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☆ The UK could need an Israeli-style Iron Dome air defense system, says former US national security advisor
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewFormer US National Security Advisor General HR McMaster has said the UK must prepare for possible future conflicts by building an Israeli-style Iron Dome air defense system. Indeed, the UK is considering developing its own Iron Dome air defense system amid growing tensions with Russia and its allies. The Israeli modelMissiles launched from the Iron Dome defense system attempt to intercept a rocket fired from Gaza strip. Related storiesIsrael's short-range Iron Dome is a mobile all-weather air defense system that has been in service since 2011. Aside from internal discussions on an Iron Dome, the UK is in talks to join Europe's aerial defense system.

Persons: —, McMaster, Adm, Sir Tony Radakin, Michael Clarke, Clarke, MAHMUD HAMS, Rishi Sunak, Israel, Aleksey Zhuravlyov, Putin, Vladimir Solovyov, I've, T6GN35UGtG — Anton Gerashchenko Organizations: Service, US National Security, McMaster, LBC, Business, Britain's Armed Forces, Iron, Getty, UK, Newsweek, Design, Sky, UK Ministry of Defense, NATO Locations: United Kingdom, United States, Israel, Russia, Europe, China, Iran, North Korea, Gaza, AFP, London, Ukraine, British, Russian, Baltic

☆ UK Royal Navy recruits no longer need to know how to swim as enlistment problems mount, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The UK's Royal Navy has relaxed its entry requirements due to recruitment problems. AdvertisementThe UK's Royal Navy has relaxed its entry requirements for new recruits, no longer requiring them to demonstrate swimming proficiency prior to joining, Sky News reported. It exemplifies how the Royal Navy, the most feared world sea power in the 19th and early 20th centuries, is struggling to stay fit for purpose in the 21st century. A Royal Navy spokesperson rebuffed claims of lowered standards, telling Sky News that all recruits would still undergo a swim test during training. Business Insider contacted the Royal Navy for comment.

Persons: —, Danny Kruger, Elizabeth, HMS, Wales, Richard Barrons Organizations: Royal Navy, Service, Sky News, Elizabeth British Royal Navy, Royal, NATO, Financial Times Locations: British, Isle of Wight

☆ The high-profile failure of a $3.7B aircraft carrier shows how Britain is struggling to keep up with first-rate militaries
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Years of underfunding have left the UK's navy in a threadbare state, according to a report. AdvertisementThe high-profile failure of the UK's flagship aircraft carrier over the weekend has shown how Britain is struggling to keep up with first-rate navies around the world. AdvertisementThe Prince of Wales and the HMS Queen Elizabeth have only been in service for around three years. Having two aircraft carriers means that HMS Prince of Wales can quickly prepare to deploy in place of HMS Queen Elizabeth," said a spokeswoman. Advertisement"HMS Prince of Wales will deploy soon on NATO exercise Steadfast Defender, carrying out her duties to keep the nation and our allies safe."

Persons: underfunding, —, Elizabeth, Wales, Tom Sharpe, Lord Houghton, of Wales, HMS Queen Elizabeth, Prince, Sir Richard Barrons Organizations: NATO, Service, Britain's Royal Navy, US Navy, Navy, The Times, Britain's, Ministry of Defence, Armed Forces, Financial Locations: Britain, East Asia, Russia, Ukraine, Red, Bahrain, Wales

☆ The UK's flagship aircraft carrier suffers new misfortune and won't lead major NATO exercise
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The UK Royal Navy's fleet flagship had to withdraw from a major NATO exercise at the last minute. HMS Queen Elizabeth had issues with its starboard propeller shaft. In 2019, HMS Queen Elizabeth was left without propulsion for days and flooded. The ship had to anchor off Britannia Royal Naval College for 24 hours to undergo repairs, per The News. The House of Commons Defence Committee called the UK military "consistently overstretched" and under "unrelenting pressure," the Independent reports.

Persons: Queen Elizabeth, HMS Queen Elizabeth, —, Elizabeth, HMS, Wales, HMS Prince, Kalnins, Sir Richard Barrons Organizations: Royal, Service, NATO, Royal Navy, Business, Royal Navy's, Britannia Royal Naval College, Warfare Development Command, UK Defense, British, REUTERS, Bangor, Financial Times, Navy, Recruits, of Commons Defence Locations: NATO, Portsmouth, Europe, Scandinavia, Northern Europe, Westminster, Riga, Latvia, Bahrain, Bangor

☆ UK military faces $22 billion equipment shortfall, watchdog says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Britain's armed forces face an equipment funding shortfall of 17 billion pounds ($21.6 billion) over the next 10 years, a public spending watchdog said on Monday, a concern for defence chiefs at a time of heightened geopolitical risks. The National Audit Office (NAO) put the estimate for the budget for new weapons and equipment at 305.5 billion pounds for 2023-2033, 16.9 billion pounds over budget, the largest deficit since its first report in 2012. Russia's war in Ukraine has highlighted the need for extra military spending across Europe, with Britain an important ally and provider of military equipment to Kyiv. The government raised spending on defence by an extra 5 billion pounds earlier this year, increasing it to about 2.25% of gross domestic product this year and next. "The Ministry of Defence acknowledges that its Equipment Plan for 2023–2033 is unaffordable," NAO head Gareth Davies said in a statement.

Persons: NAO, Grant Shapps, Shapps, Gareth Davies, Sarah Young, Bernadette Baum, Timothy Organizations: Audit, Soaring, Ministry of Defence's, Defence, Ministry, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Britain, Ukraine, Europe, Kyiv

☆ Serving member of UK armed forces charged under Officials Secrets Act
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, April 22 (Reuters) - A serving member of Britain's armed forces has been charged with offences under the Official Secrets Act after an investigation by counter-terrorism police, London's Metropolitan police said on Saturday. The Met said 36-year-old Thomas Newsome was initially arrested on April 18 and was charged late on Friday. He will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court later on Saturday. Newsome was charged with offences contrary to the Official Secrets Act 1989, which covers the unauthorised disclosure of information by government employees. Reporting by Kylie MacLellan Editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"In an increasingly volatile and interconnected world, to be a truly responsible cyber power, nations must be able to contest and compete with adversaries in cyberspace," GCHQ director Jeremy Fleming said. The statement was published alongside a 28-page paper designed "to illustrate aspects of how the UK is being a responsible cyber power". The paper accompanying the statement did not say which disinformation-spreading states British hackers had worked to counter. It noted, however, that "countries such as Russia and Iran routinely carry out cyber operations of different kinds in order to spread disinformation". Indeed the intent is sometimes that adversaries do not realise that the effects they are experiencing are the result of a cyber operation," GCHQ said.

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