Military news

• In 1994, I was the last person sent to prison in the UK for being gay – and I’m still being punished today

  02-04-2024 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  For two years, David Bonney’s sexuality was investigated by his employer, the RAF. When he confessed, he was sent to solitaryDavid Bonney realised his employer, the Royal Air Force, was investigating his sexuality within minutes of entering the guard room at RAF Mount Batten, a military base near Plymouth. It was 1991 and Bonney, then a 21-year-old medical assistant, had just been escorted from his post at the medical centre by military police. He sat down in the guard room, opposite the d
  
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• Two army veterans will not be prosecuted over 1971 Troubles deaths

  29-04-2024 21:15 via theguardian.com
  
  Prosecutors say there is not enough evidence to convict the former soldiers for the shooting of a girl, 14, and a man, 41, in DerryTwo British army veterans will not be prosecuted in relation to the deaths of a schoolgirl and unarmed civilian in two separate shooting incidents that took place in Northern Ireland over 50 years ago.Prosecutors said that in both cases – the deaths of Annette McGavigan, 14, and William McGreanery, 41, in Derry in 1971 – the available evidence was insuffi
  
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• Northern Ireland legacy act will harm Britain’s reputation, rights panel warns

  29-04-2024 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Report concludes state sheltered soldiers from prosecution for Troubles-era crimes, as amnesty legislation comes into forceBritain’s reputation will be severely damaged by the Northern Ireland “legacy” act, an international panel of human rights experts has warned while calling for the government to scrap moves to grant conditional amnesties for Troubles-era crimes.The warning is being made as the legislation comes into force on Wednesday, offering soldiers and paramilitaries a
  
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• Keir Starmer needs to have a frank conversation with voters about the price of security | Andrew Rawnsley

  28-04-2024 10:00 via theguardian.com
  
  If defence spending has to rise, hard choices will have to be madeI’m not certain who minted the phrase, but it is an excellent one to describe the decade or so that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent implosion of the Soviet Union. The affluent liberal democracies were treated to “a holiday from history”.The west started turning its Cold War swords into ploughshares once its principal ideological and military adversary had departed the scene. The collapse o
  
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• Lancashire town locked down ‘after grenade donated to heritage centre’

  27-04-2024 22:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Emergency services corden off large area of Darwen while army bomb disposal unit removes and destroys grenadeA town centre in Lancashire was placed in lockdown on Saturday, with British army bomb disposal experts forced to remove and destroy a grenade.It is understood that a member of the public had donated items to a heritage centre in Darwen which included the grenade. Continue reading...
  
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• UK weighing sending troops into Gaza to distribute aid

  27-04-2024 20:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Risk-filled mission to escort aid from US-built floating pier into combat zone under consideration in defence ministryBritain’s defence ministry is considering sending troops into Gaza to escort trucks of aid being driven off a giant floating pier built by the US military, a UK defence source has said.The pier is due to be completed next month in the eastern Mediterranean, and then it will be pushed towards the Gaza shore. But the US president, Joe Biden, has pledged that American forces m
  
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• Did five frightened horses bolting through London really mean the end was neigh? | Michael Hogan

  27-04-2024 18:00 via theguardian.com
  
  It says a lot about our turbulent times that we’ve started seeking omens in random eventsWoah there, cried the nation. Easy, boy. This week’s most arresting visuals came on Wednesday morning when runaway horses brought central London to a standstill. Five working animals from the Household Cavalry, based at Hyde Park barracks, were on exercise when they were spooked by noises from a building site and dramatically broke loose.The equine escapees caused chaos bolting through the capita
  
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• British army unsure if injured runaway horses will return to duties

  27-04-2024 14:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Vida and Quaker from the Household Cavalry are recovering from surgery after four horses broke loose in LondonThe army has said it is too early to know for sure if two military horses that suffered serious injuries after running loose through London will return to duties.Seven horses and six soldiers from the Household Cavalry were on an extended exercise in Belgravia on Wednesday when the horses were spooked by builders moving rubble. Continue reading...
  
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• Fresh inquest recommended into 1971 McGurk’s bar bombing in Belfast

  26-04-2024 16:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Attorney general decides atrocity that killed 15 people merits further scrutiny amid new evidenceNorthern Ireland’s attorney general has recommended a new inquest into a bombing by loyalist paramilitaries that killed 15 people, including two children, in Belfast in 1971.Brenda King decided the massacre at the Catholic-owned McGurk’s bar, in north Belfast, merited fresh scrutiny amid new evidence about the location of army observation posts near the atrocity. Continue reading...
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn’s call for ‘peace’ plays into the hands of anti-western dictators | Letter

  25-04-2024 19:31 via theguardian.com
  
  To support arms for Ukraine and defending Red Sea shipping is part of Labour’s anti-fascist tradition, writes Paul MasonTwo years ago in Madrid, I watched Jeremy Corbyn launch a pan-European campaign to end arms supplies to Ukraine. As he did so, a friend in the Ukrainian army sent me a photo of the machine gun that he’d been issued with: it was made in 1944. If the west had not poured billions of pounds worth of arms and ammunition into Ukraine, its people would have been massacred
  
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• Croatia gets French fighter jets in major arms purchase

  25-04-2024 18:55 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkCroatia took delivery Thursday of six Rafale fighter jets it has bought from France in the country’s biggest arms purchase since its 1991 war of independence. The used warplanes — the first part of a 12-jet deal — touched down in the capital Zagreb, heralding a major overall of Croatia’s air force, which is replacing […]https://www.defencetalk.com/croatia-gets-french-fighter-jets-in-major-arms-purchase-80236/
  
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• China warns US military support for Taiwan increases ‘risk of conflict’

  25-04-2024 17:17 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkChina warned on Wednesday that US military support for Taiwan only increased the “risk of conflict” along the strait, after the US Congress allocated $8 billion in military support for the island. “I’d like to emphasize that the United States and Taiwan strengthening military ties will not bring about security for Taiwan,” foreign ministry spokesman […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-warns-us-military-support-for-taiwan-increases-risk-of-conflict
  
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• UK’s first ever memorial to LGBT armed forces personnel to be built

  25-04-2024 10:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Fighting with Pride charity will lead work for memorial at National Memorial Arboretum in StaffordshireThe UK’s first memorial commemorating the “lost legion” of LGBT people who have served in the armed forces is to be built at the National Memorial Arboretum.The memorial will be built after a charity spearheading efforts to get justice for veterans affected by the pre-2000 ban on LGBT people serving in the UK armed forces was awarded a £350,000 grant. Continue reading...
  
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• Runaway horses in ‘serious condition’ after bolting through central London

  25-04-2024 09:54 via theguardian.com
  
  Animals ran through rush-hour streets, colliding with vehicles and leaving four people in hospitalTwo of the military horses that broke loose during a morning exercise and bolted through central London on Wednesday are in “serious condition”, a minister has said.The runaway horses, including one white horse drenched in blood, ran through the rush-hour streets of the capital, colliding with vehicles and resulting in four people being taken to hospital. Continue reading...
  
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• Sarah Akinterinwa on Rishi Sunak’s pledge to increase defence spending – cartoon

  24-04-2024 18:17 via theguardian.com
  
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• Four taken to hospital after military horses break loose in central London

  24-04-2024 14:34 via theguardian.com
  
  Witnesses describe ‘total mayhem’ as horses run through centre of UK capital during rush hourFour people have been taken to hospital after several military horses broke loose during a morning exercise and bolted through central London, colliding with vehicles.Astonished witnesses described “total mayhem” as the runaway horses, including one white horse drenched in blood, ran through the rush-hour streets. Continue reading...
  
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• Military horses running loose in central London caught by police

  24-04-2024 12:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Pictures and videos of riderless horses in centre of English capital shared on social mediaMilitary horses have bolted through central London after a number of the animals got loose.Army personnel and horses have been hurt and vehicles damaged when chaos broke out on Wednesday morning. Reports indicated that up to five people have been injured. Continue reading...
  
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• All Nato nations should match UK’s defence spending target, says Shapps

  24-04-2024 11:11 via theguardian.com
  
  Defence secretary says PM will make case for spending boost at Nato’s 75th anniversary summit later this yearUK politics – latest updatesAll Nato countries should boost their defence spending to 2.5% of their GDP to meet the demands of a “more dangerous world”, the UK’s defence secretary has said.Grant Shapps said the prime minister would make the case at Nato’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington DC this summer, after accepting that while the UK was the big
  
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• Rishi Sunak says increased military budget puts UK spending on 'war footing' – video

  23-04-2024 17:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Rishi Sunak has announced that UK defence spending would be boosted to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. 'Over the next six years, we’ll invest an additional £75bn in our defence. And it will be fully funded with no increase in borrowing or debt,' he said on a visit to Poland, adding that UK spending would be put on a 'war footing'UK to boost defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, Sunak saysUK politics – latest updates Continue reading...
  
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• UK to boost defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, Sunak says

  23-04-2024 15:47 via theguardian.com
  
  PM announces plan to increase spending to £87bn a year by 2030 on visit to PolandUK politics – latest updatesBritain will boost its defence spending to 2.5% of national output by the end of the decade, Rishi Sunak has announced on a visit to Poland, as he warned the UK had to be equipped to meet the challenges of an increasingly dangerous world.The prime minister’s plan, under which the UK would steadily increase defence spending to £87bn a year by 2030, comes after month
  
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• Rishi Sunak promises UK’s largest ever military support package for Ukraine

  22-04-2024 23:30 via theguardian.com
  
  PM pledges equipment including 400 vehicles, 1,600 weapons and 4m rounds of ammunition, plus £500m in fundingUkraine war – live updatesRishi Sunak has promised the UK’s largest ever military support package for Ukraine as he warned that Vladimir Putin would “not stop at the Polish border” if Russia won the war.The prime minister will visit Poland on Tuesday to discuss European security and the threat from Russia with the Polish leader, Donald Tusk, and the Nato secr
  
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• Global defence budget jumps to record high of $2440bn

  22-04-2024 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  For the first time, government military spending increased in all five geographical regions, Sipri thinktank findsGlobal military expenditure has reached a record high of $2440bn (£1970bn) after the largest annual rise in government spending on arms in over a decade, according to a report.The 6.8% increase between 2022 and 2023 was the steepest since 2009, pushing spending to the highest recorded by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) in its 60-year history. Contin
  
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• Bloody Sunday: families decry move not to prosecute 15 ex-soldiers for perjury

  19-04-2024 17:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Decision extinguishes one of few remaining hopes of legal action over killing of 13 civil rights demonstrators in Derry in 1972Relatives of Bloody Sunday victims have condemned a decision not to prosecute 15 former soldiers for perjury, calling it an affront to the rule of law.Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service (PPS) on Friday announced the 15 army veterans plus a former alleged member of the Official IRA would not face prosecution for allegedly giving false evidence to the Bloo
  
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• Bloody Sunday families decry decision not to prosecute 15 veterans for perjury

  19-04-2024 17:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Move extinguishes one of the last hopes of legal action over killing of 13 civil rights demonstrators in Derry in 1972Relatives of Bloody Sunday victims have condemned a decision not to prosecute 15 former soldiers for perjury, calling it an affront to the rule of law.Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service (PPS) on Friday announced the 15 army veterans plus a former alleged member of the Official IRA would not face prosecution for allegedly giving false evidence to the Bloody Sunday
  
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• UK aims to boost economic defences against security risks

  18-04-2024 17:25 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkBritain must strengthen its defences against economic security risks amplified by globalization, especially those emanating from China, Iran and Russia, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden warned Thursday. Businesses and universities are “vulnerable” because of the opening up of the global economy, Dowden said in a speech to the Chatham House international affairs think-tank in London. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/uk-aims-to-boost-economic-defences-against-securit
  
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• Russian ‘cyber sabotage’ a global threat: security firm

  18-04-2024 17:21 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkA cyber group with links to Russian military intelligence is set to become a significant global threat after playing an increasing critical role in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, a leading cybersecurity firm warned Wednesday. Google-owned Mandiant said in a report that it is seeing nefarious operations by the group referred to as “Sandworm” in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russian-cyber-sabotage-a-global-threat-security-firm-80222/
  
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• NASA chief warns of Chinese military presence in space

  18-04-2024 17:19 via defencetalk.com
  DefenceTalkChina is bolstering its space capabilities and is using its civilian program to mask its military objectives, the head of the US space agency NASA said Wednesday, warning that Washington must remain vigilant. “China has made extraordinary strides especially in the last 10 years, but they are very, very secretive,” NASA administrator Bill Nelson told […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nasa-chief-warns-of-chinese-military-presence-in-space-80218/
  
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• Iran warns Israel against attacking nuclear sites

  18-04-2024 17:17 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkA senior Revolutionary Guards general threatened on Thursday to target Israel’s “nuclear facilities” if it strikes Iranian atomic sites, state media reported, anticipating retaliation for Tehran’s unprecedented weekend attack. Israel’s military chief has vowed a response to the Iranian aerial attack, which was mostly intercepted, while world leaders have urged de-escalation. Violence involving Iran-aligned groups […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran
  
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• Russia says neutralised 20 drones, 2 missiles

  18-04-2024 17:15 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkRussia on Thursday said it had neutralized 20 drones and two ballistic missiles in areas bordering Ukraine, including Rostov where its command headquarters for the Ukraine offensive is located. “During the night, several terrorist attacks by the Kyiv regime were foiled,” the defence ministry said. It said it had neutralized 20 drones — 16 of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-says-neutralised-20-drones-2-missiles-80210/
  
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• Sunak considering exemptions to Rwanda bill for some Afghans

  17-04-2024 12:16 via theguardian.com
  
  Lords also press ministers to allow independent Rwanda monitoring as deportation bill returns to CommonsUK politics – latest updatesRishi Sunak’s government is considering concessions on the Rwanda deportation bill to allow exemptions for Afghans who served alongside UK forces, parliamentary sources say.Ministers are also being pressed to give ground to an amendment to the legislation so that the east African country could be ruled unsafe by a monitoring committee. Continue reading..
  
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