NAVY NEWS, DECEMBER 2008 31
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LETTERS to the editor should us to publish it.
always be accompanied by the Given the volume of letters, we cannot
Off-sale date: November 1, 2008
OCTOBER 2008 £1.80
correspondent’s name and address, not publish all of your correspondence in Navy
STORM
Turn and burn... HMS Iron Duke rushes to
the rescue of the hurricane-ravaged Turks
and Caicos Islands. See page 3 for the
full story.
Picture: LA(Phot) Jay Allen, FRPU East necessarily for publication. News.
E-mail correspondents are We do, however, publish many on
FORCE
also requested to provide this our website, www.navynews.co.uk,
information. Letters cannot accompanied by images.
IRON DUKE AND
be submitted over the We look particularly for
WAVE RULER IN THE
telephone. correspondence which stimulates
CARIBBEAN If you submit a debate, makes us laugh or
RESERVE ACTION
photograph which you did raises important issues.
FIGHTING FIRES, FLOODS
not take yourself, please The editor reserves
AND FOES ON RFA
FORT AUSTIN
make sure that you the right to edit your
have the permission for submissions.
TOKYO NIGHTS
KENT IN THE FAR EAST
HAPPY LANDINGS
A DRIVING LESSON AT
RM INSTOW
FINE MINING
LEDBURY AND
ROEBUCK SHARPEN
THEIR SKILLS
001_NN_Sept.indd 1 22/9/08 09:05:25
Hint of a tint
AS THE Public Relations Officer in HMS Iron Something ‘electronic’ has happened somewhere
Duke, I am taking a fair bit of good-natured banter (not here because we aren’t that clever).
on board at the moment regarding my apparent – Lt Cdr Andy Rowlands,
explanation that it was “definitely rust” on her WEO, HMS Iron Duke
fo’c’sle (Letters, November).
Following your enquiry in mid-October, my
We never alter the composition of photographs,
comment when I phoned the Navy News office was
but we do sharpen up the image to prepare for the
that there was some rust but there was a significant
lithographic printing process.
difference between the original photograph and that This can enhance the contrast and the colour and
which was used on the cover of Navy News. in this case I agree it makes the fo’c’sle look more
For comparison purposes, both pictures are yellow (and the sea more blue).
shown. But I admit it enhanced the rust too... – Ed
In defence of Europe
STEPHEN DIXON, in his letter High Representative to oversee defence-committed nations.
Whose Navy is it? (October) foreign policy and defence issues As a next step we should start
is missing the point when he where we agree, provide an EU an EU defence funding scheme,
criticises the First Sea Lord for organisation for operations, so that all members contribute to
mentioning the UK’s commitment some standing forces and an defence according to their means
to European defence. encouragement to procure large with a net gain to countries like
During the Kosovo crisis, the defence equipment together. the UK, which do more.
European members of NATO This works alongside NATO, Finally, another benefit of EU
who, combined, amount to 60 per which has a different remit and a procurement is that it is harder for
cent of the military capability of different membership. individual members to pull out of
the US, could only muster 10 per And we still have the option of joint projects.
cent of the military effort right on not getting involved if that is what When economic times are tough
our back door. the British government decides. large defence contracts are all too
The US, again, provided the Working closer with our EU easy targets for cuts.
other 90 per cent. This was a huge partners will have many benefits. If the future aircraft carriers
embarrassment. It will drive us to establish were a joint procurement with
The US Government has long common operating procedures France they would be more
been encouraging the EU to work and common equipment. secure. As it stands, they could be
more closely on defence, both to Joint procurement will provide under threat.
provide a more equal partnership the economies of scale so the The real fear is not whether we
and to ensure that we Europeans UK and our partners can afford will have an EU Navy, but that we
have the capability to deal with the new equipment we all need will have a Navy no longer able to
issues on our doorstep or in areas and give British industry the tackle another Falklands or major
of the world where the US does opportunity to bid for more, larger crisis closer to home.
not wish to be involved. contracts. That is the overriding major
As a result, our democratically At the moment the whole EU issue that the RN community
elected British government signed derives benefit from operations and needs to focus upon.
up to the European Security and equipment paid for by taxpayers – Cdr Ed Featherstone,
Defence Policy, which gave us a in just a few of the larger and more (Retd) Berkhamsted, Herts
028-029_NN_Dec08.indd 2 20/11/08 18:18:06
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