Military - In brief (21)
01 July 2007
EU: Billons of Euros more on Galileo: European transport ministers pressed ahead with plans to develop the Galilieo satellite navigation system to provide `independence´ from the US in spite of divisions about how to pay the bill. The ministers agreed unanimously to end talks with a private consortium and spend 2.4 billons euro to build it themselves instead. The private companies could not agree on a division of labour or on whether they should make a profit form their investment. However the UK position was that it would ground the project unless a business case for it could be made and that if it went ahead other EU projects should be scrapped. A detailed funding proposal by the EC will be drawn up by October. One billion euro has already been spent. Earlier, much higher costs had circulated in the financial press. According to the Financial Times Deutschland the total system of 30 satellites in orbit will cost 9-12 billion euro between now and 2030.
Forbes 6.6.07 (Maria Sheahan); Financial Times 8.6.07 (Andrew Bounds)
EU: Intelligence profile builds up: According to the electronic newsletter Intelligence Online, the effective opening of an operational centre for the European Union's general staff in central Brussels in early January went hand in hand with the creation of a Single Intelligence Assessment Capacity (SIAC). The SIAC is meant to harmonize the flow of intelligence from the services of the member countries and make the result available for the stabilisation and security operations of the EU. There seems to be some confusion about the terminology, for the last Presidency Report to the European Council on prevention activities says: "Since the beginning of 2007, the Joint situation Centre and the EUMS Intelligence Division continued to provide crucial assistance to ESDP operations through all phases of planning and conduct under the SIAC aegis."
Intelligence online 23.02.07; Presidency Report to the European Council on EU activities in the framework of prevention, 19.6.07.
UK: MoD apologises to persecuted gays: In June the Ministry of Defence apologised to servicemen and women who suffered persecution and discrimination before the ban on homosexuality was lifted in 2000. Until 2000 men and women were automatically dismissed from the services if their sexuality was disclosed and around 50 personnel who were sacked are awaiting breach of privacy cases at to be settled. In 2003 a gay RAF sergeant, Christopher Brown, was awarded £50,000 in an out of court settlement after being discharged because of his sexuality in 1999 after 20 years of service. His case, which had reached the European Court of Human Rights before the settlement, led to a reversal of the armed forces' policy. It also led the Labour government to acknowledge that its policy was "intrusive and indefensible". The officer responsible for armed forces equality training at the joint equality and diversity training centre, Wing Commander Phil Sagar, told the BBC: "We can't change the past and what's happened has happened. But if...you've got testimony from people who feel that their lives have been ruined from this, then clearly it is not a good place to be." During the 1950s through the 1970s special investigation police targeted suspected gay men and women in a policy designed to "clean-out" homosexuals. However, in the 21st century, and in spite of their apologies, the RAF and the Army still ban their personnel from appearing on the London Pride march in uniform. In the build up to this year's march Air Chief Marshall Sir Glenn Torpy, the chief of the air staff, authorised a letter to all air station commanders explaining the while individuals may attend the annual gay celebration they could not wear their uniforms because it was against the Queen's Regulations. The First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sir Jonathan Band, seemed to have fewer problems with the Regulations, permitting his service p