VJ DAY ANNIVERSARY EDITION
AUGUST 1995
azo,
50p
11
1
FAIR COPS: Cpl Jenks Jenkins RM shares his packed lunch with two Chinese policewomen at the first World Dragon Boat Racing ChamYue pionships at Yang.
GA!
:
.
L -!-
", i
"\ '
- - --
LMOST 90 per cent of the 2,394 naval personnel selected for redundancy are volunteers, the Second Sea A Lord has revealed in a signal. They will leave over seven months from the beginning of November - a largescale reduction which, it is warned, will make drafting turbulence inevitable and could result in short-term gapping of posts. The job
-. lIIi
Short-term pain warning as job cuts take effect
i
cuts,
December as a
announced in
result of the Gov-
ernment's Defence Costs Study. include an admiral - Rear Admiral Robin Shiffncr, believed to be the first flag officer to be made
redundant since Nelson's time.
"
-.--
.dc _
--
"Short-term gapping may have to be ac-
cepted, and opportunities for release at less than normal notice under PRV (premature voluntary release) or redundancy may reduce."
His post as Director General Fleet It is even possible that some ratings who Support (Equipment and Support) dishave been selected for redundancy appears under reorganisation of Naval may have to return to sea for a short time until Support Command, can be found. replacements Maintaining In his signal to commanding officers, the Second Sea Lord (Admiral Sir Michael " Turn to page 14.
.
-
Boyce) said the large numbers of leavers would affect appointing and drafting flexibility in the categories concerned and .. Some turbulence" was inevitable.
:-
-
Invincible 'ready to do the business-'
HMS INVINCIBLE is on station off Bosnia and, says her commanding officer, she is ready for any action which NATO orders.
-
"We are on offer to NATO to take part in any operation which they deem necessary," Capt Ian Forties told Navy News.
" ..
"I have a highly professional team who are aware of how volatile the situation has become over the past three to four weeks. They have every expectation that they will be called upon, and are ready to do the business."
"HMS INVINCIBLE launches a Sea Dart anti-aircraft missile during practice firing in the Bay of Biscay while on her way to the Adriatic to support UN troops in Bosnia.
Captain Forbes was talking the day after Invincible relieved HMS Illustrious, and as Navy News went to press he expected "imminent deployment" of the ship's Sea Harriers on Operation
Deny Flight patrols to enforce UN resolutions. As with Illustrious, HMS Invincible is equipped with the Sea Harrier FA2 (see page 11). "They are extremely capable, multimission aircraft," said Capt Forbes. "They are operating well and the aircrew are very pleased with their performance."
Under fire
A Sea King helicopter of 845 Naval Air Squadron sustained minor damage when it received small fire arms fire from the ground in the Mount lgman area on July 24. No one was injured and the aircraft proceeded with its task of supporting British troops. It landed safely at Gomjl Vakuf.