Tri-Service

Comment: Why The Great British Bake Off Beat Putin's Missiles

The Royal Navy has fired far more submarine-launched cruise missiles in the Middle East than Russia. The US Navy has fired even more than the Royal Navy. Both the Royal Navy and the US Navy have had sea launched missiles go astray.

So why all the fuss about 18 per cent of Russian cruise missiles fired from the Caspian Sea landing in Iran and not on target?

Obviously it is part of the anxiety to portray President Putin personally as a bandit causing strategic and moral havoc in the Syria conflict. That is an 'OK' thing to do. It has been that way in European warfare ever since October 1415 when Henry V flew his long red banner at Agincourt signifying that no prisoners would be taken - chivalry-speak for 'guys caught in the middle will be massacred'.

That is the case today - without the red banner. Coalition damage or deliberate policy to disregard civilian casualties, because they are inevitable and also because they cause instability, is all the same tactic in war on whatever scale.

More from Forces.tv: NATO, Russia and the War of Words

The Russian missile launch was tactically effective, especially those that fell on the Islamic State (IS) headquarters in Raqqa. Its triumph was that Putin's commanders were showing that there is more in their locker than 34 ground attack aircraft that have limited effect.

Moreover, the Russian president's decision to coerce Belarus into allowing him to rebuild an airbase in the former Soviet state is a reminder that the military eye-balling Putin understands so well is still very much on the morning briefing diary of every Western commander, politically as well as military.

So, at the end of a week that has seen an escalation of the Syria conflict this is what is new and this is what is important:

Russia hit IS as well as anti-Assad rebel targets, including destroying an important CIA communications point in Syria. Syria announced an offensive beefed-up with Russian close air support against rebel positions. A low-key operational command from Moscow checked out the readiness status of a mechanised infantry brigade in Chechnya, should it be needed in Syria as a protection force for Russian bases.

NATO member state Turkey warned that Russian jets were intruding Turkish air space. President Obama said this was bad news and made matters worse. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said it was bad news and made matters worse. No-one remembers what Prime Minister Cameron said.

NATO members promised to increase its rapid reaction capability to 40,000 although no-one knew by when, what sort of troops or who would decide both. Britain said it was sending 100 Army trainers to the Eastern Front. Saudi Arabia said it would give more weapons to the anti-Assad Free Syrian Army, Jaysh al-Fatah and Southern Front.

A big news day. Arguably world's premier news broadcaster, the BBC led on the winner of a national baking competition. Maybe that is about right. Most Brits anyway care more about fairy cakes. Most Syrians do not bake. A twitchy Turkish pilot and a wayward Russian one could change that view.

Christopher Lee is the BFBS' Defence Analyst. He can be heard on BFBS Radio's Sitrep, the only weekly programme devoted to discussing the big issues facing Defence. As well as on DAB you can download the Sitrep podcast by clicking here.