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Sep 5 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
NEW: The UK is significantly expanding a training programme in Britain to turn potentially tens of thousands of Ukrainian citizens into frontline soldiers to fight Russia ⬇️

bit.ly/3qdpKeY
The combat course is being extended in length to five weeks from three weeks, keeping more of the training in the UK, away from the threat of Russian missile strikes - a hazard for anyone learning how to become a soldier at sites inside Ukraine, it is understood.
Some 4,700 personnel have already been through the training at military bases in the north, southwest and southeast of England since it began in June, with commanders intending to continue the support for as long as Ukraine needs new troops to fight Russia's invasion.
Military instructors from 8 other countries, including New Zealand, Sweden and the Netherlands, have joined with their British counterparts to provide the expanded training mission. @BWallaceMP said it demonstrated "our shared resolve to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine".

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More from @haynesdeborah

Deborah Haynes Profile picture
Sep 2
NEW: First comments on-camera from @ChiefofAirStaff since news broke that the head of @RoyalAirForce recruitment has resigned over an “unlawful” order to hire women & ethnic minority candidates over white men to hit “impossible” diversity targets. Relevant bit transcribed below⬇️
1/ Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston says: “There has been much recent interest in our service’s approach to recruitment and as a leadership team we are committed to ensuring it is a process that you and all our recruits past, present and future have full confidence in.”
2/ The @ChiefofAirStaff continues: “There can be no higher priority than addressing this because while cutting edge aircraft, platforms and systems are fundamental to our operational success, it is the quality of our people who ultimately make the difference.”
Read 4 tweets
Deborah Haynes Profile picture
Sep 2
Western officials “hope & expect” Ukraine to achieve success against Russian forces in its Kherson offensive.“It won’t end the war but it would be really important…because of the geo-strategic importance of Kherson” & to show Russia is a “long way from having the war go its way”
The western officials described the Ukrainian offensive operation into the Kherson region, west of the Dnipro river, as “sensibly limited” and an “important” attacking moment for Ukraine after more than six-months of defending itself against Russia’s largescale invasion.
They said it would likely take time, would be deadly and cautioned against any “gigantic breakthroughs”.
The western officials said it was important to consider the mission – officially launched on Monday – through a prism of what it could “reasonably achieve”.
Read 9 tweets
Deborah Haynes Profile picture
Aug 21
EXCLUSIVE: The head of @RoyalAirForce recruitment refused to follow an order to prioritise women and ethnic minority candidates over white men because she believed it was "unlawful", defence sources have claimed and a leaked email has revealed.

1/
bit.ly/3AcG8kn
The group captain - who subsequently resigned - told her boss in the email earlier this month that she was not willing to allocate slots on RAF training courses based purely on a specific gender or ethnicity, according to a copy of the message, seen by @SkyNews.

2/
Such a move had raised concerns about the possibility of positive discrimination, the sources said.
"This is unlawful," the officer wrote in the email, dated 4 August, adding: "I am not prepared to delegate or abdicate the responsibility of actioning that order to my staff."

3/
Read 9 tweets
Deborah Haynes Profile picture
Aug 19
EXCLUSIVE: The @RoyalAirForce took steps to "artificially inflate" its diversity numbers in a bid to hit a key government target for female and ethnic minority recruits, three defence sources have claimed & leaked documents have suggested.

1/
bit.ly/3A9Qgu7
The RAF denied it had acted in any way illegally with its recruitment practices. @JSHeappey, the Armed Forces Minister, said any evidence of positive discrimination would be investigated and would not be tolerated.

2/
The informed sources alleged that RAF recruitment officers were directed to prioritise the placement of women and ethnic minorities on training courses in the year to 31 March 2021.

3/
Read 8 tweets
Deborah Haynes Profile picture
Aug 16
EXCLUSIVE: The RAF has effectively paused making job offers to white male recruits in favour of women & ethnic minorities to meet "impossible" diversity targets, sources claim. The head of @RoyalAirForce recruitment has resigned in protest, they said

1/
bit.ly/3dtl2qd
The defence sources accused @ChiefofAirStaff Sir Mike Wigston, the head of the RAF, of appearing willing to compromise UK security at a time of growing threats from Russia and China in pursuit of albeit important goals such as improving diversity and inclusion.

2/
One of the defence sources noted how General Sir Patrick Sanders, the head of the @BritishArmy, has likened today's security challenges to those in the build-up to the Second World War, warning that the UK is facing its "1937 moment".

3/
Read 13 tweets
Deborah Haynes Profile picture
Aug 7
NEW: Defence Secretary @BWallaceMP instructed the head of the @RoyalAirForce to fix chronic problems with flying training for new pilots as "his only priority", a defence source has said. That was more than 2.5yrs ago. The system is still in “crisis”.
1/
bit.ly/3oWBzFL
On Friday, @SkyNews revealed an "emerging" issue with the Hawk aircraft used by fast jet trainees & concerns about a "damaging drain" of qualified pilots quitting the RAF for better-paid jobs in industry rather than staying on to fly on operations and instruct new recruits.
2/
The impact of the various challenges means dozens of recruits are stuck in limbo waiting for months - sometimes years - for training slots to open up on fast jet courses as well as those earmarked to fly military transport, spy planes and helicopters.
3/
Read 5 tweets

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