Thin Pinstriped Line

    There are never enough munitions available to fight the wars we think we may need to fight. This is a statement that is both true and also timeless. Every nation that has fought in conflict has found itself running short on expendable munitions, from arrowheads, cannon balls and bullets to artillery rounds and precision guided missiles. The war in Ukraine has reminded us again that modern high intensity warfare chews through munition stockpiles at a vast rate, far higher than pre war exercise planners would have assumed. Tens of thousands of rounds are being fired weekly in the war, and supplies it seems are starting to run low on both sides. At some point, without western intervention, Ukrainian supplies will dwindle and run out. Image by Ministry of Defence; © Crown copyright The importance of logistic chains and munitions stockpiles was discussed this week in Parliament by senior officers and Ministers, who focused on the importance of rebuilding stocks and ensuri...

  It has been a busy and challenging first week for the new Chief of the General Staff (CGS), General Sir Patrick Sanders. Having taken on the mantle of leadership of the British Army at a time when it faces challenges on many fronts, he has quickly made his mark by stopping 3 Para from deploying to Kosovo as a result of the Battalions recent activity. His letter, crisp, punchy and written with a RIFLES like elan landed as a message clearly intended to be seen by a much wider audience. By very publicly pulling the unit from a high profile operational tour, and in particular one which would have been a medal earning opportunity, he has laid down the marker for his line on values & standards in the British Army. Image by Ministry of Defence; © Crown copyright The reports of recent incidents in Colchester, involving alleged orgies (albeit consensual) and wider disciplinary failings while in Macedonia highlight a real challenge for the Army – how do you keep a highly aggressive a...

  40 years have elapsed since the Falkland Islands were liberated, and the local population were freed from dictatorship to choose their destiny again. This short, bloody and wholly unnecessary war was started by dictators, and finished by the British Armed Forces. Even now, four decades later, its lessons continue to resonate and must be considered. In a series of tweets, the French Navy Chief of Staff has set out thoughts on the enduring lessons of the war, and why it still matters. Many others have done likewise – it has been a period to reflect on why, even many years later, the war still has something to teach us. This article is a short reflection on what the author believes are five enduring lessons we must continue to reflect on. The first and most simple lesson is that time and again we end up fighting the war we didn’t expect to fight, but we succeed because we keep the skills alive to do so. In 1982 we planned to conduct high intensity armoured warfare in Central Europ...

  Its outrageous isn’t it – all these stupid demands by people to change job titles to match gender. I mean, who do these people think they are, turning up and demanding that ancient and much-loved ranks, whose meaning is well understood, should be changed just to suit their gender. If they didn’t like the rank title, why on earth did they join up – perhaps they should have stayed outside and stopped trying to impose their ‘woke’ views on the rest of us. After all, whats wrong with the use of ranks like ‘Aircraftwoman, Able Seawoman, Guardswoman’ and so on – who do these men think they are? If that sentence made you uncomfortable, then good. It was intended to, because frankly its getting beyond silly that we’re still having this debate. We are once again in the situation in the UK where social media commentators and certain media outlets are getting hot under the collar because some women soldiers have the sheer audacity to not necessarily want to be called ‘man’ in their job ti...

  This weekend the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and the Commonwealth Realms celebrate the 70 th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II becoming Sovereign. This is a milestone anniversary, the likes of which are unlikely to ever be seen again. To mark the event the UK is spending a long weekend of public holidays to cover a variety of formal and informal events to mark the reign, and the many events that have occurred during it. Central to this will be the provision of State ceremonial functions, including the first Trooping the Colour ceremony in three years, and a flypast by the RAF and other services down the Mall towards Buckingham Palace. There will be parades around the country involving military personnel, as well as Royal Navy ships in a variety of ports that will be open to visitors. There will though be no formal fleet review to mark the occasion. This decision has raised eyebrows, and concerns, in some quarters, and the suggestion that while th...