Michael Fallon, Secretary of State for Defence, said:

I am delighted to announce that Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach will assume the role of Chief of the Defence Staff this summer when General Sir Nicholas Houghton retires.

Sir Stuart has been an outstanding VCDS and I look forward to working closely with him in taking the fight to Daesh and ensuring we have the best Armed Forces to keep Britain safe.

A biography for Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach can be found on the here.

The Defence Secretary met some of the 1,000 individuals who work at RAF Wyton, where intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance from across Defence and a wide range of public sources is coordinated and analysed. The work carried out by these individuals towards the identification of current and emerging threats is crucial in enabling Government to develop the appropriate responses to protect the UK and its allies.

Defence Intelligence, which operates from a number of sites around the UK, is also tasked to tackle the online threats that the UK faces. These threats can be found in cyberspace and on social media, and this visit follows last month’s Cyber Symposium in Paris where Defence Secretary Michael Fallon stressed that the dangers of activity occurring in cyberspace are only likely to grow, citing the Russian use of cyber in order to gain military advantage and Isil’s efforts to radicalise individuals and spread misinformation.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:

There is no escaping the fact that the scale, diversity and complexity of the challenges all nations, governments and industries face with Cyber is getting bigger.

As I have said before, much of the 2010 SDSR analysis holds good. We were right to identify cyber as key areas for investment.

Next month’s SDSR will review where Cyber sits in the overall prioritisation of security threats and responses. However we are clear that we must continue to invest in our cyber defence capabilities.

Speaking at the NATO Defence Ministerial in Brussels today (8 October), Defence Secretary Michael Fallon announced that company sized units will now be deployed to the Baltics and Poland on a regular basis to provide reassurance and training support. The deployed units will build on existing deployments wherever possible.

The move, which will form part of the US-German Transatlantic Capability Enhancement and Training (TACET) initiative, builds on Britain’s contribution to policing Baltic air space. RAF Typhoons have been deployed to the region each year since May 2014 and will return in 2016.

This contribution will benefit the UK in several ways, including building the capacity and capability of our regional allies, enhancing interoperability with our armed forces, maintaining the UK’s regional leadership, reaffirming the UK’s commitment to NATO and collective security, and offering training opportunities and regional knowledge.

The initiative also gives the UK the opportunity to coordinate its deployments with the US and Germany, which demonstrates a clear UK commitment to enhance our bilateral relationships with Germany, and sustains our relationship with the US.

One of the aims of TACET is to coordinate military training and exercises in the Baltic States and Poland, to provide reassurance and develop capability and resilience.

Mr Fallon has also announced an uplift to the number of UK training personnel based in Ukraine and an increase in the capacity to deliver training by a third.

The UK has already stepped up the training programme in Ukraine to include additional infantry, medical and survival skills, and increase the number of Ukrainian soldiers being trained.

We are providing non-lethal assistance that has been requested by the Ukrainian Government to enhance the capability of their armed forces to defend themselves.

19 UK teams have operated in Ukraine to train nearly 1,600 members of the UAF at eight training sites. The operation remains on course to have trained more than 2,000 UAF troops by the end of the financial year.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:

We are committed to supporting the sovereignty of the democratic nations of Eastern Europe. We are already deploying RAF jets to the Baltics and providing crucial training to the Ukrainian armed forces.

Now we will have a more regular drumbeat of troops deploying in the Baltics and Poland, and will step up our training effort in Ukraine.

The UK’s permanent representative to NATO, Sir Adam Thomson, said:

This meeting came at a crucial time for the Alliance. There’s an arc of instability along NATO’s periphery, with new challenges and threats.

Change is already underway in NATO to respond. The Readiness Action Plan is on track. The spearhead force is launched. All Allies are contributing to Assurance Measures - 28 for 28.

And the UK is playing a leading role - as today’s announcement clearly shows. The UK is committed to the defence of our Allies and to projecting stability in NATO’s neighbourhood.

The UK has been and remains at the forefront of the international diplomatic and military effort to support the Iraqi Government and moderate Syrian Opposition to defeat ISIL. The Committee’s conclusions are based on out of date or inaccurate information and do not recognise the major role the UK Government has played since the beginning of operations.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon Said:

The report recognises the UK is right to respond actively to the threat posed by ISIL but we reject the Committee’s conclusion that we are making a ‘strikingly modest’ contribution. We have played a major role in the military campaign from the start and have conducted 194 airstrikes in Iraq, second only to the US.

Throughout the campaign we have focused our military contribution where it can have the most impact – supporting Iraqi forces from the air, providing vital intelligence, surveillance and air-to-air refuelling capabilities. The RAF has contributed assets that few coalition partners can match and the US and other partners have acknowledged the impact these are having on the campaign.

The UK now has over 600 military personnel supporting operations, including over 140 in Iraq. We have trained over 1000 Iraqi ground forces and have gifted around 400 tonnes of equipment and ammunition. As a world leader in countering improvised explosive devices (C-IED) we are leading the coordination of the coalition’s C-IED training programme.

Clear strategy - In contrast with the Committee view that the UK lacks a clear strategy for the fight against ISIL the Government has been clear that the first priority is to minimise the threat to UK security and interests in the Middle East by pursuing three objectives. These include disrupting threats to the UK, working as part of an international coalition to defeat ISIL and to discredit its violent ideology and to mitigate the impact of ISIL and other violent extremist groups. The criticisms of the Service Chief’s “inability or unwillingness… to provide a clear, and articulate statement of the UK’s objectives” are unfounded and based around an outdated understanding of their role within Defence as responsibility for setting out a clear governance structure for military strategy does not lie with the Service Chiefs.

Number of airstrikes - The Committee also stated that the UK has only conducted 6% of air strikes – this is inaccurate. It is based on figures for Iraq and Syria and we only have parliamentary permission to conduct strikes over Iraq.

Number of military personnel - The Committee has also inaccurately compared the UK’s commitment with that of other countries, for example they stated that there were 400 Australian military personnel outside of Kurdish regions compared to only three UK military personnel. To date the Australians have deployed a similar number to the UK’s current deployment of around 140 military personnel.

Outside of Defence, the UK has contributed £39.5 million in humanitarian support to Iraq and the UK Government is supporting Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s steps towards political reconciliation and economic reform. Furthermore, the UK is taking action to counter ISIL’s finances and messaging and to restrict the flow of foreign fighters.

William Hague, Leader of the House of Commons, has today announced 3 days of commemorations to mark the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day 70) this summer.

The plans include events across the UK to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. Events will range from a parade, a service of thanksgiving and a star-studded concert in central London, to street parties around the UK.

Mr Hague, Leader of the House of Commons, said:

I am delighted to announce 3 days of celebrations, which will pay fitting tribute to those who did so much to defend this country and ensure victory in Europe.

It is right that we take time to reflect on the sacrifices made, not just by those in the Armed Forces, but by civilians such as Land Girls and those in Reserved Occupations and make sure that the whole country has the chance to take part in commemorating this momentous anniversary and remembering those who gave so much for our freedom.

The celebrations in London will be echoed by other events across the country to mark VE Day 70 with local authorities and communities encouraged to participate. They will celebrate with members of their communities who contributed to the war effort throughout the Second World War. The Royal British Legion, as the national custodian of Remembrance, will act as the government’s key partner in leading the nation in marking the commemoration, including hosting a major reception for 2,000 veterans in St James’s Park.

Vice Admiral Peter Wilkinson CB CVO, National President of the Royal British Legion said:

We are honoured to play our part in helping the nation mark 70 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe. The Legion has a responsibility to help the memories of those of who have fought and died in our nation’s Armed Forces live on for future generations. The commemoration of this conflict, still in living memory, gives us the opportunity to salute the Second World War generation.

We hope that all communities will use the VE Day 70 commemorations to thank them and celebrate the role they played in our nation’s history.

Eric Goldrein, 94, from Hale Village, Liverpool, served with the Royal Artillery during the Second World War and was in Italy when the news came through that the war in Europe was over.

We celebrated in a field, the Signallers set up speakers playing music and the locals came out and joined in too, happy that the war was finally over. I heard about the street parties back home and I’m looking forward to being part of these 70th Anniversary celebrations.

Friday 8 May

VE Day itself (Friday 8 May) will be a day of remembrance. A service of remembrance will be held at The Cenotaph, including a national 2 minute silence at 3pm, marking the moment Winston Churchill broadcast his historic speech formally announcing the end of the war.

The Department for Education will be encouraging schools across the country to observe the 2 minute silence and to celebrate and commemorate in their own way – for example, by reading out Churchill’s historic speech, holding special VE Day-themed assemblies or organising tea parties.

In the evening a chain of over 100 beacons will be lit across the UK. Local communities that have already made plans for the day include Great Yarmouth, Island of Unst, Craig-Y-Dorth, Monmouthshire; Stokesby, Norfolk; and Lowestoft, Suffolk.

Saturday 9 May

Saturday 9 May will be a day of celebration. At around 11am, cathedrals across the country, from Durham to Canterbury, will be invited to ring their bells in celebration.

Festivities will peak with a star-studded 1940s themed concert held on Horse Guards Parade on Saturday night, featuring a line-up of international recording artists, stars and celebrities. The show will be one of the highlights of the year and will be broadcast that evening on BBC One.

Sunday 10 May

A service of thanksgiving will be held at Westminster Abbey, attended by veterans and their families, members of the Royal Family, representatives of allied nations and Commonwealth countries who fought alongside Britain in the conflict, along with other diplomatic representatives and senior members of government and the armed forces.

Following the service, there will be a parade of current personnel and veterans, supported by bands, from the Abbey along Whitehall, past the balcony of HM Treasury where Winston Churchill made his historic appearance before crowds on VE Day. Veterans who have taken part in the service and parade will then be invited to a reception in St James’s Park hosted by The Royal British Legion.

During the afternoon there will be a flypast of current and historic aircraft from the Royal Air Force – including the Hurricane, Spitfire and Lancaster of the famous Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which played such a famous role in the European War. The Spitfire, with its unmistakable design, won the admiration of many for its daring role in the Battle of Britain, engaging in dogfights in the sky against enemy aircraft in the defence of the nation. The Avro Lancaster is perhaps the most famous of the aircraft used by Bomber Command during the Second World War, used in many raids on enemy territory, including the famous Dambuster Raids on the Ruhr Valley.

Central London will also be transported back to the 1940s by a display of period vehicles from the 1940s in St James’s Park.

Further details on the commemorations, including event listings, are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/ve-day-70th-anniversary. Information on how veterans will be able to join in the London celebrations, including how to get involved in the lighting of the VE Day Beacons on 8 May and participating in the parade on 10 May, will be announced shortly.

In the coming weeks, the government will also announce plans to mark the 70th anniversary of VJ Day, which will include a day of major events on 15 August 2015.

Notes to editors

1. The line-up for the Horse Guards concert and details of how to get tickets will be announced in the coming weeks.
2. The Royal British Legion was recently awarded £6 million of LIBOR funding by HM Treasury to support the work of commemorations over the next 5 years: they will use part of these funds for VE Day 70.
3. VE Day images are available to license directly from the IWM Archive. To license images for press use, please browse the collection, take note of the reference number on the image and contact the IWM image sales team directly: Telephone: 020 7416 5215/5309 Email: imagesales@iwm.org.uk.
4. For the latest news, follow MoD on Twitter at @DefenceHQ or search #VEDay70

Building on meetings held in the margins of the Munich Security Conference last month, Mr Fallon used the talks to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to NATO as demonstrated by the leading role Britain will play in NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF).

The meeting focused on this significant contribution and included discussions on ways to ensure the quick deployment of the Task Force whenever and where ever necessary.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:

The UK’s commitment to NATO remains as strong as ever. Our discussions built significantly on the considerable progress made since Newport. In particular, we agreed on the importance of Member States contributing to the high readiness task force and deploying as part of the Baltic Air Policing Mission. The UK is playing a key role in these areas, and we will continue to work with our closest allies to overcome the threats to security which we collectively face.

The UK is at the forefront of VJTF development, and at last September’s NATO summit in Wales the Prime Minister said the UK would commit 1,000 personnel to the task force on a rotational basis, a pledge reaffirmed by Mr. Fallon earlier this year.

Building on his recent trip to Washington and meetings with US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, the discussions looked at further cooperation with NATO Allies on countering propaganda and misinformation with the Defence Secretary exploring the potential to share intelligence more rapidly with Allies.

Five high-priority items will be gifted that will provide immediate benefit and help save lives.

The items to be gifted are:

• 2,000 Mark 6 helmets
• 150 helmet-mounted monocular night vision goggles (MNVGs)
• 200 global positioning units (GPS)
• 220 hardened laptops
• 1,000 first aid kits

The total value of this package is approximately £850,000, including transportation and contingency costs.

The package has been provided in response to requests from the Ukrainian Government. It is due to be delivered to Ukrainian Armed Forces over the coming weeks and is designed to increase Ukraine’s defensive capacity and awareness of tactical situations on the ground.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:

The UK is committed to supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s aggression.

This gift of non-lethal equipment is designed to prevent further Ukrainian fatalities and casualties and to help improve situational awareness on the ground. Our overall aim is to strengthen the defensive capability of the Ukrainian armed forces and build the resilience that they need.

The package is being provided alongside other short term training activities, which were announced by the Prime Minister last week. These will be delivered by UK military personnel to the Ukrainians in-country.

This support is in addition to ongoing Defence engagement activities with Ukraine. They include support on crisis management, anti-corruption, Defence reform and strategic communications. The MOD will also be delivering procurement training in the coming weeks. Over the last year the UK has provided personal protective equipment, winter fuel, medical kits, winter clothing and sleeping bags to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This prior support totals more than £1.2 million and is separate to today’s announcement.

UK policy since the start of the crisis has been to provide non-lethal assistance to Ukrainian armed forces, in line with HMG’s assessment that there must be a political solution to this crisis. The MOD will continue to focus on support and assistance that will reduce fatalities and casualties amongst members of the Ukrainian armed forces, whilst building their capacity and resilience.

The MOD is also working closely with key allies through the US / Canada / Ukraine Joint Commission for Cooperation and Defence Reform.

During his second visit to Cyprus, Mr Fallon met RAF personnel from 903 Expeditionary Air Wing who are providing the UK’s contribution to coalition air operations against ISIL.

He discussed the campaign and spoke to the pilots who are flying twice daily missions as the UK continues to make the second largest contribution to coalition airstrikes in support of Iraqi forces.

The Defence Secretary also met troops from 2nd Battalion, Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, and received a briefing on the key role they are playing in the training programme to build the capacity of the Iraqi Security Forces.

So far over 1000 Kurdish Peshmerga have completed training and the UK will lead the Coalition’s counter-IED training programme which is due to start this month.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:

I am proud of the work the 400 personnel based here are doing to help the Iraqi Government to defend their country against the ISIL ‘cancer’.

While this fight will take time, the coalition’s airstrikes are having a direct effect in supporting Iraqi ground operations against ISIL.

In the North, areas around Mount Sinjar have been retaken, bringing relief to the local Yazidi population and applying pressure to ISIL forces in Mosul. In the South, Iraqi forces operations are beginning to push back ISIL.

Britain’s contribution is playing to our strengths. By leading the counter-IED training this month our troops will be using their expertise to give Iraqi forces a vital capability in taking the fight to ISIL.

The RAF base has been home to extensive air capabilities since coalition air operations began last year.

These include:

• Tornado GR4s which have conducted 90 strikes (as of 2nd March 2015)
• Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft which have conducted 70 strikes (as of 2nd March 2015)
• Voyager which has played a crucial role in refuelling UK and coalition aircraft
• C130 transport aircraft which have delivered both humanitarian aid and military support
• and finally the recently deployed E3-D Sentry which has enhanced the coalition’s airborne control and surveillance capability.

As part of wider efforts to support Ukraine and ensure a robust international response to Russia’s aggression, the teams will provide medical, logistics, infantry and intelligence capacity building training from mid March.

The UK Service Personnel will be based in Ukraine delivering support and training to their counterparts. The majority of this advisory and training support will take place in Ukraine, well away from the areas affected by the conflict in the East of the country.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:

In light of continued Russian-backed aggression, the UK is committed to providing additional non-lethal support to Ukraine to help them deal with the pressures they are facing.

Today’s announcement builds upon the work that we have already undertaken through NATO and bilaterally. This will help the Ukrainian Armed Forces develop and maintain the capacity and resilience that they need.

Medical Short Term Training Team

We will be providing combat life support training. It is envisaged that this will include a ‘train the trainer’ package so that Ukrainian personnel can develop the capability to train their own personnel in due course. We will be using individual first aid kits to support this training and, in due course, will seek to gift further kits to help support the ongoing Ukrainian capacity building effort.

Logistics Short Term Training Team

The team will help the Ukrainian Armed Forces understand the deficiencies within their logistics distribution system and then help to provide training and support to improve their practices and processes.

Infantry Short Term Training Team

A small team will travel out to identify what training requirements the Ukrainian Armed Forces need.

Intelligence Capacity Building Short Term Training Team

The aim is to provide tactical level analysis training, which would help individuals to analyse information and from this disseminate intelligence to allow them better to understand their environment.

This support is in addition to ongoing defence engagement activities with Ukraine which include support on crisis management, anti-corruption, defence reform and strategic communications, and we will also be delivering procurement training in the coming weeks. Over the last year the UK has also provided personal protective equipment, winter fuel, medical kits, winter clothing and sleeping bags to the Ukrainian Armed Forces: this support totals over £1.2 million.

Our policy since the start of the crisis has been to provide non-lethal assistance to Ukrainian armed forces, in line with our assessment that there must be a political solution to this crisis.

We will continue to focus on support and assistance that will reduce fatalities and casualties amongst members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and build their capacity and resilience.

We are also working closely with key allies through the Ukraine/ US Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation and Defence Reform.

Their talks focused on how to best implement the measures agreed at the 2014 NATO Summit in Wales, the situation in Ukraine, the future of Afghanistan and the threat posed by ISIL.

Before the talks Dr von der Leyen inspected a Guard of Honour on Horse Guards Parade.

Mr Fallon met Dr von der Leyen in August in Berlin shortly after he was appointed Defence Secretary and again during the NATO Summit in Newport in September.

The UK and Germany have a longstanding and close defence relationship, working closely together within NATO.

The Ministers agreed that the UK and Germany should continue to develop and deepen their defence cooperation.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:

In this 100th anniversary of the Great War it is important to recognise the strong co-operation between us as partners in pursuit of peace.

Whether contributing to security operations in Afghanistan or the international response to the ISIL threat, Britain and Germany enjoy a successful and enduring defence relationship.

It is vital that like-minded countries such as ours address the varied common security challenges that we face.

Meeting with Dr von der Leyen has enabled us to affirm our mutual commitment to meeting these challenges.

German Defence Minister Dr Ursula von der Leyen said:

For decades, the presence of British Forces in Germany has been a sign of our joint successful efforts to promote peace and freedom in Europe.

During those years, numerous ties of friendship have developed. Subsequently today we stand united to face the various global challenges and dangers to stability, peace and humanity.

Today’s visit underlines our cohesion and serves the purpose of close information exchange on recent developments to continuously advance our longstanding and pragmatic cooperation.