The 15 UK Navy officers captured by Iran have the training to handle their ordeal, the Navy’s HR department has told Personnel Today.
“They are trained to be resilient and to work as a team, so I don’t have any fears for them in that respect,” said Vice-Admiral Adrian Johns. “All of them have had training in what you do when you get in these situations, and how to cope with interrogation.”
The sailors have been paraded on Iranian television since they were captured for allegedly entering Iranian waters last Friday (23 March).
Johns said it would become harder for the sailors to cope the longer their incarceration went on, but insisted their lives were not in danger.
“I do not fear for their lives, but for their welfare,” he said. “When we get them home, after reuniting them with their families, they will be debriefed and profiled. Some will have been totally resilient, while others will need some aftercare.”
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A second member of the captured crew today appeared on Iranian television apologising for “trespassing” in Iranian waters.
The crewman, who introduced himself as Nathan Thomas Summers, was seen with leading seaman Faye Turney, who was shown apologising earlier in the week.
