• Special forces chief tried to cover up concerns about SAS conduct in Afghanistan, inquiry told

    Whistleblower says chain of command failed to stop extrajudicial shootings, including of children, after alarm was raisedThe former director of UK special forces and other senior military officers tried to cover up concerns that SAS units were carrying out unlawful killings in Afghanistan, an inquiry has heard.A senior special forces whistleblower said the chain of command failed to stop extrajudicial shootings, including of two small children, after the alarm was first raised in early 2011. Tha
  • Taliban used discarded UK kit to track down Afghans who worked with west, inquiry hears

    Whistleblower tells Afghan leak inquiry those affected were told to move and change phone numbers to protect themselves The UK left behind sensitive technology allowing the Taliban to track down Afghans who worked with western forces, a whistleblower has told the Afghan leak inquiry.The woman, known as Person A, said Afghans affected by the data leak were told to move homes and change their phone numbers to protect themselves from the Taliban because it had the resources to track them down. Cont
  • British army halts Ajax vehicle training as noise and vibrations make soldiers ill

    Deployment paused after about 30 troops became sick while training to use heavily delayed £10m vehiclesThe British army has paused the use of its Ajax armoured vehicles after troops became unwell from noise and vibration.About 30 soldiers had become ill when training to use the vehicle over the weekend and the deployment had been halted for two weeks for an investigation, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. Continue reading...
  • Uk politics: Streeting defends asylum policy, but says he’s not ‘comfortable’ with forced removal of children – as it happened

    Health secretary still maintains that forced removals are ‘right thing to do for the country’Healey is now taking questions.Q: How close are are we to war?It is Labour that is the party of defence. Continue reading...
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  • 'We are ready': Russian spy ship in British waters, says UK defence secretary – video

    A Russian spy ship has entered British waters and shone lasers at military pilots, the defence secretary, John Healey, has said. He said it was the second time the Yantar, designed to gather intelligence and map underwater cables, had been deployed to UK waters this year. Healey said a Royal Navy frigate and RAF P-8 planes had been deployed to track the vessel and continued: 'So my message to Russia and to Putin is this: we see you, we know what you’re doing, but if the Yantar travels sout
  • Russian spy ship enters British waters and shines lasers at military pilots

    Defence secretary reveals details of recent incursions as he warns UK is facing ‘new era of threat’ from hostile countries A Russian spy ship has entered British waters and shone lasers at military pilots, the defence secretary has said, as he warned the UK was facing a “new era of threat” from hostile countries.John Healey told reporters on Wednesday the “deeply dangerous” move was being taken “extremely seriously” by the government, adding the UK
  • UK lacks plan to defend itself from attack, warn MPs

    Public should be told nature of threat posed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, says defence committee chairThe UK lacks a plan to defend itself from a military attack, MPs have warned as the government promised to boost readiness with new arms factories.The challenges facing the government and defence industry were laid bare in a stark report from the Commons defence committee about the UK’s ability to fight a war and meet its Nato obligations in light of Russia’s war in Ukra
  • UK downplays reports it has stopped sharing intelligence with US regarding narco-traffickers

    Yvette Cooper makes first public comments by minister over issue linked to bombing campaign in CaribbeanUK politics live – latest updatesUS politics live – latest updatesBritain’s foreign secretary has downplayed reports that the UK had stopped sharing intelligence with the US that could be used by the Americans to conduct deadly attacks against alleged narco-traffickers in the Caribbean.Yvette Cooper, speaking on a ministerial trip to Naples, said “longstanding intellige
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  • How Britain replaced the US as Russia’s villain of choice

    London and Moscow’s rivalry stretches back to the imperial era, but the Ukraine war has brought relations to a new lowIn recent years, Britain has become the villain of choice in Moscow’s eyes. It has been accused of plotting drone strikes on Russian airfields, blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline, directing “terrorist” raids inside Russia, and even abetting last year’s gruesome Islamic State concert attack in Moscow.This week, a new charge was added to the pile: Rus
  • Two-thirds of women in UK military sexually harassed in past year, survey finds

    MoD survey also finds nearly one in 10 have been subject to non-consensual sexual activity and a third have been groped or touchedNearly one in 10 women serving in the British military have been subjected to an assault or other non-consensual sexual activity in the past year, according to the first official survey of sexual harassment across the armed forces.A third said they had been groped or touched in a way that made them feel uncomfortable, according to the Ministry of Defence, and two-thir
  • UK pauses intelligence-sharing with US on suspected drug vessels in Caribbean

    Rare rupture between military allies comes as concerns grow over Trump administration’s lethal sinking of boatsBritain has suspended the sharing of intelligence with the US on suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean amid concerns information supplied may be used to engage in lethal military strikes by American forces.Such a decision – a rare rupture between the normally close military allies – would indicate that the UK does not believe the Trump administration&rsqu
  • Second world war veterans applauded as king leads Remembrance Sunday tributes

    Royals joined by senior politicians at Cenotaph in London and events are held across UK to honour those who have died in conflictsVeterans of the second world war were applauded as they arrived at the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, before being joined by royals and senior politicians to honour those who have died in conflict.King Charles laid the first wreath in recognition of those killed in wars and conflicts dating back to the first world war. He was followed by his
  • Britain sends RAF specialists to help Belgium combat disruptive drones

    Incursions halted flights at Brussels and Liège airports last week with Russia said to be the most likely culpritBritain is deploying Royal Air Force specialists to help Belgium counter drone threats to the country’s airports after disruptive sightings last week that some politicians blamed on Russia.Sir Richard Knighton, the head of the UK’s armed forces, said the British military would provide “our people, our equipment” to help Belgium, though he was careful to
  • British Asian families urged to share stories of ‘greatest generation’ who fought for Britain

    Half of UK public unaware of contribution made by 2.5m British Asian members of armed forces who served in second world warBritish Asian families are being urged to record the experiences of relatives who fought for Britain for “future generations” as data reveals half the British public don’t know that Indian members of the armed forces served in the second world war.The My Family Legacy project, backed by the Royal British Legion, is building an online archive of Asian vetera
  • UK troops treated for hearing problems in final tests of Ajax armoured vehicle

    The £5.5bn model was classified as fit for army deployment in September but soldiers continue to raise health fearsSoldiers had to be given medical treatment for hearing problems this summer during final testing of the British army’s new Ajax armoured vehicle, whose introduction has been delayed for several years amid concerns about deafness.The model, which costs £5.5bn for 589 vehicles, was nevertheless classified as fit for deployment in September. An investigation concluded
  • British military announces first delivery of Ajax armoured vehicles – eight years late

    First 50 vehicles, costing nearly £10m each, finally ready to deploy to Nato’s eastern flank, where drones now dominateBritain’s military has announced the first delivery of Ajax armoured vehicles, eight years behind schedule and amid questions about their relevance as cheap drones dominate the battlefields of Ukraine.The junior defence minister Luke Pollard said the first 50 vehicles, costing nearly £10m each, were ready to deploy on Nato’s eastern flank, though he
  • Andrew allowed to keep Falklands medal despite losing royal and military titles

    King Charles has agreed to his brother retaining South Atlantic medal for navy service during 1982 conflictHe has lost his princehood, dukedom, Order of the Garter knighthood and military titles, but the former Duke of York, now Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, can at least keep his campaign medal awarded for active service during the 1982 Falklands conflict.The defence secretary, John Healey, had already confirmed Mountbatten Windsor would be stripped of his last remaining title, the honorary rank o
  • UK politics: MPs spar over response to Cambridgeshire train attack – as it happened

    Lib Dem spokesperson says Reform ‘trying to exploit incident for political gain’ and shadow home secretary’s remarks are ‘beneath contempt’Farage is speaking now. He says another “depressing budget hoves into view”. It will be a budget that “doesn’t have the guts to cut public spending”.He says Britain has been living under an illusion.I think for some years we’ve actually been living under an illusion. We’ve not been prepar
  • Andrew to be stripped of naval title, says UK defence secretary

    Former Duke of York to lose honorary rank of vice-admiral a week after having royal title of prince removedThe former Duke of York will lose his naval title, the defence secretary has said, as King Charles looks to draw a line under the scandal over his brother’s relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Andrew Mountbatten Windsor will be stripped of his honorary rank of vice-admiral, which he was given in 2015 and has retained even after giving up other military positio
  • Ex-army sergeant major sentenced to six months for sexually assaulting soldier who went on to kill herself

    Michael Webber admitted attack on Jaysley Beck, then 19, which was not investigated properly by senior officersA former British army sergeant major has been sentenced to six months in prison for sexually assaulting Jaysley Beck, a teenage soldier who killed herself after senior officers failed to investigate the attack properly.Michael Webber, who has left the army, assaulted Gunner Beck during a training exercise in Hampshire in July 2021, when she was 19, the court martial centre in Bulford, W
  • ‘This doesn’t feel like justice’: mother of Jaysley Beck accuses army of empty promises

    Leighann McCready says promised changes to help victims of sexual assault have not happened quickly enough and the family had to push for progress at every stage of inquestAt the end of Gunner Jaysley Beck’s inquest, the British army promised that the teenager’s suicide after a sexual assault by a senior colleague would lead to lasting and effective change.Eight months on, as her abuser was finally sentenced for the attack, Beck’s mother, Leighann McCready, accused the army of
  • Hundreds of women allege sexual abuse at UK army medicals over five decades

    Wiltshire police leading investigation into allegations about enlistment examinations between the 1970s and 2016Hundreds of women have come forward to allege sexual abuse took place during British army medical examinations over five decades.Police are investigating claims of abuse at various army locations in the UK, and officers believe multiple alleged perpetrators may be involved. Continue reading...
  • Blue Lights is more than great TV. It might be the best chance Britons have of reckoning with the Troubles | Jonathan Freedland

    The reaction to the Bloody Sunday trial makes it clear: those of us outside Northern Ireland just don’t understand the painful legacy of this brutal conflictForgive me if I’ve mentioned him before, but at moments like this I remember a news editor I worked for as a young reporter at the BBC. When it came to the interests of our audience, he said, there was a key fact to bear in mind: “The two most boring words in the English language are ‘Northern Ireland’.”It
  • Soldier F case should serve as a caution for future Troubles prosecutions

    In finding F not guilty of murder on Bloody Sunday, judge said evidence fell well short of the standard requiredIt is undisputed that members of the Parachute regiment shot dead 13 unarmed civil rights protesters in Derry on Bloody Sunday. But, more than 53 years later, it is not surprising that Soldier F, the only man put on trial for murder, was found not guilty.Though four of the Paras who entered Glenfada Park North had “lost all sense of military discipline”, according to Mr Jus
  • British army veteran known as Soldier F not guilty of Bloody Sunday murders

    Families say justice denied as only soldier ever tried in relation to 1972 Parachute regiment shootingsacquitted The only British army veteran ever charged in relation to Bloody Sunday has been found not guilty of murder and attempted murder.Belfast crown court on Thursday acquitted Soldier F of all charges in relation to the day the Parachute regiment shot dead 13 civil rights protesters in Derry in 1972, a seminal event in Northern Ireland’s Troubles. Continue reading...
  • Renewable energy investment should come from defence budgets, say retired military leaders

    Former European officers say spending on low-carbon power would make nations more resilient to threats from potential aggressorsInvestment in renewable energy should be counted under defence expenditure, says a group of retired senior military personnel, because the climate crisis represents a threat to national security.They have called for increased spending on low-carbon power as a way of making the UK and other European countries more resilient to threats from Russia and other potential aggr
  • Britain sends small number of troops to monitor Gaza ceasefire

    Defence secretary says UK will play ‘anchor role’ in US-led civil military coordination centreBritish troops have been sent to Israel to help monitor the ceasefire in Gaza after a request from the US.The defence secretary, John Healey, announced the deployment of a small number of planning officers, including a senior commander, at an event on Monday night. He said the UK would play an “anchor role”. Ten days ago the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the UK had &ldqu
  • London museum identifies black Waterloo veteran in rare 1821 painting

    ‘Honourable’ bandsman Thomas James will feature in display at National Army Museum highlighting service of black soldiers in Napoleonic warsHe fought in the Napoleonic wars and is one of only nine Black soldiers known to have received the Waterloo Medal, the first British medal awarded to soldiers regardless of their rank.Yet the story of Pte Thomas James has been overlooked for centuries. Continue reading...
  • UK peace force for Ukraine would cost ‘well over £100m’, says defence secretary

    John Healey says he has already brought forward millions in spending for swift deployment if ceasefire agreedThe cost of Britain’s contribution to a post-ceasefire stabilisation force for Ukraine would be “well over £100m”, the defence secretary, John Healey, has said after a speech in the City of London.Healey said he had already brought forward millions in spending so that a “multinational force Ukraine” led by the UK and France could be ready to deploy quic
  • British troops to get powers to shoot down drones near military bases

    Defence secretary will announce measures to combat threat of unmanned aircraft after incursions in EuropeSoldiers are to be given new powers to shoot down unidentified drones believed to be threatening UK military bases in response to a recent spate of incursions and sightings in Europe.John Healey, the defence secretary, will announce the measure at a speech in the City of London on Monday, in which he will also warn of an increased level of Russian drone attacks into Ukraine and eastern Europe
  • Launch of veteran card will be used to test UK government’s digital ID scheme

    Ministers hope scheme for 1.8 million people will show how technology works and ease privacy and security concernsFormer military personnel will be used to test and refine the government’s divisive digital ID scheme from Friday, when ministers make a smartphone-based veteran card available to 1.8 million people.The proof of service, which in its current physical version gives access to charities, retail discounts and certain public services, will be the first of a series of official creden
  • Agnes Wanjiru’s niece urges Labour to extradite ex-soldier while still in power

    Esther Njoki says family has seen ‘big change’ under Labour, after long fight for justice over aunt’s 2012 death in KenyaThe niece of Agnes Wanjiru, who was killed in Kenya, said she hopes the former British soldier charged with her aunt’s murder will be extradited while the Labour government is still in power.On her first trip outside Kenya, Esther Njoki travelled to London, where she was invited to parliament to meet the defence secretary, John Healey, whom she urged no
  • Muriel Manning obituary

    My mother, Muriel Manning, who has died aged 100, was a wireless operator during the second world war at the Chicksands RAF base in Bedfordshire. There she listened in to morse code messages from Germany’s Enigma machines that were then sent to code breakers at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire.She joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) – where, as a Welsh woman, she was inevitably nicknamed “Taff” – in early 1944 at the age of 19. She took to the work
  • Russia persistently targeting British satellites, UK Space Command chief says

    Maj Gen Paul Tedman says Moscow trying to disrupt UK’s military activities on ‘weekly’ basis and closely monitoring space assetsRussia is attempting to jam UK military satellites on a regular basis, according to the head of the UK Space Command.Speaking to the BBC, Maj Gen Paul Tedman said Russian forces were actively trying to disrupt UK-based military activities “weekly” and were closely monitoring the country’s space assets. Continue reading...
  • Field Marshal Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank obituary

    Senior officer in the British army and confidant of Tony Blair who endorsed the bombing of Serbia as chief of the defence staffCharles Guthrie, Field Marshal Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, who has died aged 86, was head of the British army then chief of the general staff during some of the most turbulent times of Britain’s modern armed forces in the early years of the Tony Blair government.Regarded by some as a political general, for his closeness to the prime minister during the peak of Bla
  • Labour conference: Starmer calls Reform’s policy on immigration ‘racist’ and says Farage’s party would ‘tear country apart’ – as it happened

    PM calls Reform’s policy immoral but says people who want to vote for them are not racist but frustratedKuenssberg ended her interview by asking about Andy Burnham, and the leadership.Starmer said Burnham was doing a very good job as mayor of Greater Manchester.Comments about leaders and leadership are part and parcel of being in politics.It is the bread and butter of politics, every leader get its, it always comes up, particularly at conference. It’s in the job description.People ar
  • Fighter jets purchase would put UK in breach of nuclear treaty, says CND

    Legal opinion for campaign group says deal amounts to reversal of UK’s commitment to nuclear disarmamentBritain will violate its nuclear disarmament obligations if Labour presses ahead with the £1bn purchase of 12 F-35A fighter jets, according to a specialist legal opinion prepared on behalf of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).Two international lawyers argue that the government’s plan to reintroduce air-launched nuclear weapons for the RAF will break a key provision o
  • Bloody Sunday: trial of Soldier F can admit hearsay evidence, judge rules

    Prosecution request granted to admit ‘decisive’ statements by other soldiers present at 1972 shootings in DerryThe trial of a former paratrooper charged with two murders and five attempted murders on Bloody Sunday can admit hearsay evidence that has been described by the prosecution as “decisive”, a judge has ruled.The judge, Patrick Lynch, on Wednesday granted a prosecution request to admit statements made by other soldiers who were present during the shootings in Derry
  • Britain, Germany jointly developing missiles: ministers

    DefenceTalkBritain and Germany are working together to develop strike missiles, their defence ministers said Thursday, as Russia’s war rages in Ukraine and European powers seek to reduce dependence on US weapons. “We together will begin co-leading the development of a new European-developed deep precision strike capability with a range of 2,000 plus kilometres (1,250 miles),” […]https://www.defencetalk.com/britain-germany-jointly-developing-missiles-ministers-80628/
  • General accused of failing to report SAS war crimes evidence is made navy chief

    Royal Navy leader also accused of overseeing denial of resettlement claims made by Afghans who aided UK forcesA general accused of failing to report evidence of war crimes committed by the SAS in Afghanistan has been appointed as the new head of the Royal Navy.Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins – the first Royal Marine to become First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff – replaces Adm Sir Ben Key, who was removed last week while under investigation over allegations of misconduct. Continue readin
  • Royal Navy commander removed from job over sexual allegations

    Lt Cdr Martyn Mayger, who took charge of HMS Tyne in February, under investigation over sexual allegationsA Royal Navy commander has been removed from his role less than three months into post while he is investigated over sexual allegations.Lt Cdr Martyn Mayger took charge of HMS Tyne, a warship that operates in UK and European waters on security tasks, in February. Continue reading...
  • UK special forces veterans accuse colleagues of war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan

    Former personnel describe soldiers exhibiting ‘psychopathic traits’ and executions of handcuffed prisonersFormer UK special forces personnel have accused colleagues of committing war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, including alleging that they executed civilians and a child.Graphic accounts of routine executions of handcuffed prisoners and the killings of people in their sleep were handed to the BBC, which reported that weapons were planted during cover-ups. Continue reading...
  • Trump announces ‘full and immediate’ India-Pakistan ceasefire

    DefenceTalkUS President Donald Trump on Saturday announced a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan after days of deadly jet fighter, missile, drone and artillery attacks between the nuclear-armed rivals. “After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-announces-full-and-immediate-india-pakistan-ceasefire-80622/
  • Pakistan says Indian missiles strike air bases as conflict spirals

    Pakistan says Indian missiles strike air bases as conflict spirals
    DefenceTalkPakistan’s military on Saturday said India launched another wave of missiles targeting three air bases — including one on the outskirts of the capital — as the conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours spiralled toward full-blown war. The South Asian countries have exchanged fire since Wednesday, when India launched air strikes on what it called “terrorist” […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pakistan-says-indian-missiles-strike-air-bases-as-conflic
  • Head of Royal Navy suspended pending investigation

    Adm Sir Ben Key has been asked to ‘step back’ as first sea lord, after MoD said he had departed for ‘private reasons’The head of the Royal Navy has been suspended pending an investigation.Adm Sir Ben Key has been asked to “step back” as first sea lord, sources at the MoD confirmed on Friday. Continue reading...
  • ‘How can you not know?’ Black and Asian people went overboard for Britain, says WW2 veteran

    Prince Albert Jacob feels disappointed in continued ignorance of role many non-whites played in war effort“Most black people went overboard and tried hard to make sure that they did their best for Britain,” says Prince Albert Jacob, a 99-year-old veteran from Trinidad who joined the RAF in 1943.In a London hotel lobby, after a busy week of VE Day celebrations, Jacob describes feeling disappointed at findings from a recent survey that showed British people remained largely unaware of
  • Pakistan says India has brought neighbours ‘closer to major conflict’

    DefenceTalkPakistan charged India Friday with bringing the nuclear-armed neighbors “closer to a major conflict”, as the death toll from three days of missile, artillery and drone attacks passed 50. The bloody escalation comes after an attack on tourists last month in the Indian-run part of disputed Kashmir that killed 26 people and which New Delhi […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pakistan-says-india-has-brought-neighbours-closer-to-major-conflict-80612/
  • North Korea fires flurry of short-range ballistic missiles

    DefenceTalkNorth Korea fired multiple types of short-range ballistic missiles Thursday, South Korea’s military said, around a week after leader Kim Jong Un tested a new weapons system for his latest warship. Seoul’s military said it had “detected the launch of various types of short-range ballistic missiles,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The missiles were […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-fires-flurry-of-short-range-ballistic-missiles-80608/
  • China vows to stand with Russia in face of ‘hegemonic bullying’

    DefenceTalkChina’s Xi Jinping was in Moscow on Thursday for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders are in Russia to attend a vast military parade on Friday marking 80 years since […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-vows-to-stand-with-russia-in-face-of-hegemonic-bullying-80604/
  • Pakistan shoots down 25 Indian drones near military installations

    DefenceTalkPakistan’s army said Thursday it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border. At least 45 deaths were reported from both […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pakistan-shoots-down-25-indian-drones-near-military-installations-80599/

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