Touching down in country today, an additional 35 UK military personnel will join the current UK presence providing support to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

This latest addition to the British contingent will provide engineering support to the UN mission, undertaking projects such as the construction of a jetty on the River Nile, helicopter landing sites and other infrastructure improvements, and will be based mainly in Malakal.

In particular, the Royal Engineers will support the construction of a temporary field hospital in Bentiu. On completion of this, a permanent hospital facility, which will support over 1,800 UN peacekeepers and UN staff, will be constructed. These hospitals will be staffed by medical personnel drawn from all three services.

This latest arrival means around 240 British personnel are now based in South Sudan, primarily split between Malakal and Bentiu in support of UNMISS.

Along with a small number of staff officers in the UNMISS headquarters in Juba, the total number of UK military deployed will rise to nearly 400 over the coming months, making it one of the UK’s largest operational deployments across the world.

Minister of State for the Armed Forces Mike Penning has attended an EU informal meeting in Malta, alongside Defence Ministers from across the EU.

Ministers from the 28 EU countries discussed the EU’s operational engagement in the Mediterranean and Libya, including Operation Sophia, the mission to tackle the Mediterranean migration crisis.

The Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), European Defence Action Plan (EDAP) and European Defence Fund were also due to be discussed at the meeting.

Around 60 Royal Navy and Royal Marines are currently taking part in a five-month French naval deployment to the Indian Ocean and Far East, aboard French assault ship FS Mistral.

The arrival of UK maritime personnel in Ho Chi Minh City further strengthens the UK’s Defence relationship with Vietnam, and while docked, UK sailors and marines, alongside French colleagues, will meet with personnel from the Vietnam People’s Navy to compare national maritime operating procedures and exchange experiences.

Two Royal Navy Merlin Mk3 helicopters are also embarked with France’s annual Jeanne d’Arc naval deployment, which will include port calls in Singapore, Sri Lanka, Japan, Guam and Australia.

Minister of State for the Armed Forces Mike Penning said:

“Alongside French forces, our world class Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel are flying the flag for Britain in Vietnam, one of our important partners in the region.

“This deployment continues to show the flexibility of our Armed Forces to work with our partners, particularly with France, and contribute to international maritime security.”

The UK continues to work globally alongside Vietnam, both of our countries contributing personnel to the UN peacekeeping mission South Sudan.

Additionally, the UK regularly carries out Defence Engagement with Vietnam, and last year a Royal Navy dental team deployed as part of Pacific Partnerships 16, a multinational capacity building exercise led by the US. This year a small team of Army medics will travel to Vietnam to take part in Pacific Partnerships 17.

During the Jeanne d’Arc deployment, UK maritime personnel will also take part in multilateral amphibious exercises. This reflects our commitment to exercise at the highest levels with close partners in the Asia Pacific region, including Japan and the US, and demonstrates the UK’s ability to operate seamlessly alongside French forces in particular.

On 17 April the Federal Government of Somalia and the Presidents of Somalia’s Federal Member States agreed a historic political agreement, to integrate regional and federal forces into a coherent National Security Architecture capable of gradually taking on lead responsibility for providing security.

The UK is playing a leading role in international support for improved security in Somalia, and will now provide an additional £21 million of funding. This will complement existing UK support, including training by British Military personnel of Somali National Army and African Union forces, police mentoring, and work on stabilisation and Countering Violent Extremism.

Security will be a key theme of the London Somalia Conference on 11 May, which will bring together the new Somali Federal Government, Federal Member States and international partners to accelerate progress and to agree the new international partnership needed to keep Somalia on track towards increased peace and prosperity by 2020. Somalia will continue to need substantial support across security, political reform and economic and social development to secure and build on the progress it has made over the last five years.

At a time when half the Somali population are without reliable access to food, the Conference is an opportunity to step up the international response to the ongoing drought and humanitarian need. Continued international support is needed to prevent widespread famine, without which the political and security progress Somalia has made since 2012 could be set back. More information on what the UK is doing to address the humanitarian crisis and save lives can be found here.

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

Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Air Commodore Martin Elliott SAMPSON, DSO, Royal Air Force

Officer of the Order of the British Empire

Commander Stephen HIGHAM, Royal Navy

Commander Mark Richard VARTAN, Royal Navy

Colonel Angus Donald MACGILLIVRAY, MC

Lieutenant Colonel (now Colonel) James Rowland MARTIN, DSO MC, The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment

Lieutenant Colonel (now Colonel) Geoffrey Edward MINTON, MBE, The Princess of Wales’s
Royal Regiment

Squadron Leader Emily Elizabeth RICKARDS, Royal Air Force

Member of the Order of the British Empire

Petty Officer Bethany Victoria Rauccio BURTON, Royal Navy

Major George John Robertson LITTLE, Royal Marines

Major Lloyd Benjamin PRITCHARD, Royal Marines

Acting Major Thomas Joseph GOODALL, The Royal Logistic Corps

Lieutenant Colonel David Osborne LEE, The Parachute Regiment

Colour Sergeant William Richard THOMAS, The Parachute Regiment

Distinguished Service Order

Wing Commander James Robert Edward WALLS, Royal Air Force

Military Cross

Acting Lance Corporal (now Corporal) Nicholas JEZEPH, Royal Marines,

Distinguished Flying Cross

Flight Lieutenant (now Squadron Leader) Roger Alexander CRUICKSHANK, Royal Air Force

Queens Gallantry Medal

Captain Giles Edward George MOON, The Royal Lancers

Mention in Despatches

Captain (now Major) Daniel Thomas EATON, Royal Marines,

Private Dominic Kyle HOPKINSON, The Parachute Regiment

Colour Sergeant Steven David NIXON, The Parachute Regiment

Flight Lieutenant Niall PAIRMAN, Royal Air Force

Flight Lieutenant Alex Fraser VAUGHAN, Royal Air Force

Queen’s Commendation for Bravery

Marine Mark Andrew Charles WHEELER, Royal Marines

Corporal (now Sergeant) Paul Thomas BYRNE, The Parachute Regiment

Private (now lance Corporal) Thomas Christopher CORRIGAN, Corps of Royal Electrical and
Mechanical Engineers

Corporal Antony Luke COLLINS, Royal Air Force

Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service

Colour Sergeant (now Acting Warrant Officer 2) Philip BARLOW, Royal Marines

Corporal Adam Paul CARTER, Royal Marines

Major James DUTTON, Royal Marines

Able Seaman (Seaman Specialist) Sarah Kirstie GRIFFITHS, Royal Navy

Commander Richard HUTCHINGS, Royal Navy

Leading Seaman (now Petty Officer) Craig Tyrone JACOBS, Royal Navy

Corporal Edward Frank MAIN, Royal Marines

Major James Edward Dallas MORRIS, Royal Marines

Chief Petty Officer Peter Daniel MUIR, Royal Navy

Acting Corporal (now Corporal) Jamie Christopher CALVERT, The Parachute Regiment

Corporal Mahesh GURUNG, The Royal Gurkha Rifles

Captain (now Major) Edward Louis Tabor HARRIS, Corps of Royal Engineers

Colonel Robert Mackenzie HOWIESON,

Major Edwin Peter OLDFILD, The Royal Gurkha Rifles

Major Colin Malcolm OLIVER, MBE, The Rifles

Sapper Philippa PROUD, Corps of Royal Engineers, Army Reserve

Staff Sergeant Christopher Arthur RHODES, Royal Corps of Signals

Acting Brigadier James Christopher RODDIS, DSO MBE

Major David Joseph STEAD, Corps of Royal Engineers

Acting Flight Lieutenant (now Flight Lieutenant) Alex Joseph Douglas BAMBER, Royal Air Force

Flight Lieutenant George LE CORNU, Royal Air Force

Flight Lieutenant (now Squadron Leader) Christopher Michael PEARSON, Royal Air Force

Miss Lisa Michelle WAIN, Civil Servant

NON-OPERATIONAL GALLANTRY

Queen’s Gallantry Medal

Lance Corporal (now Acting Corporal) Samuel James BUTLER, Royal Army Medical Corps