In wet and blustery conditions in late September, the Royal Air Force team started well, dominating possession and creating chances. However, a shot from the Irish side caught the RAF goalkeeper off guard to make it 1-0. The second half brought a flurry of chances for the visitors, but the Irish Defence Forces team put away another goal to end the match 2-0. A well-disciplined match, with strong and competitive performances from both sides, it was fantastic preparation for the Royal Air Force team in their campaign to retain their Inter-Services title in March 2018.

Following the match, the Irish Defence Forces team hosted their Royal Air Force visitors to dinner where the teams exchanged gifts, and Senior Aircraftwoman Rachael Rutherford was awarded player of the match.

During the visit, Minister for the Armed Forces saw first-hand the support the UK is providing to the Nigerian Armed Forces leading the fight against Boko Haram in North East Nigeria.

As well as meeting those delivering expert training to the Nigerian Armed Forces through the resident British Military Advisory and Training Team (BMATT), the Minister met with UK personnel in the Liaison and Support Team (LST) based in the North East of the country. The LST provides non-lethal operational advice and guidance to the Nigerian Armed Forces as they tackle the terror threat of Boko Haram.

Minister for the Armed Forces, Mark Lancaster, said:

The UK stands united with Nigeria in the international fight against terror. With our world class military expertise, we are helping the Nigerian military develop the skills necessary to tackle the threat of Boko Haram.

From expert operational guidance and medical mentoring in the North East, to counter explosive device training across the country, the UK is leading the way in its commitment to supporting a safe and stable Nigeria.

Nigeria is a key partner for the UK in West Africa. Throughout the week, the Minister visited various Nigerian defence institutions currently receiving military support from UK training packages, and met with senior Nigerian military officials in Abuja to discuss how the UK and Nigeria can continue to work together to meet the complex challenges facing the country.

At Makurdi and in Kaduna State, the Minister spoke to Nigerian troops receiving training from UK personnel. Courses and training packages delivered to date have covered topics including infantry skills and tactics, response to terrorist attacks, bomb scene management and airfield defence, operational planning and leadership, enabling the Nigerian military to tackle terrorist threats more effectively and better defend the provision of humanitarian relief.

The UK shares a deep and long-standing Defence partnership with Nigeria, and over 40 UK personnel are deployed on an enduring basis in country to coordinate training and advisory support. The UK is not only increasing counter-terrorism cooperation with Nigerian partners, but British military personnel are also working alongside US and German allies in a multinational effort to step up counter improvised explosive device support.

Alongside France and the US, the UK is assisting in regional coordination and intelligence sharing arrangements between Nigeria and its neighbours, with a small number of UK personnel deployed alongside the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) headquarters in N’Djamena, Chad. The UK was one of the first donors to support the MNJTF, with £5 million to help equip the force.

Almost 700 UK military personnel have deployed on a range of short term training tasks in support of the BMATT since early 2015, many from 7 Infantry Brigade (the famous Desert Rats), and the RAF Regiment, which is helping to develop its Nigerian counterpart.

Over 28,500 members of the Nigerian military have received UK training and Defence education in this time. The UK remains committed to strengthening its strategic partnership with Nigeria, and will continue to deliver world class training to help the Nigerian military adapt to meet the modern security challenges facing the country.

On 21 June 2017 at the Paris Air Show, the Defence Safety Authority Chief Technical Officer Rear Admiral Rick Thompson RN signed the Le Bourget Momentum on behalf of the Military Aviation Authority (MAA).

The stated aim of Le Bourget Momentum, a French Direction de la Sécurité Aéronautique d’État (DSAÉ) initiative, is to improve the efficiency of Recognition of another National Military Airworthiness Authority (NMAA) by minimising the number of NMAA interactions.

The Recognition of another NMAA is a process by which an informed and auditable judgement can be made on the extent to which another NMAA’s activities or products would be acceptable to the Recognising NMAA.

Signing Le Bourget Momentum represents an intent for deeper defence co-operation across participating nations, in order to increase the output of defence spending and to optimise the use of national resources to enhance the level of safety in military air operations.

Nations who participated in the signing of Le Bourget Momentum included: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

The MAA currently have Recognition Agreements in place with NMAA of the following countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the USA (Army, Navy and Air Force).

The work forms part of a £250 million DIO programme, which is part of the major investment by the Ministry of Defence to ready the station for the arrival of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force’s new F-35 Lightning fast jet aircraft.

Construction of this kind on an active air field required a ‘no fly’ period to be agreed with the station. In the 3 weeks that flying was halted, DIO’s contractors, a joint venture between Galliford Try and Lagan Construction, had to complete the entire construction of this element of works. The resurfacing forms the third of 9 phases of work on the project, which will also provide hangars for 12 aircraft and an air crew feeding facility.

This phase included removing more than 13,000 tonnes of existing asphalt and installing 23 pits and 1.2km of ducting for aeronautical ground lighting. To resurface the runway, more than 18,000 tonnes of asphalt were laid over an area of nearly 38,000 square metres, equivalent to more than 5 rugby pitches. To achieve this within the required timescale the contractors worked in multiple shifts, 7 days a week.

Rob Dawson, DIO Lightning principal project manager, said:

This was a crucial part of the works being undertaken by DIO and was a vast amount to complete in such a short space of time. It couldn’t have been achieved without the cooperation of the teams from DIO, our contractors, the Galliford Try and Lagan Construction joint venture, our consultants AECOM and RAF Marham. It has been an integrated team effort and fills me with confidence for the hard work ahead of us.

Despite the short space of time available to design, plan and complete the work as well as some poor weather, it was completed a day early. This allowed flying operations to recommence on Friday 29 September.

Wing Commander Phil Marr, Officer Commanding Operations Wing, RAF Marham, said:

This was an immense task to complete in three weeks. With both runways out of action, any failure to deliver within the prescribed timeframe would have directly impacted flying operations at RAF Marham. This added significant pressure to an already taught construction task. In light of this, it was highly impressive to have been handed back such an immaculate new runway intersection, allowing the Station to recommence flying activities ahead of schedule. An excellent achievement all round.

Group Captain Ann Gibson, Lightning Basing Team Leader, RAF Marham said:

I am delighted that all of the teams have risen to the challenge to deliver the intersection in a 3 week period thereby minimising disruption to Tornado and RAF Marham operations.

Notes to editors

The F-35B Lightning II is the world’s most advanced, fifth generation aircraft that the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy will jointly operate from both land and sea. It will form an integral part of the UK’s carrier strike capability from both Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.

A total of 50 members of the Armed Forces and one civilian have been named in the latest Operational Honours and Awards List.

The full list, which recognises and honours service on operations is below.

Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

Colonel Thomas Julian BATEMAN, MBE

Brigadier Robert Geoffrey LOWTH

Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

Major Simon Nicholas GUEST, Royal Army Medical Corps

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Keith TOMLINSON, MBE, Corps of Royal Engineers

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Colour Sergeant Samuel Joseph McCORMICK, MC, Royal Marines

Surgeon Lieutenant Commander William SHARP, Royal Navy

Colour Sergeant George Ashley CHANNINGS, The Parachute Regiment

Major Michael John DEVENISH, The Rifles

Sergeant Dhaniram RAI, The Royal Gurkha Rifles

Military Cross (MC)

Marine Matthew David COTTRELL, Royal Marines

Acting Colour Sergeant Christopher MORRIS, Royal Marines

Colour Sergeant Simon Timothy COX, The Parachute Regiment

Queen’s Gallantry Medal (QGM)

Sergeant Matthew Peter DOUGLAS, The Parachute Regiment

Mention in Despatches

Sergeant Will PAGE, Royal Marines

Marine David WOTHERSPOON, Royal Marines

Lance Corporal Gwyn Michael DAVIS, The Parachute Regiment

Colour Sergeant Gavin Peter HAILEY, The Parachute Regiment

Colour Sergeant Adrian Marcus MILLER, The Parachute Regiment

Queen’s Commendation for Bravery

Lieutenant James Edward MYHILL, Royal Navy

Sergeant Mathew Robert LONGHORN, The Parachute Regiment

Captain Mark POWELL, The Royal Logistic Corps

Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service

Lieutenant Commander James Alexander BROWN, Royal Navy

Chief Petty Officer Engineering Technician (Weapon Engineering) Darren John CULVERHOUSE, Royal Navy

Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Luciano DE REYA, MBE, Royal Marines

Leading Logistician (Supply Chain) Andrew James GILL, Royal Navy

Major Thomas Fergusson GLOVER, Royal Marines

Lieutenant Commander Ben Russell MARTIN, Royal Navy

Leading Medical Assistant Naomi MASON, Royal Navy Medical Service

Commander Richard Ashley NEW, Royal Navy

Acting Petty Officer Engineering Technician (Marine Engineering Submarines) Aaron SMITH, Royal Navy

Colour Sergeant Martin THOMSON, Royal Marines

Captain Benjamin Rogerson BARKES, The Light Dragoons

Colonel Nigel Jonathan BEST, OBE

Lieutenant Colonel Carl William BOSWELL, The Rifles

Sergeant David CLARK, The Royal Logistic Corps

Sergeant Matthew Peter COLLINS, Intelligence Corps

Corporal Luke John FLANAGAN, Royal Corps of Signals

Corporal Kieran Zen HAIG, The Royal Regiment of Scotland

Warrant Officer Class 2 Steven James MACTAVISH, The Royal Anglian Regiment

Corporal Christopher Carl MAY, The Rifles

Staff Sergeant Gary David MILES, Intelligence Corps

Acting Lieutenant Colonel Robert John NICHOLLS, The Parachute Regiment, Army Reserve

Lieutenant Colonel Edward David Lionel MASKELL-PEDERSEN, Royal Corps of Signals

Squadron Leader Thomas Charles John BENSON, Royal Air Force

Acting Flight Sergeant Stewart Andrew FORRESTER, Royal Air Force

Wing Commander Christopher John LAYDEN, Royal Air Force

Squadron Leader Gemma Ann LONSDALE, Royal Air Force

Squadron Leader Liam Anthony TAYLOR, Royal Air Force

Dr Gregory Benjamin FREMONT-BARNES, Civil Servant

NON-OPERATIONAL GALLANTRY

Queen’s Gallantry Medal (QGM)

Leading Seaman (Seaman Specialist) Sally Louise HUGHES, Royal Navy

Queen’s Commendation for Bravery (QCBA)

Sergeant Stephen John ALLCOCK, Royal Air Force