Thin Pinstriped Line

  In a time of increasing pressure on defence budgets, should the UK look to complement its nuclear capability through acquiring the US B61 tactical nuclear weapon? This is the central idea in a short essay by a former V Bomber pilot on the Royal Aeronautical Society website . The argument is that the UK is short on aircraft squadrons, standing at just 7 front line fast jet squadrons, compared to some 31 at the time the Vulcan was withdrawn from service 40 years ago. Acquisition of a nuclear capability, in the form of purchasing the F35A would be a cost effective means of enhancing deterrence and improving British defence capability. Surely this is a good thing? UK MOD © Crown copyright The UK is unique among the major nuclear powers in deploying the entirety of their nuclear capability via SSBN. The last British free fall bomb was the WE177, and was retired in 1998, with its planned successor, a long-range cruise missile, cancelled in the early 1990s. Since this point the Roy...

    This week it was announced that the first international partner for the Carrier Strike Group 25 deployment will be Norway, sending a frigate and tanker as part of the global operation led by HMS PRINCE OF WALES to the Indo-Pacific region.   Apparently, the Royal Navy is being humiliated because it is reliant on the Royal Norwegian Navy to deploy a frigate on the next Carrier Strike Group in 2025 for ‘protection’. This is the gist of a poorly written and appallingly researched article by someone called ‘David Axe’ who writes in the Telegraph on defence matters. Is this true, or is it more complicated than this? The Carrier Strike Group concept is at the heart of Royal Navy planning and has been the centre of years of work to adjust how the surface fleet works, and in turn how it deploys. Historically the RN has not relied on ‘carrier battle groups’ as the USN uses the term, instead bringing together escort ships, support vessels and a carrier as required for deploy...

  In April 1973 the iconic Cunard cruise liner ‘Queen Elizabeth 2’ (QE2) steamed out of Southampton docks on a private chartered cruise. Her voyage would take her through the Mediterranean Sea to Israel to mark the 25 th anniversary of the founding of the Israeli state. The risks were high though, with an increase in terrorism around the world, particularly targeting Israelis, and there was considerable hostility from other regional states. There was a clear concern about the security of passengers onboard, which is why when the QE2 sailed, she was carry 29 heavily armed Royal Marine members of the Special Boat Section (SBS) as both overt and covert passengers onboard to deal with any threat. This is the story of that operation, known as OP WILMOT. UK MOD © Crown copyright The QE2 was chartered to sail on 15 April from Southampton with around 700 passengers onboard, many of whom were believed to be American. The plan for the cruise involve calls at Lisbon, call at the ports of A...