chart toppers: singing chelsea pensioners go gold DefenceFocus Royal Navy | Army | Royal Air Force | Ministry of Defence | issue #248 FEBRUARY/11 MARKET forces With improved security in Nad ‘Ali south, the locals are taking control combatbarbie NANAVIGATORVIGATOR kings of the road: the chelsea PoP STAR Pensioners P32 p 12 My MastIff day out Regulars Ian Carr on tour with the Royal Irish p5 In MeMorIuM p16 bastIon on tap Tributes to this month’s fallen Fresh water from the desert p11 bIg pIcture: eye of a snIper p36 tales of Valour A sniper en route to Camp Shawqat Medals exhibition celebrates heroes Lifestyle p18 podIuM The Sun’s Duncan Larcombe on Wikileaks p26 photo MoMents Armed Forces Minister Nick Harvey p22 Verbatim DG HR Susan Scholefield on MOD changes p29 My Medals Sergeant Stewart Clarke looks back p30 SHARP BLADE Exclusives Two pocket tools to give away p8 stabIlIsIng helMand P16 p39 free skIwear Changing pace in Nad ‘Ali £500 worth of skiwear could be yours FEBRUARY 2011 | ISSUE 248 | 3 EDITOR’SNOTE Danny Chapman Of course the main focus for the MOD DefenceFocus and Armed Forces remains Afghanistan The Christmas and New Year break seem where ‘normal’ routines took barely a For everyone in defence a long time ago now and like us I am sure moment’s pause over the Christmas Published by the Ministry of Defence that staff across Defence have fallen back season. In fact our reporter Ian Carr Level 1 Zone C into the normal routine of the working almost found himself in Helmand on MOD, Main Building day. If, that is, anything in Defence is Christmas Day, arriving home from Whitehall London SW1A 2HB normal anymore. his visit there late on Christmas Eve. General enquiries: 020 721 8 1320 The year ahead it seems will So dedicated has he been to writing up be another interesting one with articles from his visit, the first of which EDITOR: Danny Chapman Tel: 020 7218 3949 ‘Transforming Defence’ a big theme for can be found in these pages, he still email: [email protected] everybody, military and civilian. hasn’t got round to buying his family ASSISTANT EDITOR: Ian Carr It is almost certain that UK Defence Christmas presents! Tel: 020 7218 2825 will look quite different at the end of the Afghanistan will of course remain email: [email protected] year to what it is now. And of course many our key priority too and we hope to keep ASSISTANT EDITOR: Leigh Hamilton staff will be concerned whether there readers well informed as to how the Tel: 020 7218 5988 will be a place for them in the brave new UK’s military and civilian personnel are email: [email protected] world. progressing the mission there. ASSISTANT EDITOR: Lorraine McBride We hope to keep you up to date As a break from the ‘normality’ Tel: 020 721 82341 on how the organisation is changing of everyone’s work though it’s not all email: [email protected] throughout the year on the MOD’s online serious stuff on these pages and, should ASSISTANT EDITOR: Tristan Kelly news pages and in this magazine. Indeed, you feel like surprising your colleagues, Tel: 020 7218 4252 in this issue we hear from the Director of maybe the Chelsea Pensioners can email: [email protected] Human Resources about the challenges inspire you to start up a sing song – hi ho, ART EDITOR: Mark Eagle of reducing staff numbers. hi ho, it’s off to work we go! Tel: 020 721 8 3658 email: [email protected] DISTRIBUTION AND SUPPORT: Shell Daruwala Tel: 020 7218 1320 email: [email protected] Download Defence Focus magazine pdf online MOD does not endorse any product or service advertised www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews in Defence Focus, nor does it verify any preferential treatment offered by any advertiser to MOD employees. Queries on advertisements should be addressed to our advertising agency. Opinions expressed in Defence Focus do not necessarily represent those of the MOD. Articles on all aspects of The Defence News Blog YouTube MOD and defence will be considered for publication Get a daily update of all the major At Defence Headquarters YouTube the but we reserve the right to edit contributions. MOD defence stories running in the media latest videos from across Defence can staff contributing to Defence Focus should ensure their with the MOD’s official position on the be found including clips of soldiers on writing is suitable for open publication. key issues, as well as a Defence Diary patrol in Helmand and briefings from with upcoming events of interest. senior personnel. Advertising Advertising sales are handled by Visit www.blogs.mod.uk and subscribe Ten Alps Media. Tel: 020 7 657 1816 to the daily alerts Afghanistan Blog www.tenalps.com Updated daily with official news on the Distribution Facebook/Twitter UK mission in Afghanistan as well as The magazine is distributed through major military Join over 200,000 followers at the with stories from across the media and bases, depots and MOD offices. HM Armed Forces Facebook page personal blogs from Armed Forces and receive Defence HQ tweets at personnel currently deployed. Printed by Corporate Document Services DefenceHQ Twitter. Ltd on 100 per cent www.blogs.mod.uk/afghanistan recycled paper 4 | WWW.MOD.Uk/DEFENCEINTERNET/DEFENCENEWS | FEBRUARY 2011 inmEmoriam Deaths ON OPERATIONS – 18 November 2010 to 17 January 2011 Private John Howard Aged 23 and originally from identified by his regiment as a Wellington in New Zealand, potential high flyer with much Private John Howard, from Private Howard, known as Jack to offer. He had been at the 3rd Battalion The Parachute to his friends and family, joined very forefront of all the Brigade Regiment, was killed in the British Army in 2007. Reconnaissance Force Afghanistan on Sunday 5 After basic training, Private operations up to when his life December 2010 when he Howard was posted to 3rd was tragically taken. was fatally wounded during Battalion The Parachute He leaves behind his an action conducted against Regiment. Throughout his parents Roger and Anne, two insurgents operating in career Private Howard served sisters Charlotte and Isabella, Lashkar Gah. with distinction and was and his girlfriend Sophie. Corporal Steven Dunn improvised explosive device. soldier who knew his duty Corporal Dunn, aged 27 from lay in the heat of battle. Corporal Steven Thomas Gateshead, joined the Army in He eschewed the desk- Dunn from 216 (Parachute) September 2000. bound opportunities of the Signal Squadron, attached to With a tour in Iraq and two headquarters to accompany 2nd Battalion The Parachute previous tours of Afghanistan his colleagues into the very Regiment Battle Group, already under his belt, he heart of enemy territory, to was killed in Afghanistan relished the opportunity to reconnoitre options for those on Tuesday 21 December deploy on Op HERRICK 13. who followed. 2010 while he was travelling He was a courageous, He leaves behind his wife in a Jackal which hit an fit and deeply professional Cheryl and daughter Emily. WO2 Charles Wood aspects of improvised explosive experienced, he completed device detection, he was deployments to Iraq and WO2 Charles Henry Wood assigned to lead the clearance Bosnia. A talented warrant from 23 Pioneer Regiment of a route through the Kushal officer with masses of RLC, serving with the Counter- Kalay area of the Helmand potential, he had late entry Improvised Explosive Device River Valley to increase the commissioning firmly in his Task Force, was killed when freedom of movement and sights. caught in an IED blast in safety of the local population. He leaves behind his wife Afghanistan on Tuesday 28 Aged 34, WO2 Wood, from Heather, his mother Barbara, December 2010. Middlesbrough, joined the his father John, and his sisters Trained to coordinate all Army in 1994. Operationally Samantha and Amanda. Private Joseva Vatubua deployed on an operation to one of the stars of the battalion interdict enemy fighters and team, he had recently begun Private Joseva bring peace to the district of representing the Army at Saqanagonedau Vatubua from Nahr-e Saraj. Rugby Sevens. The Argyll and Sutherland Aged 23 and from Suva in Private Joseva Vatubua, Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Fiji, Private Vatubua joined the known to everyone as “Big Royal Regiment of Scotland British Army in 2007. He was Joe”, approached everything he (5 SCOTS), was killed in posted to B Company, 5 SCOTS did with an infectious sense of Afghanistan on Saturday 1 as a rifleman, where he has humour and a commitment. January 2011 when he was served ever since. Private Vatubua leaves caught in an explosion while A keen rugby player who was behind his wife Claudette. FEBRUARY 2011 | ISSUE 248 | 5 navalpower n AIR AND WATER TREATMENT: Converts seawater into fresh water and oxygen. Air is purified to remove waste carbon dioxide, hydrogen and carbon monoxide n PROPULSOR: Ultra-quiet multi-bladed propeller is said to make less noise than a baby dolphin - making it virtually n POWER: Nuclear reactor powers imperceptible to enemy vessels the sub for the full service life of 25 years - food replenishment is the only reason to surface AMBUSH SETS SAIL Clyde.The Astute submarines are the largest, most powerful The latest addition to the Royal and technologically advanced Navy submarine flotilla,Ambush , submarines of their type ever built has been rolled out of BAE for the Royal Navy – regarded Systems’ shipyard in Barrow- as one of the world’s most in-Furness. The submarine is complex engineering challenges. the latest of the Astute Class Ambush marks the 24th nuclear-