Alpha 
Post by fretslider on Oct 1, 2016 15:48:30 GMT -5
....against migrants
ONE of Britain’s most respected military generals last night backed calls for the Royal Marines to defend the English Channel against illegal migrants making the crossing by boat.
Maj General Julian Thompson, a former Royal Marine who led British ground forces in the retaking of the Falkland Islands in 1982, warned that the Government “can no longer afford to delay” taking action to halt the increasing number of unauthorised dinghies washing up on British shores. His call comes a week after three Iranian migrants were found to have landed a dingy in Deal, Kent. Gen Thompson said indications by presidential hopeful Nicholas Sarkozy that he would push Britain’s border with France back from Calais to Dover would “only exacerbate the problem”.
“We have only five Border Force cutters to patrol our entire coastline. But one is in the Aegean Sea while another is usually in dry dock for maintenance. That leaves just three to patrol the 700 miles between Cornwall and East Anglia, let alone the whole 11,000 miles of Britain’s coastline,” he said. “The EU will not and cannot stop these smugglers.” Urging Teresa May to adopt the “Falklands Spirit” he said Britain could not afford to wait until next year for promised additional vessels.
“Key to the Falklands Victory was the use of STUFT Ships: “Ships Taken Up From Trade” – merchantmen of all sorts. “We need STUFT Ships now. We could requisition a dozen fast, twin-engined civilian sea-going motor cruisers, and equip them with gun mountings, military radars and communications systems. The RN or Royal Naval Reserve can crew them. Royal Marines of the Fleet Protection Group, experts in boarding techniques, proven through by countless anti-piracy and drug smuggling operations, are instantly available to provide the muscle.
“We need to do this next week, not next year.” To enhance Channel traffic Control radars, six Britten Norman Islander aircraft, fitted with electronic surveillance equipment, should also be bought or leased, along with pilots, he added. Aerostat balloons, cheaper than helicopters or drones and able to scan 37 miles to the nearest French ports and beaches, could used to plug gaps in maritime surveillance. “We wouldn’t have liberated the Falklands without that Bulldog Spirit,” he said.
www.express.co.uk/news/uk/716648/UK-military-calls-Royal-Marines-defend-English-Channel-illegal-migrants
Get ready for the usual storm of outrage....
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