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British Military Current Events

Is that because the Brits were fatter . . . or because they could only count to three?






Probably because we jumped from about 500ft lower, I'm guessing. Or the counting thing... that would be me ;)
 
Is that because the Brits were fatter . . . or because they could only count to three?






Interesting, thanks!

"Overall the results show that there was no significant difference in the 'all-cause' rate of hospital admissions between Parachute Regiment and non-Parachute Regiment infantry. However there was an increased risk of medical discharge for Parachute Regiment soldiers. This study has demonstrated a methodology for assessing the risk due to a particular occupational exposure in the Army."

The amusing part is assuming that the only reason for paratroopers being injured is through military parachuting.

I'm guessing that the Regiment keeps alot of orthopedic surgeons busy as a result of having to carry huge loads for enormous distances, over extended periods of time, too ;)
 
EDI-gate....

MOD admits 'mistakes were made' in RAF diversity recruitment drive​


"While overall standards did not drop, in hindsight we accept... some mistakes were made," the Ministry of Defence says.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has admitted that "some mistakes were made" after reports of a recruitment drive that favoured women and ethnic minorities.

In August, claims emerged that the head of recruitment in the Royal Air Force refused to follow an order to prioritise such candidates over white men because she believed it was "unlawful".

The group captain told her boss she was not willing to allocate slots on training courses based purely on a specific gender or ethnicity, according to a leaked message seen by Sky News at the time.

When asked about the allegations, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, head of the RAF, told the broadcaster earlier this month: "There was absolutely no drop in operational standards, no drop in any standards.

"There was no discrimination against any group, no standards were dropped, there was no discrimination against any group."

"Some mistakes were made"

An MOD spokesperson has now acknowledged that "despite the best of intentions, some mistakes were made" in its approach.

In a statement on Monday, they said: "The RAF is constantly reviewing its recruiting practices, including the introduction earlier this year of a new recruiting IT system, to improve the diversity of its workforce.

"While overall standards did not drop, in hindsight, we accept that despite the best of intentions, some mistakes were made.

"The RAF is now confident that our approach is correct, however, we are investigating some processes and decisions taken in the past, so it would be inappropriate to comment further while this is ongoing."

The MOD has said recruitment generally is always a top priority for the RAF, not just female or minority ethnic recruitment, and insisted it remains determined to recruit in fair and non-discriminatory ways while maintaining high standards.

 
Sad...

Guardsman, 18, who walked alongside the Queen's coffin during her funeral procession is found dead at his Hyde Park barracks​

  • Trooper Jack Burnell-Williams, 18, took part in the Queen's state funeral earlier this month
  • He was tragically found dead at Hyde Park Barracks in Knightsbridge on Wednesday afternoon
  • The Metropolitan Police said they are not treating Trooper Burnell-Williams's death as suspicious
  • Devastated family and friends have paid tribute to 'wonderful' Jak, who turned 18 in June




 
Ironclad case....

Survive: The Case for Armour​


On 25th August 2020, The Times published a story claiming that the forthcoming Integrated Defence and Security Review may see the British Army losing its Challenger 2 tanks in favour of other capabilities. A cynic might observe that stories like this are a routine part of the inter-service politics that marks every defence review. Other familiar targets include the Red Arrows, the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, and the Royal Marines. The Times article summed up the commonly used arguments against heavy armour. This line of thought has gained some support at the highest reaches of Defence, with the Secretary of State, Ben Wallace, writing “for too long we have had a sentimental attachment to a static, armoured centric force structure anchored in Europe”.
Common to other arguments, Wallace’s basis for this is that “our competition has spread out across the globe. If we are to truly play our role as “Global Britain,” we must be more capable in new domains, enabling us to be active in more theatres”. While there is undoubted merit in seeking to expand the scope of the Army to serve the needs of #GlobalBritain, and moving away from ‘an armour centric force structure’ may well be a good idea, this does not mean that the Army should rid itself of Main Battle Tanks (MBTs). Despite the claims of the defence commentariat, the British Army still requires tanks if it is to be a force capable of fighting the majority of modern adversaries.

What are the arguments against tanks?

There are a number of common arguments for removing tanks that have and they can be roughly categorised as follows:
  1. Britain will never fight a peer-enemy again.
  2. Armoured warfare is a thing of the past; the character of conflict has changed.
  3. Firepower can be delivered from the air so there’s no need for heavy armour.
  4. Britain’s allies still have armour; we should provide other capabilities.
  5. Britain needs to spend the money on Cyber and Space capabilities instead.
Some of these arguments are superficially plausible but none of them withstand close scrutiny. This article briefly explains the role of heavy armour on the modern battlefield before rebutting each of the above arguments in turn. It will conclude by suggesting how the Army could structure its heavy armoured formations to maintain their utility in the future.

What are tanks for?

The core purpose of the tank is simple, and has remained essentially unchanged since they first “operat[ed]…in the van of the battle” one hundred years ago. Tanks combine firepower, mobility, and survivability to dominate the close land battle.

It is true that tanks are part of a combined-arms battle and can be vulnerable or ineffective unless used alongside infantry, artillery, and air support (as Armenia and Azerbaijan are demonstrating). And there are certainly times where lighter and more mobile forces will do better than armoured formations because of their ability to cover ground at higher speed.

However, if an army wants to destroy an enemy on an objective, or prevent them from taking ground, the tank remains the most potent means of achieving that. Unlike other forces, tanks can do it 24/7, in all weathers, and on almost all terrain. This has been true from the Second World War to the Second Gulf War; as will be shown below tanks continue to have utility even in the most recent conflicts.

The arguments against tanks don’t survive contact. Here’s why:

1. Britain will never fight a peer enemy again.

On the surface, this argument is entirely plausible. The UK may never meet a peer enemy in the field en masse and it hasn’t really done so since Korea, some 70 years ago. However, the idea that this means Britain should ditch its tanks contains sizeable flaws:

Tanks aren’t just for peer-warfare. They are also essential when fighting sub-peer adversaries that have their own armour. As evidence of this, we should remember that it was only 17 years ago that Western armies engaged in pitched tank battles against sub-peer armoured formations in Iraq.
While it is plausible that Britain will never again seek to fight another opponent that has their own armour, this is a significant gamble with national security. A non-exhaustive list of countries with a meaningful tank capability includes: Russia, China, North Korea, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Libya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Angola, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Armenia. And that’s before we consider the proliferation of tanks to non state groups.

It may seem like a fight against any of these countries is currently unforeseeable. But strategy makers should recall that this was also the prevailing view in the 1980s, most of the 1990s, and the early 2000s. There’s no good reason that the current version of ‘we’ll never have another armoured fight’ is any more true than it has been previously.

 
Not a bad start...

UK has trained 6,000+ Ukrainian troops since June​



The figure was revealed by the Armed Forces and Veterans Minister after a written question.

More than 6,100 Ukrainian troops have trained in the UK since June 2022, according to the Armed Forces and Veterans Minister.
James Heappey revealed the troops had been trained as part of Operation Interflex – the UK mission to train Ukrainian forces.

Roughly 2,200 troops were trained in June and July, with a further 2,300 trained in August and 1,600 in September – although not all courses for September have been completed.

Mr Heappey gave the answer following a written question from John Healey, the shadow defence minister.
It comes after the Defence Secretary announced that the UK is set to donate cutting-edge air defence missiles to Ukraine so the country can defend itself against Russian missile strikes.

Ben Wallace announced the UK would provide Ukraine with AMRAAM missiles – the first provided by the UK which can shoot down cruise missiles.




And Canadian trainers are there too, of course:

 
They must have good hotels ;)

China has recruited dozens of British ex-military pilots to train Chinese counterparts: report​


Security officials say the situation poses 'a threat to UK and western interests'​

'The War on the West' author Douglas Murray joined 'Fox & Friends' to discuss China's threat to Elon Musk over comments on the Russia-Ukraine war.

Dozens of British ex-military pilots have traveled to China to train their Chinese counterparts, causing alarm among western defense officials.

"Without us taking action, this activity would almost certainly cause harm to the U.K. and our allies' defense advantage," a western security official told Sky News after the outlet released a report Tuesday that detailed China's efforts to recruit current and former British military pilots.
As many as 30 British pilots, mostly former fast jet and some helicopter pilots, are in China training their counterparts in the People's Liberation Army on how to defeat western military aircraft, the report said.

Defense officials are now scrambling to get control of a situation they say is "almost certainly enhancing China's military knowledge and capability" and poses "a threat to U.K. and western interests."

"Wow… that is appalling. What were they thinking?" asked a retired senior Royal Air Force officer in reaction to the news, according to Sky News.
China's recruitment effort is still ongoing, with officials saying the country is attempting to hire several more current and former British military pilots, luring them in with salaries of £240,000, or over $270,000. Beijing has also not limited their outreach to the British military, with officials warning China has also tried to recruit personnel from other western militaries.

China has used headhunting companies in their bid to attract qualified pilots, including the Test Flying Academy of South Africa, which has no affiliation with the South African government.

The situation has caused alarm within the British Ministry of Defence's Defence Intelligence service, which on Tuesday issued a "threat alert" aimed at warning the country's pilots against taking such jobs.

China has recruited dozens of British ex-military pilots to train Chinese counterparts: report
 
I guess the money is good, but not sure how you could live with yourself when the Chinese pilots you've trained end up shooting down your former squadron mates or former allies.

😠
 
First "female soldier" as opposed to "female officer"

The first female soldier has passed the Army’s demanding course to prove that personnel have the physical and mental robustness needed to serve in Airborne Forces.

Private (Pte) Addy Carter, of 16 Medical Regiment, was presented with a maroon beret after completing All Arms Pre Parachute Selection (AAPPS) - known as P Company.

The three-and-a-half-week course at Catterick culminates in the gruelling eight events of Test Week, including loaded marches, log and stretcher races, and an aerial confidence course.

“I am immensely proud of Addy and her achievements in passing such a demanding course. She has set a high standard for all our serving personnel, both men and women, and this is a clear example of what can be accomplished through hard work and determination. I wish her all the best in her future endeavours with the Army.”

Pte Carter said: “I heard about P Coy during basic training, it sounded really tough, but I just wanted to give it a go and prove to myself that I could do it. Physically I found it very challenging, but it’s about showing that you can deliver when things get hard - I just kept telling myself that every step was a step closer to the end.

“As a woman, I wasn’t treated any differently by the instructors, nor did I expect or want to be. I hope that I’ve shown to other female soldiers that it’s achievable. Coming back to my unit, there are other women who’ve said that they’re now more confident to give it a go.”

Colchester-based 16 Medical Regiment provides medical support to 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, the British Army’s global response force that is specially trained and equipped to deploy by parachute, helicopter and air landing.

In her role as a Combat Medical Technician, Pte Carter would deploy as a medic working alongside soldiers from The Parachute Regiment.

Pte Carter passed P Coy on her second attempt, having dropped out of her first course with a foot injury.

“I never had a moment’s doubt that I wouldn’t try again,” she said. “My unit and colleagues have been supportive, and the build-up training you get is very thorough. We’re taught about nutrition, mental resilience and injury care - it’s about preparing you to pass if you put the work in yourself.”

The next stage for Pte Carter is the Basic Parachute Course at RAF Brize Norton, which will earn her ‘wings’ as a trained military parachutist.

Major Chris Braithwaite, Officer Commanding Pegasus Company, said: “Pegasus Company is designed to test an individual’s physical fitness, determination and mental robustness under stress, to ensure they have the self-discipline and motivation for service in Airborne Forces.

“There is a set standard that anyone who attempts the course must achieve and these are rigidly enforced by my team – of 98 candidates who started this course, 59 were successful. I hope that Private Carter’s success on All Arms Pre-Parachute Selection encourages others to attempt the course. I would like to congratulate all who passed and wish them the best for their future service within Airborne Forces.”

Pte Carter follows in the footprints of Captain Rosie Wild, of 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, who was the first female officer to pass AAPPS in 2020.
 
British Sennelager Exercise - 3500 troops - Command Posts and Logistics.


Testing out the Canadian Argo MUTT


Lithuanian Exercise with Boxers - 4 to 6 dismounts per vehicle and an RWS.


Joint Warrior Exercises


Everybody seems to be getting lots of opportunities to know each other.
 
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