By Alex Dorrian, Chief Executive, Thales UK and President of the Society of British Aerospace Companies

At the September/October political party conferences the defence industry was represented at all the Defence Matters fringe meetings, on which Defence Viewpoints commented at the time. The industry "party line" was put over by a number of spokesmen, most senior of whom was Alex Dorian. This was the essence of the industry case)

The Labour Government 1997 - 2010 steadily degraded the public value it placed on the defence industry, as illustrated in the honours it prevailed upon the Queen to bestow twice a year. Whereas in days of old the heads of the very largest companies might expect to get knighthoods, with a goodly sprinkle of "gongs" throughout the lower echelons, the very last list Labour prepared, and which was announced today, is reduced to a mere single OBE and two MBEs. "We hate you" despite your contribution to exports, jobs, investment in technology and not least re-equipping the fighting army for two unpopular wars in two distant countries, could not be more clearly written. As is the message once more reinforced to the country's young people, growing up on the pap of meaningless misbehaving celebrity, that "social work", football or marrying an ageing Hollywood actor was far more important in Labour's Britain than manufacturing industry. We look to the Liberal Conservative Coalition to start the process of re-orientation at the New Year. After all, it's a cost-free process!

By Scott Stewart

The recent case involving the arrest and deportation of the Russian intelligence network in the United States has once again raised the subject of document fraud in general and passport fraud in particular. The FBI's investigation into the group of Russian operatives discovered that several of the suspects had assumed fraudulent identities and had obtained genuine passports (and other identity documents) in their assumed names. One of the suspects assumed the identity of a Canadian by the name of Christopher Robert Mestos, who died in childhood. The suspect was arrested in Cyprus but fled after posting bail; his true identity remains unknown. Three other members of the group also assumed Canadian identities, with Andrey Bezrukov posing as Donald Heathfield, Elena Vavilova as Tracey Foley and Natalia Pereverzeva as Patricia Mills.

Passport fraud is a topic that surfaces with some frequency in relation to espionage cases. (The Israelis used passport fraud during the January 2010 operation to assassinate Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior Hamas militant commander.) Passport fraud is also frequently committed by individuals involved in crimes such as narcotics smuggling and arms trafficking, as well as by militants involved in terrorist plots. Because of the frequency with which passport fraud is used in these types of activities — and due to the importance that curtailing passport fraud can have in combating espionage, terrorism and crime — we thought it a topic worth discussing this week in greater detail.

By Adam Dempsey, Research Associate, UK Defence Forum

Romania's deliberation over the purchase of fighter planes to replace its Soviet-made MiG-21 Lancers has been anything but hasty. Decisions have been regularly delayed due to a lack of funds. In 2008 the Romanian Ministry of Defence seized the initiative by arguing that purchasing second-hand F-16s would enhance inter-operability with NATO partners. On 23rd March 2010 Romania's Supreme Defense Council (CSAT) announced the proposed purchase of 24 second-hand Lockheed-Martin F16s for $1.3 billion. It was further anticipated that Romania would eventually purchase 24 second hand F-16 Block 50-52s, and – if finances permit – 24 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. Yet Romania's indecision does not stop there.