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Operation ZEUS: A Very British Contingency

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  The RAF C130 Hercules flew across the night sky as part of a much larger task force on a clear night in October 1972. On the flight deck, the pilot could see explosions in the distance, most likely the jets that the SAS had destroyed earlier during their raid on the airport.   In the distance he could see the heat of afterburners, as the Phantom jets from HMS ARK ROYAL intercepted the lone surviving fighter jet, that had gotten off the ground and was trying to attack the RAF armada bearing down on his country.   In the cavernous cargo hold dozens of fully armed paratroopers sat, waiting for the moment when the loadmaster would begin the process of their jumping out into the darkness. The CO of 2 PARA sat with his men, mentally preparing for what was to come next, as he and his entire Battalion were to jump into theatre as part of the biggest airdrop of the Parachute Regiment since Suez, land at the Airport, occupy it and then “hold it until relieved” … The above sound...
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The New 1st Land Lord? The Challenges Ahead for General Jenkins

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  General Sir Gwyn Jenkins has taken over as the professional head of the Royal Navy, the first Royal Marine to occupy the role of “First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff”. This is a move which is to be warmly welcomed, although the General will have many challenges ahead of him during his tenure. While most have welcomed the move, there has been some mild hysteria on social media at the idea of a General heading the Royal Navy – what madness is this? The argument seems to be that apparently because Royal Marines haven’t commanded ships, they are somehow not able to lead the Royal Navy. Such an argument is fatuous nonsense. UK MOD © Crown copyright  The RN is a surprisingly tribal organisation of roughly 30,000 people, with its regular personnel broadly divided into four fighting arms – the Surface Fleet, the Submarine Service, the Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Marines. The surface fleet is the closest to being a ‘generalist’ branch, although in its own way it is intensel...
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Why the Diego Garcia Deal Makes Sense

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  The British Government and the Government of Mauritius have, in principle agreed a deal to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago, while retaining the right for British and American forces to continue to operate out of the military base in Diego Garcia. There has been considerable controversy around it in the UK, with it being seen as a form of ‘sell out’ or risk to national security for British and American interests, while benefitting China in the long run. Concerns have also been raised about the cost of the arrangements, with the UK paying an average of £101m per year to retain the site over 99 years. The counter view to this is that the deal represents a pragmatic outcome that ensures the UK retains access to the island facilities, while ensuring it remains on the right side of international law.   From a UK perspective the long-term legality of sovereignty had been under challenge following a series of rulings by the International Court of Justice , and the...
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High Hopes for Op HIGHMAST?

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  The Royal Navy has sailed a force of warships from their home ports, setting out on a global journey to the Indo-Pacific, to showcase British and NATO maritime power and prestige. Led by the aircraft carrier HMS PRINCE OF WALES (PWLS), and escorted by British, Canadian and Norwegian vessels, this is the highest profile Royal Navy deployment in years – but is it actually worth the effort to show the RN as a truly global force, or is it a Potemkin operation by a failing navy desperate to recall its now long gone glory days? The goal of the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) deployment is to send a task group, that is intentionally international by design and construct, to carry out a global deployment to work with partner nations and deepen defence relationships. This construct is part of a years long rebalancing effort for the Royal Navy, which has now mostly moved away from the notion of long-distance deployments of escort ships to far flung waters, and now either relies on forward pre...
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