Military news

• RAF veteran wrongly believed to be gay loses employment tribunal over 1975 discharge

  08-06-2023 14:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Cpl Sean Walsh claimed he was discriminated against at time when gay people were barred from serving in armed forcesAn RAF veteran has lost what is believed to be one of the oldest employment tribunals ever brought after he tried to sue the Ministry of Defence for forcing him out because he was wrongly believed to be gay.Cpl Sean Walsh launched the lawsuit over his discharge from the air force almost 50 years ago, describing the treatment he received as degrading and humiliating.
  Walsh, 75, clai
  
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• Malaysia investigates Chinese barge suspected of links to looting of British WW2 wrecks

  30-05-2023 08:22 via theguardian.com
  
  Search of vessel registered in Fuzhou, China, reveals cannon shell suspected to date from second world warMalaysia’s maritime agency has said it found a cannon shell believed to be from the second world war on a Chinese-registered vessel and was investigating if the barge carrier was involved in the looting of two British warship wrecks in the South China Sea.The agency said it detained the vessel registered in Fuzhou, China, on Sunday for anchoring without a permit off southern Johor stat
  
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• Refugees seriously injured on razor-wire fence UK helped build to keep asylum seekers out of EU

  27-05-2023 14:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Government accused of backing ‘inhumane’ policies as 16 people are badly hurt by barrier blocking entry via Poland from BelarusRefugees and asylum seekers have been seriously injured by a “dangerous” razor-wire fence that the UK helped to build to keep asylum seekers out of Europe.At least 16 people have been gravely hurt, some hospitalised, when recently attempting to reach Europe by crossing a 5.5m-high barrier the British military helped to construct on Poland’s
  
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• Refugees seriously injured on ‘dangerous’ fence UK built to keep asylum seekers out of EU

  27-05-2023 14:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Government accused of backing ‘inhumane’ policies as 16 people are badly hurt by barrier blocking entry via Poland from BelarusRefugees and asylum seekers have been seriously injured by a “dangerous” razor-wire fence that the UK helped to build to keep asylum seekers out of Europe.At least 16 people have been gravely hurt, some hospitalised, when recently attempting to reach Europe by crossing a 5.5m-high barrier the British military helped to construct on Poland’s
  
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• Army missed chances to prevent suicide of Sandhurst cadet Olivia Perks, inquest finds

  26-05-2023 17:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Coroner says chain of command failed to recognise risk of stress to officer cadet and get her seen by doctor after ballThe army missed opportunities to prevent the suicide of a “positive and bubbly” officer cadet at the Sandhurst military academy, an inquest has found.Olivia Perks, 21, was found hanged in her room at the elite training school in Berkshire on 6 February 2019. Continue reading...
  
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• Hundreds attend London funeral for second world war veteran Peter Brown

  25-05-2023 19:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Mourners pay respects to black RAF air gunner, who had ‘selflessly’ dedicated his life to BritainHundred of mourners gathered for the funeral of a black second world war veteran to pay their respects to an “inspiration” who had “selflessly” dedicated his life to Britain.Peter Brown, a retired flight sergeant, died alone aged 96 in his home in Maida Vale, west London. Continue reading...
  
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• UK special forces have operated secretly in 19 countries since 2011

  23-05-2023 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Extensive deployments ‘raise serious concerns about transparency’, says research group Action on Armed ViolenceSAS and other British special forces have been involved in covert operations in 19 countries in the past dozen years, including in Nigeria, the Philippines and Russia, as well as in Syria, Ukraine and most recently Sudan, a study reveals.The elite military units operate in secret, without ministers publicly confirming their activities. But a research group, Action
  
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• Lee Rigby’s mother remembers ‘gentle, imperfect’ son 10 years after murder

  22-05-2023 17:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Lyn Rigby says she believes soldier killed in Woolwich would be proud of work helping bereaved military familiesLyn Rigby, the mother of the murdered soldier Lee Rigby, says she speaks to her son every morning and can still feel his presence a decade after he was killed.Fusilier Rigby, 25, was killed on 22 May 2013 by terrorists near his barracks in Woolwich, south London. His attackers, Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, were found guilty of his murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
  
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• Scapa Flow Museum showing Orkney island’s wartime role up for top prize

  22-05-2023 09:57 via theguardian.com
  
  UK museum of the year award has shortlist of five showing ‘astonishing ambition and boundless creativity’A museum on a small island in Orkney that became the Royal Navy’s nerve centre during both world wars has been shortlisted for museum of the year.The Scapa Flow Museum tells the story of how the island of Hoy became essential to Britain’s defence with the construction of a large naval base. It reopened last year after a £4.4m redevelopment. Continue reading...
  
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• Orkney museum showing island’s role protecting UK up for top heritage prize

  22-05-2023 09:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Art Fund’s UK museum of the year has a shortlist of five displaying ‘astonishing ambition and boundless creativity’A museum on a tiny island in Orkney that became the Royal Navy’s nerve centre during both world wars has been shortlisted for museum of the year.The Scapa Flow Museum tells the story of how the island of Hoy became essential to Britain’s defence with the construction of a huge naval base. It reopened last year after a £4.4m redevelopment. Continue
  
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• Soldiers to be trained to check passports amid UK fears of summer travel chaos

  19-05-2023 14:15 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Unions say move will diminish national security, with temporary staff unable to detain suspected terroristsHundreds of soldiers and sailors are to be trained from Monday to cover striking Border Force guards, as ministers prepare for a potential summer of chaos at ports and airports, the Guardian can reveal.In a move which unions say will diminish security at UK ports, members of the armed forces will be given five days’ training before checking passports at Heathrow, Gatwick an
  
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• Whistleblower reports reveal continuing sexual abuse of women in UK military

  18-05-2023 17:55 via theguardian.com
  
  British armed forces exhibit ‘culture of institutional misogyny’ despite promises of reform, says parliamentary committee chairA junior servicewoman said she was a victim of rape and forced to leave the armed forces while her abuser was protected, according to whistleblower testimony collected and published by a parliamentary committee on Thursday.Her story is one of eight cases revealing continuing rape and sexual abuse in the military, collected by forces medical teams and sent to
  
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• UK pledges more weapons for Ukraine as Zelenskiy meets Sunak at Chequers

  15-05-2023 14:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Ukrainian president says he talked to UK PM about western allies providing a ‘coalition of jets’ for war effortRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesVolodymyr Zelenskiy hinted on an unannounced visit to the UK that Kyiv could soon receive F-16 fighter jets, saying he was hopeful of “very important” decisions soon on the subject with the help of the UK.The Ukrainian president flew in by helicopter on Monday morning for a one-to-one meeting with Rishi Sunak at Chequ
  
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• BAE investigating alleged sabotage of next-generation Royal Navy warship

  13-05-2023 21:31 via theguardian.com
  
  BAE Systems says dozens of cables intentionally damaged on Type 26 frigate HMS Glasgow in Scottish shipyardAn investigation has begun into an alleged incident of sabotage onboard a next-generation Royal Navy warship at a Scottish shipyard.Dozens of cables on HMS Glasgow, which is expected to enter into service in the late 2020s, were “damaged intentionally” according to BAE Systems, the main contractor responsible for the construction and fitting out of the ship. Work has now restart
  
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• ‘Why would we employ people?’ Experts on five ways AI will change work

  12-05-2023 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  From farming and education to healthcare and the military, artificial intelligence is poised to make sweeping changes to the workplace. But can it have a positive impact – or are we in for a darker future?In 1965, the political scientist and Nobel laureate Herbert Simon declared: “Machines will be capable, within 20 years, of doing any work a man can do.” Today, in what is increasingly referred to as the fourth industrial revolution, the arrival of artificial intelligence (AI)
  
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• British-led coalition hoping to supply longer-range missiles to Ukraine

  09-05-2023 19:31 via theguardian.com
  
  UK opens tender for rockets akin to those denied Ukraine by US, which could enable strikes deep into CrimeaBritain and a group of European allies are hoping to supply long-distance cruise missiles to Ukraine, similar in range to those the US has so far refused to supply Kyiv, which could allow its army to strike deep into Russian-occupied Crimea.A tender document quietly released by the UK calls for western arms makers to offer “missiles or rockets with a range 100-300km” (62 to 186
  
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• British-led coalition hopes to supply longer-range missiles to Ukraine

  09-05-2023 19:31 via theguardian.com
  
  UK opens tender for rockets akin to those denied by US, which could enable strikes deep into CrimeaBritain and a group of European allies are hoping to supply long-distance cruise missiles to Ukraine, similar in range to those the US has so far refused to supply Kyiv, which could allow its army to strike deep into Russian-occupied Crimea.A tender document quietly released by the UK calls for western arms makers to offer “missiles or rockets with a range 100-300km” (62 to 186 miles) t
  
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• Bearskins but no drones: did coronation parade reflect modern UK military?

  07-05-2023 16:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Observers split on whether armed forces’ high-profile ceremonial role could help or hinder their imageThe British military deployed 9,000 personnel in ceremonial and supporting duties on Saturday’s coronation, nearly 5% of all the UK armed forces, in the largest display of official pageantry for more than 70 years.But the carefully choreographed effort, eight months in the planning, comes at a time when recruitment is falling and the image projected by the army on parade is, some obs
  
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• UK ministers urged to unseal files on Falklands attack that killed 56

  05-05-2023 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Calls follow release of account by captain who said he strongly warned against ‘folly’ of attempted landing in June 1982The release of a witness account detailing the “folly” of an operation in which 56 service personnel died on ships off the Falkland islands – the deadliest day for the British military since 1945 – has prompted fresh calls for the government to unseal all files relating to the tragedy.Attacks by Argentinian Skyhawk planes against the landing
  
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• Jean Arges obituary

  04-05-2023 19:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Codebreaker who served in the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry during the second world warJean Argles, who has died aged 97, served in the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Fany) during the second world war, as a code and cipher officer for the Special Operations Executive (SOE). At the age of 18, she was promoted to be shift leader in the SOE headquarters in Baker Street, London. Later, during postings to Egypt and Italy, she deciphered communications from partisan rebels fighting in Greece and Yugoslavia.
  
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• Perilous journey for UK nationals and NHS medics seeking Sudan escape

  29-04-2023 13:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Official instructions given out to make way to airbase just north of capital in order to evacuate before deadlineNHS doctors and British nationals have faced a treacherous route to reach an airbase north of Khartoum before a deadline for evacuations, amid ongoing airstrikes and artillery fire in the Sudanese capital.Hundreds of people were told to find their own way to the Wadi Seidna airbase, about 14 miles north of Khartoum and its twin city Omdurman on the banks of the Nile. Continue reading.
  
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• NHS medics and UK nationals faced risky route to Sudan evacuation point

  29-04-2023 13:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Hundreds of people were told to make own way through ongoing fighting to airbase north of KhartoumNHS doctors and British nationals faced a treacherous route to reach an airbase north of Khartoum before a deadline for evacuations, amid ongoing airstrikes and artillery fire in the Sudanese capital.Hundreds of people were told to find their own way to an evacuation centre at the Wadi Seidna airbase, about 14 miles (20km) north of Khartoum and its twin city, Omdurman. They had to navigate ongoing f
  
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• NHS medics and UK nationals face risky route to Sudan evacuation point

  29-04-2023 13:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Hundreds of people told to make own way through ongoing fighting to airbase north of KhartoumNHS doctors and British nationals are facing a treacherous route to reach an airbase north of Khartoum before a deadline for evacuations, amid ongoing airstrikes and artillery fire in the Sudanese capital.Hundreds of people were told to find their own way to an evacuation centre at the Wadi Seidna airbase, about 14 miles (20km) north of Khartoum and its twin city, Omdurman. They had to navigate ongoing f
  
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• Sensitive files about Royal Navy submarine reportedly found in pub toilet

  29-04-2023 03:10 via theguardian.com
  
  Navy investigating after report emerges that documents about the workings of HMS Anson were found in a Wetherspoons pub in CumbriaThe Royal Navy is set to investigate after official documents about one of its £1.3bn “hunter killer” submarines were reportedly found in the toilets of a Wetherspoons pub.Files carrying details about the HMS Anson were left in the Furness Railway in Cumbria, the Sun reported. The documents showed the inner workings of the nuclear-powered submarine a
  
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• UK evacuation of Sudan ‘could continue after ceasefire ends’

  26-04-2023 20:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Military says emergency flights will operate as long as conditions are safe, as civilians arrive in LondonSudan crisis – latest updatesBritain could continue running evacuation flights from Sudan once the current three-day ceasefire expires on Thursday night, as the first planeload of civilians rescued from the country’s civil war arrived at Stansted airport.Brig Dan Reeve, the army officer in charge of the rescue, said the airlift from a base north of Khartoum would continue as long
  
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• Why Costa Rica beats Britain in the conservation stakes | Letters

  26-04-2023 18:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Readers respond to George Monbiot’s article comparing a rich nation’s environmental failures and a poor one’s successGeorge Monbiot asks why Costa Rica has been able to restore its once despoiled natural environment while the much wealthier UK has failed to do so (Opinion, 21 April). One reason is its decision to abolish its army in 1949. Its government had decided that it would rather spend money on health, education and the environment than on the military. You can see how th
  
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• UK begins evacuating citizens from Sudan after Germany allows use of airfield

  25-04-2023 18:05 via theguardian.com
  
  First RAF flight leaves amid ceasefire as Britain begins belated evacuation of 2,000 trapped nationalsSudan crisis – latest updatesThe first British evacuation flight has left Sudan, Downing Street has said, after Germany gave permission for the UK to fly a rescue plane from an airfield north of Khartoum that it has been controlling to coordinate its own rescue from the country.At least two more flights are expected to leave overnight, officials added, as Britain belatedly begins the airli
  
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• UK awaits German go-ahead to start evacuation from Sudan

  25-04-2023 16:02 via theguardian.com
  
  Defence secretary says RAF flights out will begin after Germany cedes control of airfield where it is conducting own rescue missionSudan crisis – latest updatesThe UK will begin evacuation flights for 2,000-plus Britons trapped in Sudan when Germany relinquishes temporary control of an airfield north of Khartoum from which it has been conducting its own rescue mission, the defence secretary said.Ben Wallace, speaking at a defence select committee, would not give a precise time on when flig
  
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• ‘Very difficult evacuation’: how UK diplomats were rescued from Sudan

  24-04-2023 20:22 via theguardian.com
  
  Elite British troops scrambled to respond to a crisis nobody in government saw comingIt was a risky and expensive rescue – but only for 30 people, including 24 British diplomats and their families. While France and Germany evacuated several hundred each from Sudan, the UK and the US chose to focus on staff at their embassies.On Friday, rumours spread that elite British soldiers – from the SAS and the Parachute regiment – had been scrambled to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, in response
  
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• Defence spending in western and central Europe tops last year of cold war

  24-04-2023 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Stockholm International Peace Institute’s annual report finds UK was region’s biggest spender in 2022 at $68.5bnDefence spending in western and central Europe has surpassed that of the last year of the cold war, an annual report has found, as military expenditure across the world hit an all-time high of $2.24tn (£1.8tn) last year.The outbreak of war in Ukraine has triggered the steepest increase in military expenditure in Europe in three decades, according to the Stockholm Inte
  
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• UK armed forces evacuate British diplomats from Sudan after threats

  23-04-2023 14:44 via theguardian.com
  
  James Cleverly says operation carried out due to escalating threats against foreign diplomatsThe UK has successfully evacuated its diplomatic staff from Khartoum, the UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly has said, citing the escalating threats against foreign diplomats, but said UK nationals living in Sudan remained in the country.With British citizens still trapped by the fighting in Khartoum, the news that diplomats have been prioritised is likely to cause deep concern, but Cleverly on Sunday
  
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• Last remaining Gurkha Victoria Cross recipient dies in Nepal at age of 83

  23-04-2023 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Rambahadur Limbu awarded Britain’s highest military honour in 1966 for an act of gallantryThe last remaining Gurkha recipient of Britain’s Victoria Cross has died in Nepal at the age of 83.Rambahadur Limbu was awarded Britain’s highest military decoration by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 1966 for gallantry during an attack on Indonesian troops on the island of Borneo during which he rescued two fellow soldiers. Continue reading...
  
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• Last remaining Gurkha Victoria Cross recipient dies in Nepal aged 83

  23-04-2023 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Rambahadur Limbu was awarded Britain’s highest military honour in 1966 for an act of gallantryThe last remaining Gurkha recipient of Britain’s Victoria Cross has died in Nepal at the age of 83.Rambahadur Limbu was awarded Britain’s highest military decoration by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 1966 for gallantry during an attack on Indonesian troops on the island of Borneo during which he rescued two fellow soldiers. Continue reading...
  
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• TS, SI, FVEY: what the Pentagon leak initials tell us about modern spying

  21-04-2023 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Everything from the gamer leaker to the global spread of potential sources reveals much about the anxiety-making conditions of 21st-century espionageAfter TS (top secret), two other letters repeatedly stand out throughout the leaked Pentagon files: SI. The letters stand for special intelligence, and signify that the information has been derived from signals intelligence work. This encompasses eavesdropping, surveillance and even backdoor access to information systems – all part of a panopt
  
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• Falklands war art installation given ‘fitting place’ in Portsmouth

  20-04-2023 17:08 via theguardian.com
  
  Standing With Giants, created for 40th anniversary, commemorates troops and islanders who diedLifesize silhouetted figures representing the 255 British military personnel and three civilians who lost their lives in the Falklands war have been installed on the parade ground and ramparts at Fort Nelson in Portsmouth.The art installation, Standing With Giants, was created to mark the 40th anniversary of the conflict and its arrival in the Hampshire port is regarded as particularly poignant as so ma
  
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• China would gain swift air superiority over Taiwan, US leaks show

  19-04-2023 12:34 via defencetalk.com
  DefenceTalkChina would probably gain air superiority very quickly in any attack on Taiwan, something Russia crucially failed to do in its invasion of Ukraine last year, leaked US intelligence documents show, according to media reports Saturday. The classified documents, allegedly leaked by a US national guardsman in the worst US security breach in a decade, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-would-gain-swift-air-superiority-over-taiwan-us-leaks-show-80019/
  
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• Ben Wallace accused of concealing Russian ‘act of war’ against RAF plane

  18-04-2023 17:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Senior Tory Tobias Ellwood says details of ‘near-shoot down’ revealed in Pentagon leaks should have been publicisedThe senior Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood has accused the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, of concealing a potential Russian “act of war” against an RAF spy plane, during an emergency debate in the Commons.The chair of the defence select committee questioned an account given by Wallace to parliament of the dangerous incident, which occurred last September and
  
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• Freedom needs to be better supplied than tyranny. If democracies stand firm, Putin’s war on Ukraine will fail | Simon McDonald and others

  17-04-2023 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  We are diplomatic and military experts from across Europe. And we say give Ukrainians more arms, or risk a terrible stalemateWhen Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine on 24 February 2022, he flagrantly violated international law and committed a breach of the UN charter. Denying Ukraine’s right to exist, he used massive force to try to erase it from the map of Europe, leaving an ever-increasing trail of gross human rights abuses and war crimes in the process. One year later, Putin
  
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• Former senior diplomats urge west to ‘go all in’ on military support for Ukraine

  17-04-2023 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Group also made up of former high-level military advisers say ‘actions still fail to match the rhetoric’Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesA transatlantic group of former senior diplomats and high-level military advisers have said the war in Ukraine is on course to become a stalemate unless the west goes “all in” and increases its level of military support.Writing in the Guardian on Monday, the group said that “declarations of unwavering support” we
  
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• Ministry of Defence awards £650m to firms working on Tempest fighter jet

  14-04-2023 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce among those funded, with aim of producing new aircraft by 2035The Ministry of Defence has awarded £650m to manufacturers working on its Tempest fighter jet, in the latest sign that the UK is pushing forward with the aim of producing the aircraft by 2035.The companies who will receive the money are led by manufacturer BAE Systems, jet engine maker Rolls-Royce, and the UK arms of Italy’s Leonardo and European missile-maker MBDA. Continue reading...
  
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• Stacey Dooley: Ready for War review – an unforgettable reminder of the horrors of war in Ukraine

  12-04-2023 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  At one point, this documentary sees the presenter left almost speechless as she faces the reality of life for new army recruits. It shows you the conflict’s awfulness like never beforeDid you know the UK runs a scheme that flies Ukrainian civilians here, gives them intensive military training, then sends them back as rookie soldiers with the basic skills they need to fight Russia? Stacey Dooley: Ready for War? assumes you do and pitches us straight into an aircraft hangar full of blinking
  
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• Man suspected of being Stakeknife, Britain’s top spy in IRA, dies

  11-04-2023 20:16 via theguardian.com
  
  Death of Freddie Scappaticci, who always denied he was mole, puts question mark over inquiry into his alleged crimesThe man said to be the British army’s most important agent inside the Provisional IRA has died, putting a question mark over the inquiry into his alleged crimes and the role played by security forces.Freddie Scappaticci, a west Belfast former bricklayer who was alleged to have been a top mole known as Stakeknife, died and was buried last week, it emerged on Tuesday. He was in
  
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• Up to 50 UK special forces present in Ukraine this year, US leak suggests

  11-04-2023 20:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Documents appear to list number of western special forces personnel in Ukraine in February and MarchLeaked US military documents indicate that the UK has deployed as many as 50 special forces to Ukraine.The documents suggest that more than half of the western special forces personnel present in Ukraine between February and March this year may have been British. Continue reading...
  
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• Don Berrington obituary

  10-04-2023 17:46 via theguardian.com
  
  My friend and colleague Don Berrington, who has died aged 88, was a helicopter engineer and executive who enjoyed a 43-year career at the aircraft manufacturer Westland.Born in Twitchen in rural Shropshire, to Jessica (nee Bennett) and Philip Berrington, Don was the youngest of three brothers and attended Bishop’s Castle county high school. His father was a lengthsman, responsible for the upkeep of roads, and both parents tended a smallholding, which assured food for the table. Continue re
  
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• ‘It’s like 45 years of torture’: searching for the bodies of the Troubles’ victims

  10-04-2023 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Without the remains of loved ones to grieve over, families feel the Northern Ireland conflict has not endedThe British army checkpoints and patrols and watchtowers are gone, but when Geoff Knupfer surveys the fields and bogs of Ireland’s borderlands he sees a landscape still haunted by the Troubles.The remains of people murdered and clandestinely buried by the IRA lie concealed in the soil, their locations swallowed by time and secrecy. Continue reading...
  
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• China sends warships and aircraft around Taiwan for second day

  08-04-2023 12:34 via defencetalk.com
  DefenceTalkChina sent warships and aircraft near Taiwan for a second day on Friday and insisted the island remains “an inseparable part of China”, after President Tsai Ing-wen angered Beijing by meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Three Chinese warships sailed in waters surrounding the self-ruled island, while a fighter jet and an anti-submarine helicopter […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-sends-warships-and-aircraft-around-taiwan-for-second-day-80015/
  
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• Japan changes rules to allow aid to foreign militaries

  06-04-2023 13:03 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkJapan will begin offering aid to the militaries of “like-minded countries” under new rules announced Wednesday, as Tokyo builds a more proactive defence strategy to address growing regional threats. The new framework will be separate from other types of aid offered by Japan, and will specifically target “enhancing the security and deterrence capabilities of like-minded […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-changes-rules-to-allow-aid-to-foreign-militaries-80010/
  
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• TikTok hit with UK fine, Australia government ban

  06-04-2023 13:01 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkTikTok was dealt fresh setbacks Tuesday as Australia joined a list of Western nations banning the Chinese-owned apps from government devices and Britain fined it for allowing children under 13 to use the social media platform. The popular video-sharing app has come under growing pressure in Western countries, with the United States urging TikTok to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/tiktok-hit-with-uk-fine-australia-government-ban-80006/
  
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• Long NATO delay spells trouble for Sweden and alliance: experts

  06-04-2023 12:58 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkWhile Finland Tuesday became a full NATO member, Sweden’s membership bid remains blocked, an “embarrassing” delay if short-lived but which could make Sweden more vulnerable and create problems within NATO if it drags on, experts told AFP. Finland became the 31st member of the military alliance after securing the last two ratifications needed from Hungary […]https://www.defencetalk.com/long-nato-delay-spells-trouble-for-sweden-and-alliance-experts-80002/
  
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• Only official civilian victim of UK’s bombing campaign against IS appears not to exist

  04-04-2023 12:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Contradictions over missions in Syria and Iraq deepens concern over Britain’s ‘perfect’ precision warIt sounded like accountability. Pressed about the UK’s implausibly spotless record in its bombing campaign against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, the British government admitted in May 2018 that its military had killed one civilian in eastern Syria two months earlier.But the strike the then defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, described to parliament was not logged in th
  
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