View Full Version : Blinding Glimpse of the Obvious
Wander00
17th May 2015, 09:09
Not immediately aviation related but could become so - BBC reporting that some hugely intelligent high-up has said they thing ISIS fighters "might" be infiltrating the boat people from N Africa coming to Europe - would have thought it a dead cert from Day 1. What I want to know is what the authorities intend to do about this insidious threat.
BEagle
17th May 2015, 09:28
Of course if the UK still had anything remotely capable of conducting maritime radar reconnaissance, it might have been possible to track and intercept each boat, then deal with them as appropriate....
Tashengurt
17th May 2015, 09:33
Frankly, I'd be disappointed in IS if they weren't doing this. Seems a no brainer to me.
Hawk98
17th May 2015, 09:35
I might be wrong here, but wasn't there talk fairly recently of adding maritime surveillance capability to Sentinel? I mean it's not ideal by any means but surely it would be a start?
Tom
Shackman
17th May 2015, 09:51
adding maritime surveillance capability to Sentinel
But they couldn't decide whose budget would be used to buy the binoculars!
Hawk98
17th May 2015, 10:01
Haha, I found the article from Janes UK to upgrade Sentinel R.1s for maritime operations - IHS Jane's 360 (http://www.janes.com/article/45057/uk-to-upgrade-sentinel-r-1s-for-maritime-operations)
Biggus
17th May 2015, 17:10
I think that Europe as a whole has sufficient assets capable of conducting maritime reconnaissance without needing the assistance of the UK!
All we really need is a dirty great trench between us and the rest of Europe, preferably filled with saline water. So long as we had one of those, and no one was stupid enough to tunnel under it we'd be fine.
smujsmith
17th May 2015, 19:04
Biggus,
Hope you are well, not heard from you recently. That's making an assumption that the rest of "Europe" give a rats @rse about stopping them. After all, when the preferred destination is not your own country, why make life complicated.
Beagle,
I have to totally agree with you. Since 2010 and the demise of, what appears to be a reasonably complete MRA4, it's being over budget was irrelevant, the scrap was still over budget to the same amount. Our island nation has been denied the ability to defend our borders from the air. Now we rely on an organisation (the EU) that has it seems an "interest" in shipping as many boat people as it can to our shores.
Smudge :ok:
Bigbux
17th May 2015, 19:43
Not immediately aviation related but could become so - BBC reporting that some hugely intelligent high-up has said they thing ISIS fighters "might" be infiltrating the boat people from N Africa coming to Europe - would have thought it a dead cert from Day 1. What I want to know is what the authorities intend to do about this insidious threat.
Why would ISIS use leaky, disease-infested rafts with a poor passenger survival rate when their "brothers" can simply walk in using their British or other EU passports, or marry into a supportive family in the UK?. Failing that, their online "information" service is doing a fine job of recruiting the easily-led and disaffected. Plonking a group of bearded armed men in the middle of Tunbridge Wells and damaging the park statues might not be a terribly effective campaign - we have the means to stop them. However, I'm sure they will be getting plenty of advice (through intermediaries or otherwise) from the Russians and Chinese about the importance of identifying sympathetic groups and encouraging subversion. Oh sorry, I mean the right of free democratic speech.
Hawk98
17th May 2015, 20:18
In my opinion, what's worrying is if one of these nutters decides to try and take a bomb with him on one of the migrant boats and detonates it when one of the rescue ships pulls alongside. I sure hope that the Royal Navy guys plucking them into a landing craft are armed
Tom
skippedonce
17th May 2015, 20:38
I'm with Bigbux on this one! There's no need to 'infiltrate' via leaky migrant boats: ISIS supporters are already in the UK and other western countries. The 'infiltration' occurred on-line.
Wokkafans
17th May 2015, 20:44
If this story about KSA acquiring nuclear weapons from Pakistan has any truth whatsoever it looks like things in the Middle East are really heading in a dangerous direction. Can anyone believe, as is reported in the article, that the UN would sign this off?
Caveat - I don't have access through the Times pay wall so haven't had the opportunity to read the article in full. Can anyone fill in on the balance of the report?
Saudis ?to get nuclear weapons? | The Sunday Times (http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/world_news/Middle_East/article1557090.ece?CMP=OTH-gnws-standard-2015_05_17)
chopper2004
17th May 2015, 20:53
This does not help either if you are on about the sneaky tactics with peeps in-country
Investigation is launched after sailor claims Britain's Trident nuclear submarines are 'a disaster waiting to happen' | Daily Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3085366/Investigation-launched-sailor-claims-Britain-s-Trident-nuclear-submarines-disaster-waiting-happen.html)
Pontius Navigator
18th May 2015, 12:12
Chopper, truth be it known, an insider can always find holes in a system. It is for t2tthe CoC to properly address real issues. I once reported a breach, in UK, and was amazed when I got a direct phone call from an RN captain at SACLANT thanking me and admitting similar issues in other areas and that they would be addressed.
Not defending the AB but I suspect his CoC will be under the spotlight.
glad rag
18th May 2015, 13:21
How are these poor souls being checked?
"hello I'm here to ask you a few questions"
"...so you have nothing to do with IS, whew that’s lucky, here's 2000 euro, go get yourself some smart threads and shoes and we'll see you back at 9AM sharp for a job interview"
9AM "now where's that bugger"....