Defence Estates have been alerted to doorstep selling by energy provides who say their service is endorsed by MHS and because of this they are able to offer the householder substantial discounts. DE state categorically that no such arrangement exists and advises occupants of SFA to tread carefully. Ken McMinn of DE says "DE and MHS do not endorse any particular energy company...More information »
A competition for all children whose parents are members of HM Forces has been launched by the The Service Children Support Network. Children are invited to submit a painting or drawing that reflects life ‘Through the eyes of a Service Child’. There are several age groups with prizes being awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each category. The closing date is 1 Jun 11... 
Yesterday's conference in London reiterated the necessity for military action in Libya. William Hague who chaired the conference said, "We are working together to ensure that all states implement these resolutions, of which Gaddafi still stands in breach. He also said participants paid tribute to the bravery and professionalism of military personnel ...More information »
The last remaining flying Vulcan flew from Lyneham yesterday for what could be its last flight. After its career with the RAF the Vulcan took to the skies again in 2007 thanks to volunteers and has been under the wing of the The Vulcan To The Sky Trust ever since. A trust spokesman said yesterday, "This could be the Vulcan's last flight because of a substantial drop in donations during the recession...More information »
The Telegraph is today reporting a shortage of RAF pilots to fly over Libya. It claims the SDSR reductions are threatening to undermine front line operations. In response Deputy Commander in Chief Operations, Air Marshal Dick Garwood, said: "There is no shortage of pilots. We are able to cover the Falklands, UK air defence, Afghanistan, training requirements and operations in Libya...More information »
The RAF Families Federation is in ever-increasing demand to provide independent evidence on a wide range of family-related issues. To feed this requirement for independent evidence, the team are about to go out on the road around the RAF again, seeking evidence from family members, both serving and non-serving. Current plans include visits to: Henlow; Honington; Brize Norton; High Wycombe; Waddington, RAF personnel at Ramstein; and a unit in Scotland. Themes for this year’s evidence-gathering activities are: Future Accommodation; RAF Way of Life; and Impact of the SDSR. Workshops with RAF Youth and with Reservists will also continue this year. An exciting development for 2011 is our plan to launch our surveys on-line and, as well as those listed before, we intend to gather evidence on Childcare; Employment Opportunities for Non-Serving Family Members, and Definition of Family. We’d love to hear from you...More information »
Yesterday Maj Gen John Lorimer, CDS's Strategic Comms Officer, gave an update of RAF activity over Libya. He said: "Over the weekend (26/27 Mar 11) RAF Tornado GR4s continued to conduct armed reconnaissance sorties over Libya. In the course of these missions ordnance released hit a total of twenty-two tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery pieces in the vicinity of Ajdabiya and Misurata...More information »
Operational Honours and Awards recognise outstanding bravery and service on operations. RAF personnel picked up 16 awards this time. One of them was WO Stephen Bowden whose bravery and quick thinking in fighting a fire the size of two football pitches earned him the Queens Gallantry Medal. WO Bowden said: "To use a well-worn phrase, I couldn't have done it without my team and I am so proud of all of them
It is possible that thousands of service personnel considering redundancy may have the wrong value for their redundancy package. Problems with the online Forces Pensions Calculator have now been rectified but it may be that many made their enquiry before the error was corrected and are therefore basing their decisions on incorrect information. Dawn McCafferty said, "If at all unsure, go back and do it again...More information »
Air Vice-Marshal Greg Bagwell is the RAF's commander of the air operations over Libya. He said: "We are now applying sustained, unrelenting pressure on the Libyan Armed Forces. Their air force no longer exists as a fighting force, and its integrated air defence system and command and control networks are severely degraded to the point that we can operate over Libyan airspace with impunity...More information »
Despite the pay freeze and the squeeze on personal finances there are to be increases in both food and accommodation charges. The recommendations of the AFPRB have been issued and accepted in full by the Government. Liam Fox said: "We're tackling a difficult economic situation". All recommendations will be implemented in full from 1 Apr 11...More information »
Dawn McCafferty, Chairman of the RAF Families Federation requested a meeting with the Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Stephen Dalton. She said: "Such is my concern at the pace of change within the RAF and its potential impact on families, I requested a meeting with the Chief of the Air Staff. I had not seen the need to do this since the Federation launched in November 07 but the Strategic Defence and Security Review has placed new pressure on the Service and I felt a meeting between the Families Federation and the man at the head of the Service was important. CAS agreed. My meeting with him lasted an hour, one-to-one, and I came away reassured that he is acutely aware of the concerns being articulated by many RAF personnel and their families...More information »
Over the weekend RAF Tornados from Marham participated in coordinated strikes against Libyan military installations. Liam Fox said: "The jets flew 3,000 miles and back. The operation is supported by VC10 and Tristar air-to-air refuelling aircraft as well as E3D Sentry and Sentinel surveillance aircraft. Our capable and adaptable Armed Forces are once again displaying their courage and professionalism...More information »
SCSN is the Service Children Support Network. It is a group of education and welfare professionals working in collaboration with members of the military community. The aim is to encourage and facilitate the provision of high-quality support to Service Children. Why? Because SCSN believe the specific needs of Service Children and their families are frequently overlooked... 
Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton have created a charitable gift fund to help celebrate their wedding and have asked that any member of the public who might wish to give them a wedding gift consider donating to the new fund instead. All charities selected have a particular resonance with the couple and one of their five chosen causes is 'Support for Serving Personnel and their Families'...More information »
Lord Hutton has set out his proposals for comprehensive, long-term structural reform of public service pension schemes which includes military pensions. He said: "The current model of public service pension provision is clearly not tenable in the long-term". A spokesman from the Forces Pension Society said: "Career Averaging need hold no fears for the Armed Forces...More information »
It has been necessary to dispose of SFA within the RAF estate. Defence Estates have published the list of SFA disposals for the financial year 2010/11. They include properties at Brize, Uxbridge, St Eval, Stanbridge, Watton and Brampton. Where occupants are affected an individual letter detailing the disposal and necessary relocation plan will be sent...More information »
The May elections for UK local and devolved government and a referendum on the Alternative Vote system are looming. In order to vote Service personnel need to have registered. The deadline for registrations and changes to existing details is 14 Apr 11. Mark Harper, Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, said, [For those in Afghanistan] "It is only right we make it as easy as possible for them to take part...More information »
The government has announced reforms to the Blue Badge Scheme. The most significant changes for forty years. The measures apply to England only at the moment and include removing residency requirements for disabled service personnel and their families who are posted overseas and providing continuous automatic entitlement to a badge for severely disabled Armed Forces personnel...More information »
Phase 1, of what could be a 3-Phase Redundancy Programme is aimed at reducing the number of RAF personnel to 33,500 by 2015. The impact of such dramatic force reductions on serving personnel and their families is clear. Chairman of the Federation, Dawn McCafferty said: “The announcement of the Phase 1 redundancy fields is but one small step in a long process and, for many, the cloud of uncertainty remains. Families will fall into 3 distinct categories: 1) Those who are not eligible for Phase 1 redundancy. Those who wished to .....More information »
Quick Vote - Has the announcement of the first phase of the redundancy programme made your position in the RAF feel any more secure? http://www.raf-ff.org.uk/ Quick Vote
This afternoon full details of Tranche 1 of the RAF Redundancy Programme were announced. AMP said: "I am content that the drawdown of RAF personnel is being delivered through the optimum blend of reduced recruiting intake, the use of all normal manning levers and redundancy. I will continue to review the situtation. I recognise that the Redundancy Programme will, for many, be a source of uncertainty...More information »
It is expected that the announcement on RAF Redundancies will be made this afternoon Tue 1 Mar 11...More information »
Small arms fire entered the cockpit of a C130 and bounced off the pilot's helmet yesterday as it was evacuating British nationals from Libya. The MoD confirmed: "One of our C-130 aircraft appears to have suffered minor damage consistent with small arms fire. There were no injuries to passengers or crew. This incident shows how challenging the operating environment has been...More information »
