British Military Current Events

[FJAG]

to tackling a 45-degree sandy incline

And my blatant bias for tracks has been reinforced by watching three attempts to get up the sandy incline before finally deflating the tires. But yeah - 70 MPH on the highway.

Just to get back to the issue. The Germans are using tracked Puma for its panzergrenadiers in panzer brigades but the wheeled Boxer for its Jaeger brigades. For them that's a bit like the Abrams/Bradly team in ABCTs and the Stryker in SBCTs.

The Brits, however, are mixing wheeled Boxers with their tanks - like we do with Leos and LAVs. The Brits at least are procuring it as a lightly armed infantry carrier rather than our pseudo-IFV.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

The Tory-graph's resident Zipper Head reviews the Boxer...


Is the British Army’s new 36-ton Boxer armoured vehicle a game-changer? Former Tank Commander Hamish De Bretton-Gordon takes it to its limits at Millbrook.From hitting 70+ mph on the high-speed track (and overtaking a racing car) to tackling a 45-degree sandy incline , Hamish gives his unfiltered, expert review. He looks at the Boxer's Rolls-Royce V8 engine, its modular system and addresses the ultimate military question: is the tracks versus wheels debate officially over?

An expert that calls a .50cal armed vehicle an IFV?

 

[Kirkhill]

I reviewed the Army’s new Boxer and it stopped me in my tracks

After spending time testing the armoured vehicle, I have changed my mind about wheels on the battlefield

www.telegraph.co.uk

"The Australians and Germans have shown what is possible by fitting infantry-carrying Boxers with powerful 30mm cannons, transforming them into Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Britain should seriously consider following suit. It would provide a highly credible successor to our ageing Warrior IFV without creating another expensive standalone fleet."

30mm IFV - just like us apparently.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Argie bargie, with a kosher assist ...

The trouble with Israel’s Argentina taunts​

Israel armed Argentina during the Falklands. That is a fact. Between the 2 April and 14 June 1982, Israel sold Argentina air-to-air missiles, anti-personnel mines, anti-tank weapons, replacement parts for jets, radar and communications equipment and fuel. Nesher fighter jets, supplied by Israel, were part of the air attack that destroyed the RFA Sir Galahad in Bluff Cove. Fifty-six British sailors and soldiers died in that raid.

So when Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar taunted England for our 2-1 World Cup defeat, that was a continuation of traditional Israeli foreign policy. ‘How does the song go?’ Sa’ar posted. ‘It’s coming home. Yes it is. It’s coming home to Argentina. Vamos Argentina!’ On the pitch, Argentine footballers unfurled a flag that read ‘Las Malvinas son Argentinas’.

Defenders of Israel claim we somehow deserve their ire. Stephen Daisley argues on Coffee House that Britain has antagonised Israel in recent years by not being sufficiently supportive following 7 October. ‘After constant provocation, it was inevitable that Israel would lose its patience with Britain,’ he writes. We have apparently ‘got off pretty lightly’ in their support for Argentina in the World Cup.

I don’t care all that much about football, so Israel’s support for Messi & Co doesn’t really matter to me. But I do care about those who fight for our country. And that phrase ‘got off pretty lightly’ rankles. Israeli support for Argentina is not simply a story of jovial football rivalry.

During the Falklands invasion, Israel supplied larger fuel tanks so bombers and fighters could more easily reach British territory. This wasn’t just completion of contracts signed before the invasion – and in any case, these contracts could have been suspended, which both France and West Germany did the moment the invasion began. Israel, meanwhile, funnelled further arms to Argentina via Peru, in order to avoid detection by the United States, Europe and Britain, which had all sanctioned the Junta. Israel profited from the attempted annexation of British territory by a dictatorial regime.

Whatever the realities of recognition, there is clearly a difference between accepting territorial changes after the fact and arming the Argentinian Junta as they attempted to kill British soldiers. Israel could have taken a position of neutrality in the unprovoked invasion, but they chose to side with our enemies.

Perhaps you think this is all rather silly blather about a football match. But how our supposed allies behave matters. Israel’s continued support for Argentina is a threat to Falklanders, those British citizens who live with the prospect of aggression every day. Israelis know better than most how that feels.

The trouble with Israel's Argentina taunts

Israel's continued support for Argentina is a threat to Falklanders, those British citizens who live with the prospect of aggression every day.

spectator.com

 

[daftandbarmy]

GI Jane ... indeed

Spec Ops Magazine

A female sergeant with the British Army's Special Reconnaissance Regiment, being called the UK's "GI Jane" after reportedly killing at least three ISIS fighters near the Syria-Iraq border in...

www.facebook.com

 

[medicineman]

GI Jane ... indeed

Spec Ops Magazine

A female sergeant with the British Army's Special Reconnaissance Regiment, being called the UK's "GI Jane" after reportedly killing at least three ISIS fighters near the Syria-Iraq border in...

www.facebook.com

That photo is from a book I read called "One Up" - autobiography of a female operator that was RN and passed selection for and operated in Northern Ireland with 14 Int.

 

[daftandbarmy]

That photo is from a book I read called "One Up" - autobiography of a female operator that was RN and passed selection for and operated in Northern Ireland with 14 Int.

OP PHOENIX... the precursor to the SRR.

Alot of men and women on the New Years' Honours list got QGMs etc for events that will never be published...

 

[medicineman]

OP PHOENIX... the precursor to the SRR.

Alot of men and women on the New Years' Honours list got QGMs etc for events that will never be published...

I would not be surprised...there were some ops that were mentioned/danced around where their surveillance resulted in the demise of some PIRA players...and a few where dick all happened as well, the usual 95% boredom/4% excitement/1%shear terror sort of stuff. Was interesting reading about how things linked in with the (then) RUC Special Branch and the SAS assault troop that was colocated with their Det.

 

[FJAG]

Interesting article about the UK forward presence in Estonia.

UK replacing tanks deployed in Estonia with drones

The UK armoured battlegroup in Estonia will be replaced by a Mobile Anti-Armour Force from April 2027, with troop numbers rising from around 800 to 1,200.

ukdefencejournal.org.uk

The US pulled its infantry-heavy combined arms battalion out just recently with no indication if further rotations are forthcoming. My guess is that the equipment is still there but . . .

If I read the tea leaves right that leaves only one company of tanks in Estonia being Leclercs from the French contingent in the FPF. The forward area of Estonia is a bit easier to defend than Latvia, but still, a bit more counterpunch capability would be helpful.

 

[Kirkhill]

Interesting article about the UK forward presence in Estonia.



The US pulled its infantry-heavy combined arms battalion out just recently with no indication if further rotations are forthcoming. My guess is that the equipment is still there but . . .

If I read the tea leaves right that leaves only one company of tanks in Estonia being Leclercs from the French contingent in the FPF. The forward area of Estonia is a bit easier to defend than Latvia, but still, a bit more counterpunch capability would be helpful.

Further to this

From ex-Tankee de Bretton-Gordon

Mobile Anti-Armour Force

The designation of Britain's newest drone heavy brigade. Another Artillery appointment?

"From April 2027 the British Army’s new Mobile Anti-Armour Force will deploy to Estonia in a dispersed formation built around mobility, surveillance, drones and precision fires. Rather than presenting Russia with a concentrated armoured target, it will be far harder to detect, track and destroy. Joint war-gaming with Estonia has shown that this force will have a greater operational effect than the traditional armoured battlegroup it replaces."

The British Army’s drone force is deploying to face Putin. Good idea

The Challenger 3 represents a reinvention for the digital battlefield rather than obsolescence

www.telegraph.co.uk

European security strengthened under landmark UK and Estonia agreement - Cobseo

European security will be strengthened by a new UK-Estonia defence roadmap that will deepen military cooperation, strengthen NATO’s eastern flank and modernise the UK’s Forward Land Forces presence in Estonia for the challenges of modern warfare.

www.cobseo.org.uk

"UK forces in Estonia to transition to a Mobile Anti-Armour Force, better suited to the challenges of modern warfare.
"Move will see UK troops in Estonia increase to 1,200, equipped with high-tech kit."

 

[Kirkhill]

New UK government calls for RAF to become Europe’s ‘first sixth-generation air force’

The plan includes flight testing a new collaborative combat aircraft within a year and fielding an operational jet by 2030. The newly installed government of UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is planning significant modernisations for the Royal Air Force, including fielding a new uncrewed fighter...

www.flightglobal.com

...

Hypothesis -

UK Homeland Defence primarily an RAF/RAF Regiment responsibility based on 6th Gen Aircfraft, CCAs and Surface Launched Effects (AD and LRPF)

RN Coastal Defences dominated by USVs and Patrol Vessels supported by shore based systems.

UK Expeditions/International Influence based on RN/RM (including nukes), SOF and Specialist Troops from the Army along with 2 deployable divisions that are more likely to be deployed as brigades.

Terrier Home Defence.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Must be a first...

MoD cancels army training in Kenya over powers to prosecute British soldiers​

September exercise called off after Kenya raises concerns over funding and jurisdiction for criminal offences

The British army has been forced to cancel training for its troops in Kenya after the Kenyan government refused to ratify a bilateral defence agreement.

While the UK government wanted to renew the existing agreement, Kenyan lawmakers had sought changes to give local authorities greater powers to hold British soldiers accountable for any offences committed in the country.

According to the Kenyan news outlet the Daily Nation, the dispute centres on which cases Kenya will retain primary jurisdiction over, while the amount of money Britain pays Kenya to host the training camp has also been a sticking point.

The chair of the Kenyan national assembly’s defence, intelligence and foreign relations committee, Nelson Koech, said the two governments were “actively engaging to address these outstanding issues”.

As a result of the Kenyan government’s decision, a planned exercise involving the 1st Battalion the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, which was due to begin in September, has been cancelled.

MoD cancels army training in Kenya over powers to prosecute British soldiers

September exercise called off after Kenya raises concerns over funding and jurisdiction for criminal offences

www.theguardian.com