Thin Pinstriped Line

  The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that a Royal Navy Task Group will deploy on a global exercise in early May, representing the first operational deployment for the Carrier Strike Group. This is a landmark moment and one that reflects the culmination of years of work and preparation by many people. The deployment has aroused some strong feeling by commentators, deploying the view that these are floating targets, that the UK apparently doesn’t have any jets to put on the carrier and that in a war they’d be sunk in moments. There is a wider question too around the wisdom of the UK deploying a carrier it apparently doesn’t need… This deployment is a good chance to let the Royal Navy showcase several different parts of its very exciting future, and it’s helpful to understand why it is so important, both for the RN and the other services, and also UK allies. Image by Ministry of Defence; © Crown copyright From an operational perspective the deployment (known as FORTIS) is a g...

  There is grim news from Indonesia, where reports indicate that one of their Type 209 submarines is currently missing. A search is underway to locate the vessel (the Nanggala) which was conducting exercises at sea with 53 people embarked. At present the vessels location, or her current circumstances are not known. Submarine operations are arguably one of the most dangerous of all military occupations, with crews operating in an inherently hostile environment that wishes to do all it can to kill them. Submariners are a special breed of people, trained to exhaustingly high standards to know how every part of their boat works, in order to ensure that they can operate it safely. Even with all of these precautions in place, it is still possible for accidents to happen or things to go wrong. A mistake deep under the ocean can have devastating consequences, and even with the best trained crews in the world, sometimes rescue is required. As the search continues for the vessel, the key...

  This has been a busy week for international relations, with the United States Government taking decisive action against Russia, for what it perceives to be numerous activities of concern. The US expelled a number of Russian diplomats for activities incompatible with their status, formally attributed the Solar Winds cyber attack to Russian linked groups, and placed a range of sanctions on Russian linked individuals and groups. This was further supported by similar attributions and expulsions by other Western nations, helping put more pressure on the Russian regime. While many people who follow defence and security matters are interested in the ‘heavy metal’ side of the debate, e.g. how many tanks, ships or jets a nation possesses, there is often far less interest in the softer side of international security. For example the intangibles around why expel or attribute an attack – yet these moves are often more significant than many military actions, and have a longer term impact....

In February 1885 Princess Alice of Greece, a great granddaughter of Queen Victoria was born at Windsor Castle. In April 2021, 136 years later, her son, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh died at Windsor Castle.   There is a pleasing symmetry here, and one that helps close the chapter on a life that will be remembered over time as the very definition of duty and service. The Royal Navy will mourn the loss of its ‘Lord High Admiral’, a man who was one of the last living links to the fighting in WW2, and who for decades took a close personal interest in his Service. There was enormous affection in the Royal Navy, and the other Services, for the Duke, who repaid it in kind. All who encountered him seem to have nothing but positive words to say about his approach, and the manner in which he genuinely seemed to care. That decades later people can still recall what he said to them during visits is a good insight into his impact and influence on others. The Duke continued to retain a...

  The Ministry of Defence has published a report by Lt Gen Sir Richard Nugee , the former Chief of Defence People, into the impact of Climate Change on the MOD. This is a subject which may sound tenuously linked at first glance to the business of defending the nation, but, is something of critical importance to us all. It is perhaps easy to dismiss climate change as something that is nothing to do with Defence or see it as some kind of ‘Guardian reading hippy fixation’ or the newly fashionable insult of ‘its all terribly woke’. The problem is that if we follow this logic, we find ourselves in a place where it could have serious implications for Defence and wider national security. The report looks in depth at why climate change matters, and how this can impact on the armed forces in what they do, and how they operate. There are arguably several key factors that could have an impact here. Image by Ministry of Defence; © Crown copyright Whatever interpretation or view that you ...