Taking to the skies

A resurgence in spending on manned and unmanned air power across Asia-Pacific is largely being driven by regional and territorial disputes, and the desire to keep up with near neighbours in a regional arms race

Lessons from Iraq and Chilcot

The UK’s Chilcot Report into the 2003 invasion of Iraq, has some essential lessons for all Ministries of Defence to take on board when it comes to ensuring troops have the equipment and support they need, before the next major military operation starts

Integrated Project Teams: The MoD's New Hot Potato?

Since the announcement of Smart Procurement, much has been written on the potential benefits that IPTs will hopefully bring. It is supposed that they will improve the interface with industry, create a better understanding of requirements and establish an environment where industry is motivated to perform and so reduce cost, risk and time into service while improving product quality. The formation of a team should provide continuity, consistency, flexibility and ~ increased performance due to the integration of a wide-range of functional activities and decision-making, as well as increased motivation. These may well be gallant objectives, but how achievable are they? What obstacles does the MoD face in the implementation of the IPTs? Have they grasped a 'hot potato'

Anglo-French defence cooperation in the age of austerity

This paper seeks to assess, from a predominantly UK perspective, the potential benefits of enhanced Anglo-French defence cooperation, not only to the two countries concerned but also to Western Europe and the USA. The paper will mainly focus on defence cooperation and not the subordinate agreement regarding limited cooperation on nuclear weapons, which addressed cooperation on the safety and security of nuclear weapons, stockpile certification and countering nuclear and radiological terrorism but seemed to be driven by "acute financial pressures, symptomatic of severe structural deficiencies"

Is sea-basing a viable method of providing logistic support to the UK amphibious force?

Maritime power has traditionally been a central part of the UK’s defence planning and is well suited to supporting a wide range of military operations. The littoral area has always created problems for naval planners as most landings historically have had to endure a tactical separation of the naval and land components, and hence an artificial seam between the Navy and the Marines. With the end of the Cold War, amphibious operations are going to be more difficult to conduct than in the past, and amphibious forces are going to have to adopt manoeuvre warfare capabilities in order to successfully complete their missions. It is very likely that amphibious forces will have to conduct operations against a numerically superior enemy, who is on his own terrain, and be surrounded by a neutral, if not hostile populace. As such, the concept of Operational Manoeuvre From The Sea (OMFTS) whereby the sea is used as a manoeuvre space, and command and control is fast enough to cope with large amounts of information, but at the same time allow subordinates maximum flexibility to use their initiative, is increasingly attractive. It will be important not only for the combat elements to be able to use this new concept, but the Combat Service Support (CSS) elements as well

Parents\u27 Perspectives, Observations, and Interpretations of: Cancer-Related Fatigue and How the Symptom Shapes their Child\u27s Day-to-Day Quality of Life

Fatigue is a common and distressing symptom of childhood cancer that is often viewed as an inevitable part of cancer treatment and under assessed in clinical practice. Yet, cancer-related fatigue can disrupt normal childhood development and family functioning, as well as, signal serious complications of cancer and its treatment. Little is known about fatigue and quality of life among children undergoing cancer treatment in outpatient settings. This qualitative descriptive study explored parents\u27 observations and interpretations of cancer-related fatigue and how it shaped their child\u27s day-to-day quality of life during cancer treatment. Eleven participant interviews were gathered from parents of children (1-12 years of age). Data collection and analysis were guided by the concept of pediatric cancer-related fatigue, domains of pediatric quality of life, and methods of conventional content analysis. Three themes containing 7 categories and subcategories emerged that represented parents\u27 descriptions and interpretations of (a) life before cancer diagnosis, (b) fatigue shaping everyday quality of life, and (c) perspectives on fatigue. Participants noted changes in their child\u27s life before and after cancer and described behavioral manifestations of fatigue disrupting relationships with siblings and peers, school attendance, play and participation in preferred activities, family outings and functioning, and other domains of quality of life. However, the parents did not interpret or attribute these changes to the symptom of fatigue shaping everyday quality of life. The findings of this study suggest that parents of children with cancer and health professionals have different definitions, perspectives, and interpretations of the meaning of cancer-related fatigue to a child\u27s everyday quality of life. Implications for nursing practice, theory, research, and education are discussed

Implications for the U.S. of Anglo-French Defense Cooperation

The paper analyzes, from a predominantly UK perspective, the implications for the U.S. of the November 2, 2010, Anglo-French Defence Cooperation Treaty. The current pressures on British and French defence budgets were the primary driving force behind this cooperative effort. London and Paris have made steps toward improving joint efforts in a number of areas, with defence acquisition and industrial cooperation being prominent. In the UK, there appears to be strong political support at the highest levels, which has permeated to lower levels in the bureaucracy, while the UK defence industry appears to be cautiously optimistic about future business opportunities. The impact of enhanced Anglo-French cooperation on the U.S. would appear to be largely favourable for Washington. Rather than providing a basis for weakened UK attention to the U.S., as some fear, the efforts by London and Paris will potentially generate greater national military capability from scarce resources and could serve as a vehicle for broader European efforts to enhance their defence capabilities. While multinational European military development projects are viewed with scepticism in the UK, the Anglo-French arrangement could strengthen the prospects for bilateral projects in which other European states may elect to participate