In 
contrast to a lot of comments made in recent months concerning the standard of equipment available to the guys on the frontline, the Ministry of Defence reports that, at the recent Future Soldier event, soldiers who had recently been honoured for their acts of courage in Afghanistan spoke highly of the equipment that is now in service. Osprey body-armour, the General Purpose Machine Gun, the 81mm mortar and the Javelin anti-tank weapon were singled out as examples of recent significant improvements in frontline kit which are giving British troops the battle-winning edge on operations.
contrast to a lot of comments made in recent months concerning the standard of equipment available to the guys on the frontline, the Ministry of Defence reports that, at the recent Future Soldier event, soldiers who had recently been honoured for their acts of courage in Afghanistan spoke highly of the equipment that is now in service. Osprey body-armour, the General Purpose Machine Gun, the 81mm mortar and the Javelin anti-tank weapon were singled out as examples of recent significant improvements in frontline kit which are giving British troops the battle-winning edge on operations.Baroness Taylor, Minister for Defence Equipment and Support , who opened the event siad:
"Supporting the front line is my priority. So, from the Mastiff vehicle to new sniper rifles, we are ensuring our Forces have the best possible kit. I have spoken to soldiers in Afghanistan who say what they have now is the best kit they have ever had. And so it should be. In the last three years alone we have delivered a grand total of more than £10 billion worth of equipment to the Armed Forces."
Much of the new equipment is a response to Urgent Operational Requirements where events on the ground require new solutions to meet changed circumstances, to counter an increasingly sophisticated enemy and to deliver on the new security challenges of the 21st century.
The Future Soldier event, which is being held at London's National Army Museum and which coincides with National Science and Engineering Week (7-16 March), is designed to show how UK defence firms (QinetiQ, Rolls-Royce, Thales UK, etc ) and the Ministry of Defence are "drawing on science and engineering to develop cutting edge equipment for the Armed Forces". It's all about the kind of gadgets which should be available to tomorrow's soldier. "Holographic quantum technology" and "acoustic sniper sensors" may sound like the sort of words that Captain Kirk would use on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise but these technologies are being used today by the engineers and scientists at the MoD's Defence Engineering and Science Group (DESG) to develop the next generation of combat gear for Britain's Armed Forces.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer today has pledged an additional £2billion for 2008/09 operations; this compares to the extra £3.2billion in 2007/08. "This money is in addition to the core defence budget, and will be used to ensure that the UK’s Armed Forces have the best possible equipment and protection while they are on operations". Included in the £2billion is about £900 million for new equipment. The MoD’s shopping list includes more armoured vehicles, more body armour, upgraded communication systems and electronic countermeasure devices.
Link> MoD: Future Soldier Event
Link> MoD: Honoured soldiers praise "life saving & war winning" kit
Link> MoD: Design Engineering and Science Group
Link> MoD: Chancellor pledges additional funds for operations
Link> MoD: Kit:UK Online
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