Today’s Nuclear Submarines Are Designed To Deliver Far More Than Missiles To Foreign Shores
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Tag Archives: Ministry of Defence
Olympic Verdict Places British Residents Under Military Rule Indefinitely
It’s official: an Englishman’s home is no longer his castle.
In a move that is hardly witnessed in wartime, let alone in peacetime, the UK’s military establishment has been given the green light to quarter residential homes without any permission or notice.
In the run-up to the 2012 Olympics in London, the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) has taken the unprecedented step of erecting surface-to-air missile batteries on top of multiple residential locations around East London.
A group of local council tenants from Leytonstone, East London, lost their high court battle to prevent the military missile encampment from being stationed on the roof of their tower block before and during the Olympics. The action to use their residential block as a military base was signed off by the British Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Home Secretary and Defence Secretary in ‘Defence of the Realm’.
Residents were then also refused permission and blocked from applying for an appeal via judicial review because the case falls under the guise of national security.
The Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond, was accused by the residents of the block of Breaching Article 8 and Article 1 of Protocol 1 of the European convention on Human Rights. These protect an individual’s right to a private life and peaceful enjoyment of their home.
At no point beforehand were any of the residents given consultation by the MOD. Moreover, the ruling against the residents has set a number of new legal precedents in favour of the military, including a ‘zero notice’ policy whereby the MOD has no obligation to inform or consult residents beforehand, nor do they have any legal obligation to offer any compensation if they choose to commandeer a private property to set-up a forward operating base.
David Enright, a human rights lawyer and Partner of Howe and Co. who represented the residents, explains the danger of this new ruling, “Let’s be clear. Whenever the government (or military) takes a power over the civilian population – they never give it back.”
Critics are pointing out that the both MOD and the government agencies had 7 years to prepare and plan their operations, but intentionally left it until only three months before the games before revealing their operation – limiting the time to launch any legal challenge against them.
The residents of the Fred Wigg tower block were concerned, amongst many other issues, that surface-to-air missiles on their tower block could make them a terrorist target. The MOD rejected their claim by saying that missile deployment as part of the security measures for the Games was ‘legitimate and proportionate’. David Forsdick, who appeared in court on behalf of the MOD, said “The MOD, intelligence agencies and the Metropolitan Police do not consider there is any credible threat to the Fred Wigg tower from terrorism”.
It is somewhat ironic that the MOD, intelligence agencies and the Metropolitan Police do not consider there is any credible threat to the Fred Wigg Tower from terrorism. This was probably the case before they put missiles on the roof, but few would argue that this is still the case.
The Judge presiding over the case, Mr Justice Haddon-Cave, maintained that the MOD had no duty to consult with residents, nor would they responsible for their relocation or any compensation as a result of the domestic military operation.
Prior to the case hearing, it was also revealed that Judge Haddon-Cave who was appointed to the case, had clear links with MOD. He had worked for, maintained ties with and even lectured for the MOD. He declared his interests at the beginning of the trial but for reasons unknown, his conflict of interest was not contested.
In what has been described as patronising at its worst, Judge Haddon-Cave claimed that although the residents of Fred Wigg tower had expressed ‘shock, anxiety and worry’ over the prospect of missiles being stations on top of their building, they had been under ‘something of a misapprehension’ about the nature of the equipment to be deployed and the risks deployment would bring.
Judge Haddon-Cave justified the MOD’s brash move by claiming there was no need for the MOD to negotiate with residents, as there were ‘no other alternative site for missiles’. Residents and citizen advocates have since rubbished the Judge’s spurious claims pointing out that there are literally thousands of huge open spaces- parks, vacant office buildings, industrial waste land, car parks, construction sites, school playing fields, and ships on the Thames, all of which would suffice if indeed, ‘air defence’ was indeed the primary issue at play here. In addition to all these other options, there are also hundreds of secure government buildings all over London which could be available for use in military operations. Instead, the decision by the MOD to opt instead for residents’ homes as domestic military staging areas places residents firmly into the category of ‘human shield’.
Journalist Brian Whelan, 28, previously posted a video on Telegraph website showing the British Army leaving crates of missiles, rockets and other military equipment outside the entrance of his home, Lexington Tower in Bow – completely unguarded. The MOD responded to the report by insisting that they were ‘dummy missiles’ and no risk was incurred by residents. Whelan was then promptly evicted from his council home after his report went public.
The result of Whelan’s early eviction from his home in Bow, has been that residents in the Fred Wigg Tower in Leytonstone have been afraid to speak to the media regarding their plight for fear that they too might be made homeless for speaking out against the state’s power structure – a disturbing new trend which can only be described as institutional intimidation. This new reality was confirmed by Infowars.com reporters, who were met with a wall of silence when trying to gain comment from multiple residents this past weekend.
In addition to the MOD, British state-run television apparatus BBC has also taken over a number of council properties in East London for its media operations around the Olympic games, clashing with residents and even denying residents entry into their own homes in at least one instance. Demotix.com reported this week:
Following a request from BBC Security, police denied a family access to their tower block home overlooking the Olympic site in Stratford for well over an hour, before having to acknowledge they had no power to do so.
Colin, a resident in Lund Point on the Carpenters Estate in Stratford had invited a group viewing the estate in a tour organised by CARP (Carpenters Estate Against Regeneration) to come to his flat to see the high standard of accommodation in the 1966 tower block and the views across the estate.
The BBC have rented the vacant areas of the top five floors of the 22 story block as a base for their Olympic and Paralympic coverage. The group included a number of UK and foreign journalists, photographers and TV crews with an interest in the area.
This is the thick end of the wedge, where eminent domain and martial law automatically usurp any rights or redress a citizen would normally be entitled to, but can’t because national security has been invoked by the state.
Clearly, one can certainly deduce from these events that Britain is officially in a permanent state of war.
Against who?
That is the ever lingering question.
Code Red: Defense cuts threaten UK nuclear subs
Published by RT
HMS Astute, the British Royal Navy‘s latest nuclear hunter killer submarine (AFP Photo/Andy Buchanan)
TAGS: Military, Nuclear, UK, Navy
Safety on board British nuclear submarines is in jeopardy because of sweeping spending cuts, a report by the UK’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) warns.
The report, which was written by Commodore David Langbridge, the head of nuclear safety at the MoD, says there is“a lack of adequate resources to deliver the defense nuclear program safely.” He adds that the problem is getting worse and requires significant action.
The report codes the lack of finance and staff as red, the highest level, which means “significant action might be necessary within a year.”
As well as a lack of finance, Commodore Langbridge raises serious concern at the lack of adequately trained staff.“The difficulties in maintaining a suitable cadre of suitably competent staff (Royal Navy, MoD civilians and industry partners) are principal threats to safety in the medium term,” he said.
Langbridge warns that there is a lack of submarine reactor engineers and that measures to address this are insufficient and raised concern that plans by the MoD to cut 17,000 military and 25,000 civilian jobs “would put nuclear safety at risk”.
The report covers nuclear safety activities in 2011 and is the latest in a number of investigations on the issue. Since 2010 the MoD has been forced to release its findings following a legal challenge made under the freedom of information law.
The 2010 report also warned that the risk of a radiation leak or accident was becoming progressively worse. Langbridge found that there were a number of “incidents” in 2011, although not serious in and of themselves, could lead to an “incident of higher significance not being prevented,” he said.
And it raised further questions about the government’s decision to extend the Trident Nuclear Missile System to save money, a move that “will present safety justification challenges”.
The UK MoD is responsible for 220 nuclear warheads used to arm the Trident Missile System on four nuclear submarines. The Royal Navy also sails six nuclear powered submarines which are armed with conventional weapons, with another one to come into service later this year and five more either being built or on the drawing board.
There are also 17 defunct nuclear subs laid up and waiting to be decommissioned. The 2011 report also highlights a lack of funds for decommissioning.
Fred Dawson, who once headed the MoD’s radiation protection policy team, has accused ministers of not listening to warnings by the nuclear safety regulator. “The MoD has failed to allocate sufficient resources to nuclear safety,” he said.
John Ainslie, coordinator at the Scottish Campaign Nuclear Disarmament, told RT that while the UK government has just earmarked billions of pounds for new nuclear submarines, they have been cutting spending on the nuclear safety regulator.
The Defense Nuclear Safety Regulator has had a 75 per cent cut in its budget, while this past June the government announced it was allocating 1.1 billion pounds towards a new facility to build nuclear reactors, specifically for submarines. A further 1 billion pounds was announced for Aldermaston in Berkshire, where the nuclear warheads are actually built, earlier in the year.
At present all Trident Nuclear Missile subs are docked at a specially built base in Scotland. If the Scots gain independence in a referendum planned for 2014, the Scottish National Party has repeatedly said it will carry through with its demand that the UK remove all nuclear weapons from the country’s territory.
Ainslie believes that this would spell the end of nuclear weapons in Britain as there are no other suitable places to dock Trident submarines and that “the cost and public outcry at building a new base would be too much for the government to go ahead with its plans” of replacing the nuclear deterrent, he said.
Israel to Unveil World’s Smallest Missile
Israel’s Rafael Defense Systems will unveil the world’s smallest missile at the annual Eurosatory exhibition in Paris next week.
Israel’s Rafael Defense Systems will unveil the world’s smallest military missile at the annual Eurosatory “Land and Airland Defense and Security” exhibition in Paris next week,Israel Defense reports.
The Mini-Spike electro-optic guided missile is the first missile to implement an anti-personnel precision attack missile. It has range of approximately three quarters of a mile (1.5 km) and is intended for deployment against enemy forces in shelters or trenches.
The entire missile weighs only 8.8 pounds (4 kilograms) and uses wireless communications to view and guide the missile to its target. The Mini-Spike is less than 30 inches long, and a soldier can carry four of them in one carrier. Another soldier carries to launch system.
The missile is 70 cm in length and 75 mm in diameter. Each soldier can carry four missiles.
Rafael was established as part of the Ministry of Defense more than 50 years ago and was incorporated in 2002. Its sales last year were nearly $2 billion.
Rafael also will display at Eurosatory the Iron Dome system that intercepts short-range rockets.
Anarchist Group Allied to CIA’s Red Brigades Plan London Olympics Terror
Posted by truther on May 29, 2012
An anarchist group is threatening to disrupt the London Olympics with terrorist attacks. The Informal Anarchist Federation (or FAI, Federazione Anarchica Informale) warns it will engage in “guerrilla activity to hurt the national image and paralyze the economy however we can,” according to a post on the anarchist website 325.nostate.
The group claims it will target the Ministry of Defense, defense firms, and banks in Britain. “Finance, judicial, communications, military and transport infrastructure will continue to be targets of the new generation of urban low-intensity warfare.”
As we have reported numerous times, so-called anarchist groups are the preferred tool of the state when it plans to launch false flag attacks or unleash agents provocateurs to discredit demonstrations against the globalists and their “free trade” organizations.
The Informal Anarchist Federation is a classic Gladio cut-out organization. It was established in Italy and is allied with the New Red Brigades and the Communist Combatant Party. The original Red Brigades was a terrorist organization founded by Italian intelligence and the CIA. It was closely associated with the Hyperion Language School in Paris, a CIA outfit. See Andrew Gavin Marshall, Operation Gladio: CIA Network of “Stay Behind” Secret Armies.
Since 2003, the Gladio FAI has targeted European Union institutions. It has mailed threatening letters to politicians, including Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, and parcel bombs that exploded at the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome.
In 2011, the FAI claimed responsibility for a bomb that exploded at a Swiss nuclear industry association, injuring two people. In December of that year, a mail bomb was sent to the CEO of Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt.
Kurt Nimmo
Infowars
Earlier this year, the FAI claimed responsibility for the shooting of an Italian executive at a nuclear company. In May, an FAI “affinity group” in Britain sabotaged railway signaling equipment, an incident that may be viewed as a precursor to violence planned for the Olympics.
The primary objective of Operation Gladiowas to create a “strategy of tension” in Europe through terrorist bombings and assassinations which were then blamed on the so-called left. Gladio was run by the CIA’s P-2 lodge (short forPropaganda Due, a Masonic lodge). CIA director Allen Dulles was key in instituting Operation Gladio, and most of Gladio’s operations were financed by the CIA.
In Gladio, NATO’s Dagger at the Heart of Europe: The Pentagon-Nazi-Mafia Terror Axis, author Richard Cottrell documents how Gladio incorporated Nazis, fascists (including fascist elements of Italian intelligence), the Mob, and the military-industrial complex in its concerted effort to overthrow governments and sabotage political organizations in Europe.
Former Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti insists Gladio was discontinued after the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc, but as any astute student of intelligence understands,covert operations that successfully neutralize enemies of the global elite are never retired.
Unleashing “anarchist” terrorists during the Olympics in London this summer will provide a sensationalistic pretext to further militarize police, put soldiers on the street, roll out a high-tech surveillance apparatus and promote and domesticate a war on terror that is designed to last indefinitely, or at least until the global elitehave put the finishing touches on their police state and control grid.
‘We want civil war’ Anarchist group vows to spread mayhem throughout UK
Posted on May 28, 2012
