task and to make sure the new team are as ready as they can be for their role. 

“It went completely to plan; we were at the target for three hours and have had an impact on IED construction in the Nad ‘Ali area.” 

When asked about returning to the UK at the end of April, Maj Foden added: “It has been a rewarding tour, but the guys are keen to get home and be with their families.” 

The Army said the soldiers from QRL would arrive back at Catterick Garrison within the next few weeks.

British And French Troops: Joint Warrior

British and French paratroopers yesterday parachuted into Exercise Joint Warrior in Scotland.
1,300 troops from 16 Air Assault Brigade, the British Army’s rapid reaction force, and 300 French troops from the 11th Parachute Brigade arrived by air in the West Freugh area of Scotland.
 
The exercise scenario tasked them with stabilising an area disputed by 2 fictional nations divided by economic and ethnic factors.

A joint force from 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) and the French 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment parachuted in to capture Castle Kennedy Airfield.

West Freugh Airfield was then seized by troops from 2 PARA in a helicopter assault, followed up by a rapid landing by a C-130 transport aircraft to deliver more troops and equipment.

Securing the airfields marked the beginning of demanding training that will confirm the 2 brigades’ readiness to deploy together at short notice on contingency operations ranging from disaster relief to war-fighting.

The 2 brigades provide their respective armies’ rapid reaction forces and are at the forefront of closer military co-operation between Britain and France.

Joint Warrior marks the culmination of more than a year of work to develop the Intermediate Combined Joint Expeditionary Force for contingency operations. Headquarters staff have worked together to integrate command and control procedures and units have carried out joint field training in both countries.

Colonel ‘Jacko’ Jackson, Deputy Commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, explained:

"As the Air Assault Task Force we are trained and capable of operating in an uncertain world. We are held in very high readiness to conduct forcible theatre entry worldwide at short notice; having a strategic effect due to the force’s agility, reach and ability."

"Joint Warrior has given us the opportunity to formally demonstrate this, and, as a binational land component with our sister French brigade, we have rapidly developed a credible and progressively validated capability with them."

French Colonel Bruno Helluy added:

"The exercise demonstrates that we can plan and conduct operations together, both airborne and air assault."

Joint Warrior is also providing the final training opportunity for the 2 PARA Battle Group to confirm their readiness to take on the Air Assault Task Force role from May.

The role sees the unit’s airborne infantry bolstered by artillery, engineers, medics and logisticians from 16 Air Assault Brigade and ready to deploy anywhere in the world at short notice to conduct the full range of military operations.

Exercise Joint Warrior involves nearly 13,000 military personnel from 9 countries – including 5,250 from the UK, more than 30 warships and over 65 aircraft and helicopters. Taking place twice a year, the training aims to test how the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force work together and with allied forces.

Monster Machines: The Fire Shadow Loiters For Hours Before Attacking Its Target

The Fire Shadow is an unmanned flying machine that can loiter unnoticed, hovering over an area for six hours, waiting to receive a kill order on any designated moving or static target — and then fall on it like a suicidal bird of prey to destroy it.

According to missile systems manufacturer MBDA, this bird of death is a high precision, low cost flying missile that can be launched by a soldier from the ground, just like any other small unmanned air vehicle. After the launch, the Fire Shadow can hover over a large area for up to six hours or 100km. Once the operator points out a target, the Fire Shadow will fall on it destroying it on contact.

MBDA says this 200kg weapon is effective across any terrain, including complex urban scenarios. It can also hit any target, from a person having a coffee on the street to a moving car, with “low collateral damage”, at any time of the day or night. It can also attack targets on the sea.

The Fire Shadow was first tested in Vidsel, Sweden, on November 21, 2010, with a second successful test on May 13, 2011. The first units went out of the production line in March 2012 and they are now on their way to the first users: Her Majesty’s 39th Regiment Royal Artillery.

'Our differences are with the British government, not its people,' President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

'Our differences are with the British government, not its people,' President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. (How dumb can a person get, The British People supports the Governments stance on the Falklands - They will ALWAYS be British)

While celebrating the awarding of 250,000 start-up microcredits at the Government House, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner praised the appointment of British citizen Guy Rider as the head of the International Labour Organization.

“For the first time in history, the president of the ILO is a worker,” she said.

“I say this so you can see that our differences are only with the British government because they do not respect the United Nations. When it comes to the British people and workers, everything is fine with them,” she said in reference to the current Malvinas sovereignty claim that has both nations at odds.

During the ceremony, the Head of State did not mention the current controversy surrounding the dollar and chose to vindicate her Government model by assuring that “we’re now living in an Argentina that is fairer than the one we had back in 2003, although we know that there’s still a lot more to be done.”

“We know what we did and what we must still do. A lot of people focus on what still needs to be done, but no one focuses on knowing how to do it or doing it,” she said.

Fernández de Kirchner celebrated the awarding of the 250,000 microcredits to small investors and assured that “this model, so heterogeneous and horrendous to some, keeps creating jobs and hope. Something a society should never lose,” she stated.

Falklands War Documents - US Government Signals (Sanatised Copy)

ROUTING

TO:

NAME AND ADDRESS DATE I NITIALS

SECRET

(Security Classification)

ACTION APPROVAL CO MENT CONCURRENCE REMARKS: DIRECT REPLY DISPATCH FILE INFORMATION

PREPARE REPLY RECOMMENDATION RETURN SIGNATURE

CONTROL NO. Z X6

FROM: NAME, ADDRESS, AND PHONE NO.

DATE

Warning-Notice

Intelligence Sources and Methods Involved

NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION

Unauthorized Disclosure Subject to Criminal Sanctions

SECRET

(Security Classification)

Warning Notice

Intelligence Sources and Methods Involved (WNINTEL) or (D)

NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION

Unauthorized Disclosure Subject to Criminal Sanctions

DISSEMINATION CONTROL ABBREVIATIONS

NOFORN  (Not Releasable to Foreign Nationals)

NO CONTRACT PROPINOR CONREL ...

Not Releasable to Contractors or Contractor/Consultants Caution-Proprietary Information Involved Dissemination and Extraction of Information

Controlled by Originator This information has been Authorized for

(c) NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION CENTER

Page Copy 1 of 1

Attachment to Z-15232/82 NPIC/IEG (5/82) 28 MAY 1982

INCREASED DEFENSIVE  MEASURES  FALKLAND ISLANDS PORT STANLY

SIGNIFICANCE:

ARGENTINE OCCUPATION FORCES ON THE FALKLAND ISLANDS HAVE IMPROVED DEFENSIVE POSITIONS AROUND STANLEY, AND FIGHTER AND GROUND ATTACK AIRCRAFT HAVE DEPLOYED TO STANLEY AIRFIELD. . 2. (S/D) REMARKS: ARGENTINE AIRCRAFT DEPLOYED TO STANLEY AIRFIELD INCLUDED ONE POSSIBLE SKYHAWK, FOUR PUCARA (TWO ON RUNWAY), ONE F-28, ONE SKYVAN, TWO PROBABLE CESSNA 150-TYPE AIRCRAFT, THREE CHINOOK, AND ONE PROBABLE UH1 -(GRAPHIC 1 OF 2). (S/D) I I ARGENTINA OCCUPATION FORCES HAD CONSTRUCTED APPROXIMATELY 16 DEFENSIVE/WEAPONS POSITIONS ON THE SOUTHERN OUTSKIRTS OF STANLEY (GRAPHIC 2 OF 2). (S/D AREA ADDITIONAL DEFENSIVE MEASURES OBSERVED IN THE STANLEY INCLUDED TWO PROBABLE AAA SITES ON THE COAST IN THE MOODY BROOK AREA, 2.5 NM WEST OF EAST OF STANLEY.

STANLEY, APPROXIMATELY 50 PROBABLE TWO-MAN TENTS HAD BEEN ERECTED (51-41-305 057-45-07W) F_ ALSO BETWEEN I DEFENSIVE POSITIONS AND TRENCHING HAD BEEN CONSTRUCTED 00 METERS NORTHWEST OF THE MOODY BROOK TENT CAMP

COORDINATES 51-41-085 057-46-07W.

These notes have been prepared for briefing purposes only and should not be used for detailed analytical work. Their use should be restricted to the particular briefing board(s) they were prepared for and must be considered valid only for the reporting period as indicated by the date of issue. WARNING NOTICE Intelligence Sources and Methods Involved

SECRET

Falklands War Documents - US National Security Signals (Sanatised)

Warning Notice

Intelligence Sources and Methods Involved

(WNINTEL) or (D)

NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION Unauthorized Disclosure Subject to Criminal Sanctions

DISSEMINATION CONTROL ABBREVIATIONS

NOFORNNOCONTRACTPROPINORCONREL ...

Not Releasable to Foreign Nationals Not Releasable to Contractors or Contractor/Consultants Caution-Proprietary Information Involved Dissemination and Extraction of Information Controlled by Originator

SECRET

MILITARY FORCES, ARGENTINA

Sarraadue del Estero

ERAL URQUIZA AIRFIELD (GRAPHIC 2) 5 N T

ARGENTINA

BUENOS AIRES NVL SHPYD

Olavarri Dolores

PUNTA RASA PUNTA REMMNOA >

San Antonio

Z-10686 NPIC/PEG (5/82) GRAPHIC 1 OF 4

\PENINSULA J

SECRET

NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION CENTER Page Copy 1 of 2

Attachment to

ZZ--106/86/82 // 4 PARTEG (RAPHIC2)

MILITARY FORCES, ARGENTINA

1. (S/D) SIGNIFICANCE: 2. (S/D) REMARKS: A POSSIBLE DECREASE IN AIR ORDER-OF-BATTLE

IS OBSERVED IN THE BUENOS AIRES AREA.

ELEVEN FRAMES OF IMAGERY WERE ACQUIRED OF THE AREAS

ARGENTINE MILITARY INSTALLATIONS BLANCA, COMANDANTE ESPORA, AND PUERTO BELGRANO.

IMAGED INCLUDE CURUZU CUATIA, RECONQUISTA, EN URQUIZA, DR MARIANO MORENO, BUENOS AIRES, TANDIL, MAR DEL PLATA, BAHIA

THE DR MARIANO

MORENO, COMANDANTE ESPORA, CURUZU CUATIA, AND PUERTO BELGRANO AREAS ARE CLOUD COVERED, WHILE THE BUENOS AIRES, RECONQUISTA, AND MAR DEL PLATA AREAS ARE PARTIALLY CLOUD COVERED. THE GEN URQUIZA AND TINDAL AREAS ARE CLEAR. A DECREASE IN AIR ORDER-OF-BATTLE IS OBSERVED AT GEN URQUIZA AIRFIELD. NONE OF THE FIVE TO NINE CANBERRA. NORMALLY HERE ARE OBSERVED. TWO GUARANI-II UTILITY AIRCRAFT AND ONE C-47 ARE IN THE MILITARY AREA. GEN-URQUIZA AIRFIELD, WHICH SUPPORTS ARGENTINA'S ONLY BOMBER SQUADRON, IS APPROXIMATELY 250 NM NORTHWEST OF BUENOS AIRES (GRAPHIC 2 OF 4). NO AOB IS,--OBSERVED IN T E CLOUD-FREE AREAS AT RECONQUISTA AIRFIELD THE NORMAL IA-58 PUCHARA TAXIWAY PARKING AREA AND HANGARS ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF,THE NO AIRCRAFT ARE IN THE NORTHEAST AIRFIELD ARE CLOUD COVERED. TWO OF THE 14 IA-58 PUCHARA, OBSERVED AT THE MAINTENANCE AREA. WERE PARKED IN THE MAINTENANCE AIRFIELD AREA. SIXTEEN -1 MIRAGE  NORMALLY ARE AT THIS AIRFIELD.

RECONQUISTA AIRFIELD, 2 NM SOUTHWEST OF RECONQUISTA, SUPPORTS

AN IA-58 PUCHARA ATTACK SQUADRON (NOT ON GRAPHIC). EIGHT MIRAGE III/V, ONE POSSIBLE MIRAGE III/V, AND 014E PROBABLE ARGENTINE 707 ARE AT TANDIL AIRFIELD. ONE MIRAGE III/V IS ON A TAXIWAY, SEVEN MIRAGE III/V ARE ON THE TWO MAIN PARKING APRONS, AND ONE POSSIBLE MIRAGE III/V IS IN THE MAINTENANCE AREA. 707 IS ON A PARKING APRON WITH ITS SIDE CARGO DOOR OPEN.THE ZERO TO EIGHT MIRAGE III/V NORMALLY ARE HERE. TANDIL AIRFIELD, 6 NM NORTHWEST OF TANDIL, SUPPORTS A MIRAGE V SQUADRON (GRAPHIC 3OF 4).

These notes have been prepared for briefing purposes only and should not be used for detailed analytical work. Their use should be restricted to the particular briefing board(s) they were prepared for and must be considered valid only for the reporting period as indicated by the date of issue. WARNING NOTICE Intelligence Sources and Methods Involved

SECRET

Attachment to

/ 4 PCARTEGRAPHIC2~

ONE MURATURE/KING PATROL SHIP IS IN A GRAVING DOCK AT THE BUENOS AIRES NAVAL SHIPYARD DARSENA NORTE (GRAPHIC 4 OF 4), AND FOUR SMALL PROBABLE COASTAL PATROL CRAFT ARE AT THE ADJACENT PnRT PA. ES, BUENOS AIRES PORT FACILITIES NORTH (BENO MILITARY OR LOGISTICAL ACTIVITY IS DISCERNIBLE AT MAR DEL PLATA NAVA AND MAR DEL PLATA PORT FACILITIES (NOT ON GRAPHIC).3. BE N/A, COORDINATES N/A COMMENTS AND QUERIES REGARDING THIS BRIEFING BOARD MAY BE DIRECTED TO THE NPIC/PEG OPERATIONS OFFICER.

These notes have been prepared for briefing purposes only and should not be used for detailed analytical work. Their use should be restricted to the particular briefing board(s) they were prepared for and must be considered valid only for the reporting period as indicated by the date of issue.

WARNING NOTICE Intelligence Sources and Methods Involved