RIGHT CALIBRE: THE NEW GLOCK 17 PISTOL DefenceFocus Royal Navy | Army | Royal Air Force | Ministry of Defence | ISSUE #267 FEBRUARY/13 PULL-OUT POSTER p16 HEALTH FOR DUMMIES GETTING IN SHIP SHAPE The Royal Navy’s new basic fitness test p13 COMBATBARBIE NANAVIGATORVIGATOR REPATRIATION: WHEN THE WORST HAS HAPPENED P8 P14 FIT FOR PURPOSE Ian Carr on the Royal Navy’s new fitness test P16 P16 PHYSICAL JERKS Regulars Blow away the winter blues with our keep fit poster P5 IN MEMORIAM Tributes to the fallen P20 WILDCAT The first Wildcat attack helicopter takes P18 VERBATIM to the skies Meet minister Philip Dunne who is delivering MOD’s equipment plan P22 GLOCK AND LOAD UK forces will have a new weapon to draw P20 P28 MY MEDALS on as the Glock replaces the Browning W01 Ashok Chauhan looks back on his 35-year Army career P24 Debt: don’t do IT Programme of financial awareness to P31 COME DRIVE WITH ME make personnel more financially-savvy Win a drive in a super car and be the envy of your family and friends Features P8 DIGNITY AND RESPECT Bringing home the fallen, the work of the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre P10 COMPASSIONATE VISIT When you suddenly need to come home, P22 who are you going to call? The JCCC FEBRUARY 2013 | ISSUE 267 | 3 EDITOR’SNOTE But remember, people in our profession DefenceFocus FIONA SIMPSON don’t have that great a reputation for healthy living – so it’s probably wise not to For everyone in defence It’s a familiar get your hopes up too much! Published by the Ministry of Defence tale; at the start Our own Doctor Nick gives you some Level 1 Zone C of the new year tips on keeping going with your fitness MOD, Main Building we all make resolutions on page 26. Whitehall London SW1A 2HB some wide- It’s also a case of new year, new kit, General enquiries: 020 721 8 1320 ranging and as we take a look at some of the latest well-intentioned equipment to come out for the Services, EDITOR: Fiona Simpson Tel: 020 7218 3949 commitments. including the new Glock 17 pistol and the email: [email protected] Get fit. Stop or inaugural flight of the Royal Navy’s first ASSISTANT EDITOR: Ian Carr start something Wildcat attack helicopter. Tel: 020 7218 2825 that is either There’s also an interview with Philip email: [email protected] bad or good Dunne, Minister for Defence Equipment, ASSISTANT EDITOR: Tristan Kelly for us. Do more Support and Technology who reflects on Tel: 020 7218 4252 or less of something. Or generally his first few months at the department email: [email protected] become a more fabulous and well- and looks forward to the issues affecting ASSISTANT EDITOR: Leigh Hamilton rounded individual. defence equipment this year Tel: 020 7218 5988 Well-rounded is often the operative Also in this edition, Ian Carr looks email: [email protected] phrase as, by February, we have normally into the essential and sometimes ASSISTANT EDITOR: Lorraine McBride slid back to the comforting biscuit- sombre work of the Joint Casualty and Tel: 020 721 82341 munching familiarity of our pre-resolution Compassionate Centre (JCCC). email: [email protected] selves. Sound familiar? The team supports the Services in ART EDITOR: Mark Eagle But in this edition of Defence Focus, at their darkest hours making sure Tel: 020 721 8 3658 least where fitness is concerned, there’s a that crisis and bereavement email: [email protected] chance to redeem ourselves and get back are dealt with professionally, DISTRIBUTION AND SUPPORT: Shell Daruwala to getting fit. We find out what the Royal efficiently and above all Tel: 020 7218 1320 email: [email protected] Navy is doing to improve the way with dignity. it assesses the basic fitness of The job of Defence Focus MOD does not endorse any product or service advertised the Fleet. By adding a strength editor seems almost trivial next in Defence Focus, nor does it verify any preferential treatment offered by any advertiser to MOD employees. element to the aerobic fitness to the work of the JCCC but, Queries on advertisements should be addressed to our checks and tailoring the nevertheless, I’m excited to be advertising agency. tests to make sure that they starting 2013 at the helm of Opinions expressed in Defence Focus do not necessarily reflect the type of job that the magazine. represent those of the MOD. Articles on all aspects of MOD and Defence will be considered for publication anybody might be called So being new, I’m keen and but we reserve the right to edit contributions. MOD on to do in the Service, excited and want to hear from staff contributing to Defence Focus should ensure their Navy Command readers to find out what you like writing is suitable for open publication. are hoping the about what we do, what you Advertising end result want to see more of, and Advertising sales are handled by Richard Stillman at Ten Alps Media. Tel: 020 7657 1837 will be a new what you’d rather we just email: [email protected] enthusiasm for didn’t bother with. keeping fit. I’m not just new to Distribution The magazine is distributed through major military And you can Defence Focus but to the bases, depots and MOD offices. change your own attitude whole department. So please be by turning to page 16 to gentle with me, smile at me if you find your own pull out see me in the corridor, maybe even and keep (fit) poster make me the odd cup of tea. Produced by Williams Lea Ltd on 100% recycled paper. MOD Helpline 01603 696329. courtesy of your personal Oh and for goodness sake - stop trainers at Defence Focus. talking in acronyms! 4 | WWW.GOV.UK/MOD | FEBRUARY 2013 INMEMORIAM DEATHS ON OPERATIONS – 10 DECEMBER 2012 TO 31 JANUARY 2013 Kingsman David Shaw January 2013. Born on 13 October 1989, Kingsman David Robert Shaw Kinsgman Shaw joined the from 1st Battalion The Duke Army in February 2008. of Lancaster’s Regiment died Paying tribute, his family in Queen Elizabeth Hospital said: “David was a much- Birmingham on Wednesday loved son and brother who 16 January 2013 from wounds was proud to have served his sustained in Afghanistan. country in the 1st Battalion Kingsman Shaw The Duke of Lancaster’s sustained a gunshot wound Regiment. when his checkpoint came He loved his family and under attack from insurgents friends and would always in the Lashkar Gah district make time for a hug for of Helmand province on 14 everybody.” Sapper Richard Hazrat in the Nahr-e Saraj Reginald Walker district of Helmand province while he was working on a Sapper Richard Reginald construction project. Walker from 28 Engineer A valued member of 73 Regiment, attached to 21 Armoured Engineer Squadron Engineer Regiment as part who deployed on every single of the Task Force Helmand troop task, Sapper Walker was Engineer Group, was killed a popular and well respected in Afghanistan on Monday 7 member of his troop, destined January 2013. to go on to greater things. Sapper Walker was shot His family paid tribute in an apparent insider attack to their son and brother who by a member of the Afghan survive him along with his National Army at Patrol Base young daughter Lilly-Faith. Ministry of Defence online www.gov.uk/mod Ministry of Defence The Defence News Blog YouTube By 2014, websites of all government Get a daily update of all the major At Defence Headquarters YouTube the departments and many other public defence stories running in the media latest videos from across Defence can bodies will be merged into the Inside with the MOD’s official position on the be found, including clips of soldiers on Government section of www.gov.uk. key issues, as well as a Defence Diary patrol in Helmand and briefings from MOD is one of the first with upcoming events of interest. senior personnel. departments to join Visit www.blogs.mod.uk and subscribe the cross government to the daily alerts. Afghanistan Blog website and can be Updated regularly with official news on found at www.gov. Facebook/Twitter the UK mission in Afghanistan as well uk/government/ Join over 200,000 followers at the HM as with stories from across the media organisations/ Armed Forces Facebook page and and personal blogs from Armed Forces ministry-of- receive Defence HQ tweets @DefenceHQ personnel currently deployed. defence on Twitter. www.ukforcesafghanistan.wordpress.com FEBRUARYAPRIL 20122013 | ISSUE 226760 | 5 BIG PICTURE FIRED UP: AS THE SUN GOES DOWN OVER THE INDIAN OCEAN, HMS NORTHUMBERLAnd’S MERLIN SENDS MORE THAN 100 FLARES CASCADING THROUGH THE SKY 6 | WWW.GOV.UK/MOD | FEBRUARY 2013 Picture: LA(Phot) Maxine Davies Picture: FEBRUARY 2013 | ISSUE 267 | 7 REPATRIATION COMING HOME THE JOINT CASUALTY AND COMPASSIONATE CENTRE, BRINGING HOME THE FALLEN. REPORT BY IAN CARR ootsteps on the path. There’s a knock at the in dealing with the grim practicalities of the death of door. A family’s world is about to collapse. a loved one. Repatriation of the deceased is just one Receiving a call from a notifying officer to say small part of the process. Fthat a family member has been killed while “We support our people throughout their life,” serving in the Armed Forces must be every Service explains Sian Gausden, SPVA’s media officer, and a family’s worst nightmare. member of the out-of-hours support team.