Tears at Warsaw to Thursday War

I cried at the Remembrance service in Warsaw. I was standing at a memorial in Warsaw which saw such brutal carnage and destruction alongside elderly men and women who had terrible stories to tell. They had come to pay their respects to British service men who died flying in supplies to the city.

I was in Warsaw to attend the NATO Parliamentary Assembly of which I am now a member. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was founded in April 1949 to safeguard the freedom and security of its member states by political and MP at NATO Parliamentary Assembly military means. In the Parliamentary Assembly countries consult and debate security issues and the collective action to be taken. Article V of the treaty declares that an attack on one of the members is an attack on them all. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union it has also provided aspirant and new members with the skills and support to make democratic and military reforms. It also undertakes operations in unstable regions such as the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

The NATO PA has 5 main committees. As a member you have a seat on one committee and are a substitute member on a second committee. This means that if a UK delegate is missing from a committee a second member can vote. I am a member of the Defence and Security Committee and a substitute on the Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security. The other committees cover Economics and Security, Science and Technology and Politics.

My first meeting brought a number of vital topics for discussion. Afghanistan and the move towards a training mission for NATO forces was high on the agenda. The transition towards the Afghan National Security Forces taking the lead in fighting and securing their country against the Taliban insurgents is the next key step.

Much has been said about this transition and the withdrawal of British troops by 2015. I believe that the UK will still have large numbers of troops in Afghanistan after 2015. In 2010 we are discussing the withdrawal of British troops from Germany. A war in Europe won many years ago brought regional security issues to be tackled to win the peace. This will I fear be equally true in Afghanistan. I hope I am wrong.

In Warsaw this is a very emotive issue. Poland along with many eastern European countries sees NATO as a critical part of their future defence and security. They know the horrors of war, invasion and servitude.

In Eastern Europe there is grave concern at Britain’s defence cuts. There is also anxiety as steps are taken towards closer relationships between NATO and Russia. The NATO PA allows other countries to send observers who join in committee debates. At the Defence and Security Committee I heard presentations from Russia, Pakistan and South Korea commenting on reports before the committee.

Increasingly Russia sees itself as facing the same future threats and enemies as NATO allies and is expressing an interest in working together to tackle them. Afghanistan, Iran, the Middle East Peace Process, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, energy security, cyber crime, counter terrorism, serious and organised crime and climate security affect us all. The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is one of the venues where these common problems can be discussed face to face.

From jaw jaw in Warsaw I moved on to war war off Plymouth. Each Thursday frigates, planes, and submarines of mixed nations MP at Thursday War come together to fight sea battles. The war is part of FOST, (Flag Officer Sea Training) which ensures crews have the training and skills to act collectively when under attack.

I had observed the exercise guided by Admiral Chris Snow. I watched as MHS York was attacked, lost power and navigation and was hit by air and sea attacks. I followed Admiral Snow up and down ladders in and out of smoke and water soaked compartments and casualty stations as the crew battled to tackle incidents set up by FOST trainers who watched how they tackled each crisis.

This is a highly stressful exercise for the crews; they know they will not be allowed on patrol around the world until they pass to FOST standards. Eight week of training culminates in the stresses of the Thursday war. The lean mean fighting navy of today has crews with multiple roles and tasks. I met a law degree holding logistics officer running damage control, stewards as fire fighters and first aiders. It was noisy, hot, smoky, wet and chaotic but there was a feeling of calm competency at the centre of it all.

It is easy to forget that one third of the forces in Afghanistan in 2011 will be from the Royal Navy. Easy to forget the front line role they are playing in the Horn of Africa fighting pirates and in the Caribbean fighting drugs. It’s also easy to forget how small the Royal Navy now is, yet how highly regarded and invaluable a job they do. If you want to see some of the photographs from Warsaw and Plymouth you will find them on my website.

The Thursday war has another vital role. FOST training builds friendships, respect and common understandings between the navies of many nations. FOST like the NATO PA is a vital component in our defence and security.