The Defence in the Media blog is now closed. In future all media updates and responses may be found on the official MOD Twitter account. All previous blog posts will remain accessible, but no new posts will be made. The decision to close this blog has been made following internal discussions on how best to ensure our audience is informed, as well as feedback gathered from readers ..read more

The MOD announced today that a contract worth £2.8 billion has been signed to provide state-of-the-art armoured fighting vehicles to the British Army. Ahead of the upcoming General Election, the Defence in the Media blog will pause to reflect the Civil Service guidelines (Purdah) in place throughout the campaigning period. BOXER ARMOURED VEHICLES CONTRACT The Defence Secretary has announced that the army will receive more than 500 Boxer 8x8 high mobility, network-enabled armoured vehicles to transport troops onto the frontline. The vehicles will form part of the Army’s Strike brigades, new un ..read more

Today’s defence related news includes coverage of HMS Queen Elizabeth and Continuity of Education Allowance. Continuity of Education Allowance The Independent covers critical comments on the Continuity of Education Allowance, including most recent figures from a Parliamentary Question. Government spokesperson said: In order to represent UK interests across the world, members of the diplomatic and armed services can be asked to move frequently during their career, sometimes at very short notice. In these cases, we offer support to all personnel, regardless ofposition, to help maintain continu ..read more

Today’s defence related news includes coverage of the Army Combat Power Day on Salisbury Plain and the Invictus Games team announcement. Image of the day Pictured is a Challenger 2 (CR2). Crown copyright. Army Combat Power Day Positive coverage and imagery is carried by Press Association and Mail Online. Coverage is visually-led, with striking pictures from yesterday’s demonstrations. The Mail Online describes how the Army showcased its strength by blowing up Russian tanks in a “breathtaking display of power,” during mock combat situations as part of the annual Army Combat Power Demonstratio ..read more

Highlighted Defence coverage includes the announcement of the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by US special forces in Northwest Syria and a feature documentary on the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier. Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed by US military The storyof Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s death by US special forcesis covered on the front page of almost every newspaper and leads the broadcast headlines this morningfor BBC, Sky, The Sun, Telegraph, Times, The Independent and The Daily Mail . Print reporting focuses on the rise and fall of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, from controlling a ..read more

Highlighted Defence coverage includes a documentary on identifying British personnel killed in historic campaigns, as well as reporting of the Defence Secretary's announcement on extending the Forces Help to Buy scheme. World War One documentary A special episode of  ITV series Long Lost Family last night featured the work of the Ministry of Defence's Joint Casualty and Compassion Centre and its ability to identify remains of soldiers from the Great War. The documentary had unprecedented access to the MOD's War Detectives, an elite team who use state of the art forensics and ground-breaking t ..read more

Veterans parade on Armed Forces Day. Crown Copyright. The launch of the Office for Veterans Affairs is officially taking place today. As part of the launch, ministers have announced that the new head of the OVA will be Col David Richmond, the former Recovery Director of Help for Heroes. Further details of what the office will do have also been announced, including its new functions of better co-ordinating Government and charity support and improving perceptions of veterans. The launch has been covered across widely across many national media outlets today, with pieces in the Daily Telegraph ..read more

The Daily Express has reported incorrect claims by a campaign group that British troops could be forced to join an EU defence force after Britain leaves the European Union. These false claims were corrected by the Ministry of Defence, which confirmed that the UK has always had the sovereign right to deploy military troops and equipment and will continue to do so after Brexit. A Government spokesperson said: Claims that the UK could be forced into any form of EU Army are inaccurate. The UK has always made our own sovereign decisions on defence spending on where and how to deploy our Armed For ..read more

Coverage of defence-related issues in the media today includes online reports of Royal Navy ships escorting Russian warships passing UK shores and a new fundraising campaign by the charity Help For Heroes. Royal Navy escorts Russian ships The Royal Navy has spent three days keeping close watch on Russian warships passing UK shores. HMS Mersey, a River-class patrol vessel, monitored the Russian task group of three vessels off the Norfolk coast. The Daily Star, Portsmouth News and Forces Network have all reported on the Royal Navy's work protecting the British coastline. HMS Mersey's commanding ..read more

Today’s defence related news includes the RAF and Virgin Orbit’s selection of an RAF pilot to be seconded to the company’s ground-breaking small satellite launch programme and the Times’s coverage of a social media post made by the Army on Black History Month. RAF pilot seconded to Virgin Orbit space programme The partnership between the RAF and Virgin Orbit was unveiled at the Air and Space Power conference in July. Following a tough selection process, Air Vice-Marshal Simon Rochelle and Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart have announced that Flight Lieutenant Mathew ‘Stanny’ Stannard has been selecte ..read more