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Navy News PLAIN ENGLISH CAMPAIGN AWARD WINNER 1996
NAUGHTY BUT NICE
page 20 It's Russian for 'happy birthday' centre pages
SEPTEMBER
1996
60p
The Royal Navy and the Spanish ^ • « Civil War • page 15
Units on 24 hour notice Goodbye,
NEW FORCE IS 'GOOD TO GO
A NEW JOINT Rapid Deployment Force designed to be at 24 hour readiness to respond to crises anywhere around the world was officially launched last month. Former Royal Marines Special Boat Service commander Brigadier Jonathan Thomson is the new force's first chief, operating from the permanent joint headquarters at Northwood. Centred on units provided by 3 Commando Brigade and 5 Airborne Brigade it also draws on other elements of all three Services, with the Royal Navy assigned to provide an aircraft carrier and submarines
Major step Defence Secretary Michael Portillo told Navy News:"Thc JRDF is a major step forward for our Armed Forces. From today, we will he able to respond to crises worldwide more quickly." • 45 Cdo have been training in the Mojave Desert in California in preparation for their role in the JRDF - and they are now, as thenUS counterparts say, "Good to go". Sec page 17.
SPECIAL AVIATION SUPPLEMENT NEXT MONTH - with free cutaway poster
Cowes. . .
... but it's not not quite goodbye, Britannia as the Duke of Edinburgh waves a last farewell from the deck of HMY to the world's most famous regatta. Meanwhile the 80ft Grand Mistral's Russian crew was the first to enter in all its 170 year history.