Thin Pinstriped Line

The Secretary of State for Defence has used an interview with the Daily Telegraph to announce a substantial change in the UK’s defence posture which may lead to the opening of new permanent bases in the West Indies and the Far East. While it is perhaps a little unusual to see such a major policy shift trailed via a national newspaper interview, and not through the medium of a major defence policy document such as the MDP, it is potentially an intriguing development. Few subjects appeal more to the online defence debating community that follows UK military matters than the subject of overseas bases. There is a strong emotional attachment to the idea that the UK should reopen and possess overseas forces in ‘proper’ bases, which will permanently house garrisons and ships to do a myriad of jobs. Attempting to provide scrutiny into what the role of these bases would be usually falls by the wayside though… Strategic Airlift - vital to delivery of effective basing - Image by Mi...

It is traditional for many public commentators to suggest that the UK has become a diminished power and that its position, influence and ability to shape events are in decline. There is a widespread, but somehow unquantified public sense that ‘we don’t have armed forces anymore’ and that we have become irrelevant as a nation. 2018 has arguably challenged all these assumptions about the UK’s place in the world when it comes to defence and security issues. As the year draws to a close it is worth reflecting on the truly global role played by the UK and the impact that this has, and the potential challenges that lie ahead in 2019.   To Humphrey, 2018 saw the UK continue to demonstrate its status and reach as one of the worlds leading military and politically influential powers. At home the Armed Forces showed their capabilities through the provision of assistance to the Civil Power. Aside from the usual complex range of support, such as Counter Terrorism, Fishery Protection an...

The year may be ending, but the demands on the British Armed Forces remain as high as ever. The last few days have seen two separate incidents happen which highlight the critical importance played by the Military in supporting the Civil Authorities, although with very different reactions. The closure of Gatwick Airport due the presence of at least one drone repeatedly entering the area, making it too dangerous to conduct normal flying dominated headline news. This marked the first time a major British airport was closed due to the presence of drones, causing immense disruption to tens of thousands of travellers. As the incident wore on, there was increasing frustration in some quarters that nothing seemed to be being done to solve the problem. People didn’t understand why a tiny drone could close an entire airport, while others wanted to know why the Armed Forces couldn’t intervene. One well known national broadcaster a ttracted widespread ridicule for comments slating th...

After almost 18 months of work, updates, repeated statements and leaks, the final announcement about the ‘Modernising Defence Programme’ was made on Tue December 18 th . “Is that it?” seemed to be the response in many quarters. Is this a fair judgement, or is there more here than meets the initial eye? For context, since 2010 the UK has adopted a policy of conducting some form of cross Government ‘national security strategy’ style review. In 2010 this was known as the Strategic Defence and Security Review , followed in 2015 by the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence Review . The aim of these documents was to lay out the challenges and threats facing the UK, the strategy that Government intended to adopt to counter them, and put forward the range of assets, capabilities and programmes across the whole of Government (not just the MOD) that would counter them and ensure our ongoing strategic success. Image by Ministry of Defence; © Crown copyright As p...