A large-scale sovereignty mission across the South Atlantic Islands has seen Royal Navy, British Army and RAF assets operate jointly across South Georgia and Ascension Island, the UK Defence Journal understands.
The activity, codenamed Operation SOUTHERN SOVEREIGNTY, was coordinated from offshore by Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Forth, with air support from RAF Typhoon fighters and an A400M transport aircraft based at Mount Pleasant Complex in the Falklands, according to the Cyber & Specialist Operations Command.
HMS Forth embarked a detachment from the Royal Irish Regiment, currently serving as the Roulement Infantry Company, allowing ground forces to deploy directly from the ship. Additional troops were positioned on Ascension Island, demonstrating the ability to coordinate effects across a wide Joint Operating Area separated by thousands of miles. Officials framed the dispersal as evidence that Britain retains rapid response options across the region.
Personnel also supported a logistical project on South Georgia, moving infrastructure materials on behalf of local authorities. The Ministry of Defence described this as an example of tri-service cooperation supporting stability and resilience in remote UK Overseas Territories.
Commander British Forces South Atlantic Islands, Brigadier Charlie Harmer, said the operation allowed commanders to stress-test the region’s joint force structure. “Op SOUTHERN SOVEREIGNTY enabled me to test our ability to project power across the Joint Operating Area and in the Sea, Land and Air domains concurrently. Whilst it reassures the population, ultimately it contributes to my mission to deter aggression in the South Atlantic Islands and demonstrates UK sovereignty in action.”
The UK has maintained a permanent garrison in the Falklands since 1982, centred on a rapid reaction force, resident Typhoon squadron and a Royal Navy patrol vessel. The government argues this posture is essential given the strategic relevance of the South Atlantic sea lanes and the remoteness of UK territories in the region. Critics of the current model have previously questioned sustainment costs, though defence officials maintain that the basing footprint provides credible deterrence.
The timing of SOUTHERN SOVEREIGNTY coincides with planned upgrades to infrastructure across the islands and continued diplomatic sensitivity around the region. According to the Cyber & Specialist Operations Command, SOUTHERN SOVEREIGNTY demonstrated that integrated command and control functions across sea, land and air platforms remain viable at range. The MoD said lessons from the mission will inform future planning cycles.
Not the most subtle of exercise names.
Next plot of land to be given away if these clowns in Government stay in for a second term!
Nope. Not going to happen. Especially now Rockhopper have confirmed Sea Lion development.
You forget Milliband is doing all he can to stop it.
The Falkands has its own government as a dependency. Can do what it likes, not within Milliband’s remit.
Question is whether how we use the oil..
I’d hope any oil revenues would be kept within the islands
I’d hope they’d make a contribution to the cost of having such a disproportionately large military force based there.
Defence is a collective responsibility. Suggesting the islanders bear an additional responsibility is like saying that those living in the east of Poland should contribute more than those in the West.
You’re ignorant of the major difference.
The east and west of Poland are both parts of the same country, Poland.
The Falkland Islands is a self-governing dependency that pays no taxes to the U.K. Treasury.
(At the same time, it’s about time Eire contributed to the cost of the RAF protecting its air-space.)
What ? It’s a very small force as it is. If you reduce what is there already how do you propose the island can defend itself seeing as we would struggle to get reinforcements there any time soon
At no point did I advocate reducing it. There’s a very good reason why there’s a disproportionately large military force there.
Maybe next time try actually reading a post before replying. Idiot.
Who do you think you are gobbing off like that.
I saw you was as equally arrogant to someone else’s post. You speak as if youre “in the know” well you ain’t son.
Look pal you ain’t monty so keep your insults to yourself.
Arrogant walloper
Ah the usual pompous git who when confronted with facts that prove he was talking out of his arse had to go on a rant like a 5 year old.
I speak as though I’m in the know because I bother to research the facts before commenting. Something you’ve clearly never bothered to do in your life, which would explain your failure to achieve anything.
And used to build infrastructure for all the new housing and industrial development they’ll need when Farage deports hundreds of thousands of immigrants there?
Not too sure Pete as not fully costed, part of the initial costs will be borrowed and if actually successful in the next few years and knocks out shed loads of oil/gas it just becomes a more lucrative piece of real estate to flog! That all depends if Labours green drive to make us all poorer and reduce carbon emissions on the planet by 1-2% doesn’t make the whole thing untenable. Is it a long shot, selling the FI of course but looking at the current front bench and those really pulling the strings, the back benchers, it’s a real possibility if they get a second term, no matter how much people say otherwise.
The good news is we can see there is a new face behind the Harmer name; now in charge of FI defence rather than an AG planning to justify overriding the locals prior to a give away.
You forget, this government won’t be flogging the FI, they will pay Argentina to take it off our hands
More likely mate sad to say!
We could all start living in mud huts with no cars tomorrow and it would make no difference to the planet. We are too small. Yet our leaders continue to screw us all with green rubbish. We could be using all our oil to help our cost of living. We have to pay to stop the windmills when the grids full or the winds too strong. This vanity project hasn’t worked.
The conservatives started the process with diego garcia and just started pretending it was a bad idea when they lost power, reality it has cross party agreement that the deal is the right thing to do. Reality is the island is a overseas interest for the US and not the UK and the right thing to do is decolonise.
The right thing to do is to return the islands to the Chagossians and respect their right to remain British if that is what they decide; the wrong thing to do is to hand over the islands to a Chinese ally that never had possession of them and pay them for it!
Not really that simple, the Chagossians don’t exist as a nation or a people anymore, they are split across multiple counties but mainly in Mauritius. If they existed then agree giving them the vote for what they want to do would make sense.
They were forcibly removed and resettled in 1968. There will be paperwork. I don’t think it would be too hard to track them and their descendants down if the will was there to do the right thing.
There was also the minor issue of major UN pressure, which would certainly have festered into a greater issue in the long run.
There were no options that were both beneficial and viable. Those simply saying ‘give them back to the Chagossians’ ignore the complexity of such an ambition, whilst those advocating for retaining the islands misunderstand the nuance of the situation and the scale of the British interests located there.
The most unfortunate part of the arrangement is the way the UK is being forced to pay the majority of the costs, whilst it is actually the USA who are by far the biggest presence on Diego Garcia.
The Russian’s and the American’s do not seen to bothered about the pressure from the UN so why should the UK take any notice of what they say or do.
Russia does not have vast overseas territories it depends on the rule of law to manage and the US has the might not to care.. same with China… in the end might and power always make right.. we have lost our might, but are still exposed and so must try to keep the international order stable.. because is some major power went for our more important overseas territories we would be in a pickle .
No one has “Vast overseas territories” any more, Russia is trying its hardest to gain new territories in Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and is threatening the Baltic states. The US bombs who it likes when it likes and is looking for new ground in Greenland. The UN was set up to replace the League of Nations after the 2nd WW to help settle disputes between nations and is supposedly neutral but just like its predecessor it is not fit for propose. The UK government (both labour and the con’s) seem to be the only Government taking notice of BS the UN come out with.
Might and Power dos not = right as we shall see in the next few years when America falls into resection and Russia implodes.
Umm that’s actually funny, we actually do have vast overseas territories infact we have the fifth largest EEZ in the world and almost all of it is thousands of miles away from the UK home islands.. our EEZ is 6,805,586 km2.. that’s almost 7 million square Kms of ocean that is ours to exploit and guard against others exploiting it.
And might has aways made right.. throughout history it has not been the meek that have been ontop..it has has been the mighty, the meek have ended up as slaves or had their countries ransacked by the mighty.. who do you think said the post war world order was as it was ? It was not the weak it was the US and Russia and then when Russia fell it was the U.S. alone.. might has and always will make right….
Mauritius gained independence on the condition that they never claimed the Chagos Islands. They are in breach of contract & should pay Britain billions in damages.
👍
Agree 100%. There have been situations when decolonisation has been a bad plan. British Overseas Territories generally give a large degree of self Government to the local people. An example of a Bad situation was Grenada; corrected thanks to the USA and not gutless UK. Now we have the Chagos situation which is even worse and in defiance of the local people and natural justice.
Your initial comment is simply wrong.
There is no cross party agreement to hand over Diego Garcia, as you yourself acknowledge the Conservative Party opposes the decision.
The process of handing over Diego Garcia was begun by the Labour Party after they won the 2024 general election.
Despite not having indicated they would hand over the islands in their general election manifesto.
How is it wrong? The conservatives include farage were pro it prior to labour getting into power. Labour just finalised the deal, which was already in the final stages (you don’t agree a deal within months it takes years). The conservatives approach in opposition is to reject everything labour does including stuff they proposed or put in place during their term, it’s stupid.
If it was strategically important to the UK I would be more concerned, it’s not, it’s purely for the US and let’s face it the cost is over 99 years, for the the rent, it’s peanuts per year and less than we pay for bases else where in the world.
It is wrong on two counts, Steve.
1. There was no agreement by the preceding Conservative government to hand over the islands to Mauritius.
2. There is no cross party agreement supporting the hand over.
The decision to hand the islands over to Mauritius was taken by the current Labour government, without the approval of the electorate at the ballot box who were not informed in the Labour Party’s general election manifesto of their decision.
The hand over of Diego Garcia is the Labour government’s policy choice, and consequently their responsibility.
Of course there was. Labour signed the agreement within a month of coming into power, there is no way they negotiated and agreed it within that period, all they did was sign it.
Fact check please don’t just believe policiticans
There was also multiple statements both in the house and the media about the deal prior to them losing power, which was reported on and in agreement by farage on GB news. It’s all smoke screen
Cameron actually STOPPED the handover negotiations while he was foreign secretary! He stated it was NOT in our national interests to due so!
It was Starmer and Lammy who restarted it all.
Isn’t there another UN report that has said the handover didn’t involve the Chagosians so any handover should be delayed? The HOLs haven’t voted it through either have they?
The Falklands War in 1982 cost us 255 men. There was no option as had the Conservative government of the day let it slide Spain would have invaded Gibraltar. As it was the enemy states on the continent France and Spain were supplying the Argentine with missiles until MI6 stopped it.
If Argentine were to invade again then the British exclusion zone placed for commercial shipping should put the enemy no closer than the Pacific coast.
There is no reason why we have to put up with successive Argentine governments that need to divert attention away from their mess constantly rake over the Falklands.
Unfortunately freedom is not free despite the UN Charter Articles 1 & 2 defining Identity and Sovereignty so those who care must be prepared to invest and avoid incidents like 1982.
While the cost is considerable, it assures the security of other British territories and people, too.
An important message that Might is Not Right, as demonstrated in Eastern Europe since 2014 but regrettably not acted upon when the cost would have been relatively low.
It’s now 2Bn GBP a year (24,25), at least. So orders of magnitude more than FI operations.
Sending a strong message is great taxpayer value. If FI are later able to show their appreciation to UK taxpayers, even better.
No.
Despite your repeated claims to the contrary, the hand over was agreed by the present Labour government, not the preceding Conservative government, and their decision does not have cross party support.
Negotiations for the handover began in 2022.
Discussions about the islands began in 2022.
There was no agreement to hand over the islands under the Conservative government, despite 11 rounds of discussion about them taking place.
The present Labour government agreed to hand over the islands on coming into office in 2024.
Formal negotiations to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius officially began in November 2022.
The process followed decades of legal and diplomatic disputes, but the specific timeline of the modern negotiations and the eventual agreement is as follows:
1. Commencement of Talks (2022)
Negotiations were formally initiated by the UK government (under then-Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak) in November 2022. This marked a significant shift in UK foreign policy, as the British government had previously maintained that it would only cede the islands when they were “no longer required for defense purposes.”
2. The Negotiation Phases (2022–2024)
• The First Phase: Between November 2022 and June 2024, the Conservative government held 11 rounds of negotiations with Mauritius.
• The Final Push: After the UK general election in July 2024, the new Labour government continued the process, holding two final rounds of talks in August and September 2024.
3. The Landmark Agreement (2024–2025)
• Political Agreement: On October 3, 2024, the UK and Mauritius released a joint statement announcing that a political agreement had been reached.
• Treaty Signing: The final treaty was formally approved and signed by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam on May 22, 2025.
Key Terms of the Transfer
The agreement includes several critical provisions regarding the Chagossian people and the strategic military presence:
• Sovereignty: Mauritius is recognized as sovereign over the entire Chagos Archipelago.
• Diego Garcia: For an initial period of 99 years, the UK is authorized to exercise sovereign rights over Diego Garcia to ensure the continued operation of the joint UK-US military base.
• Right of Return: Mauritius is now free to implement a resettlement program for the other islands in the archipelago (excluding Diego Garcia).
• Financial Support: The UK agreed to create a new trust fund and provide additional financial support specifically for the benefit of the Chagossian people.
Sorry the Conservative Party started the negotiations, because the UK position had become untenable with the UNCLOS ruling.. essentially if we had still had the might to say FU we could have.. but we don’t so it left us in a bit of a shit creak.
“The very rich can afford to give offence wherever they go” …. We are no longer in that very rich club of nations.
The Conservative government entered into discussions about the islands to resolve disputes.
Despite protracted discussions over three years by the time it left office there was no agreement reached to hand over the islands.
That agreement was made by the Labour government that replaced them in 2024, in the first few months of them taking office.
Personally I think it was very much related to US pressure to get it sorted.. the US did not want the issue hanging.
Had Mr. Trump said he was opposed to the hand over, it would have been interesting to see what commitment to it continued in No. 10.
Yep I would say, essentially whatever the US wanted was happening to be honest..the US is entirely transactional and we did not get hit up for some tariffs other nations did at the time.
Cross party is nothing anymore. The next election may see to that. I also want to know why you cant have a country that extends overseas. Apparently its OK to have Moscow-Russia extend over 6666 miles across land it ruthlessly took off the locals over the period 1600’s to yesterday but for some reason as soon as the sea intervenes it becomes a naughty Empire. I never understood this. Should the Isle of Wight be forcibly given the France like the fishing?
Fair point but to get an insight into the mental gymnastics of the FSB regime (RF), check out the BBC Joshua Rosenburg channel YT or iPlayer where he reviews their newspapers.
They are organised for the dictators delusions so a rational or legal argument is way beyond them.
Ruzzian Media Monitor YT is another portal to their daily delusions for your amusement..
Why not just sell ut to them (the MAGA LOT)?
It wasnt so much the Conservatives as the FCO and Cleverly. The Upper reaches of the Con party became just that. The rank and file would have known better. I make no secret I’m an old fashioned Brit. I believe we have something to offer the world and we have always where necessary given the locals independence without too much trouble.
The Chagos was safe and a Maritime Nature Reserve under the arrangements in place. It was hyper meddling by Hermer and his pals led by Starmer that drove this. Quite what their plan is for the UK remains to be seen. My guess is its a very centrally controlled Socialist State where individuals are monitored in all they do and where Private wealth is an abhorrence.
Mauritius had already given up their claim. That should have been the end of it except we needed to tell the UN to take a hike.
Difficult to claim being for the international rule of law if you don’t respect the law..
Clearly the Tangerine Toddler is claiming jurisdiction in Venezuela that few believe is legal, which is consistent with his disregard for US court judgments. Should be interesting to see what NYC courts make of Maduro.
They convicted fraudster #45 of 34 felonies and his proven rapist judgment as yet unpaid despite his claims to be a billionaire.
Previously #47 pardoned another president convicted of drug supply offences, so rule of law and accountability are thin claims in USA.
That’s nonsense
We will see!
Highly unlikely. Don’t forget it was “The Iron Lady” Maggie who oversaw the proposed cutting of RN assets that gave the Argentine Junta the idea that they could succeed in a coup de main as we weren’t behaving like we really cared about the Falklands. It was tory misteps that led to the loss of hundreds of UK forces lives & thousands of Argentine. Plus 14 years most recent running our forces way below minimum. Sadly this labour lot appear no wiser, but we need meat on the bones remaining or we’ll have to start to learn Russian, Chinese or even MAGA Trump-speak. Too late for many of us.
All true.
And yet, there has never been a better PM since her.
A spineless weevil is currently at the helm.
Might be a fun game to list the failings of each since as a comparison.
Daniele spineless weevil is an oxymoron as weevils are invertebrates.. I would go with spineless weasel… 😂🤣
😆 Weasel was the originsl thought, until my blasted phone autocorrect had other ideas.
Though as you say, the replacement option is priceless lol. 😁
Agreed as all our elected clowns are similar in outlook and selfishness. However these muppets we have got currently have outstripped all other governments in both speed and level of incompetence!
Mmmmm I’m not sure, personally I think Cameron was possibly even worse..
Defence Secretary John Nott if memory serves, but presumably Maggie had to agree too.
Yes, only a Halfwit would see this as a good Idea !
Looks like Labour got the word “Sell” mixed up with the words “Give away with untold Billions over 100 years”.
Well I guess It’s only Tax Payers Money !
Chagos, closer to India than Mauritius.
There, that ought to do it !
Yes maybe that’s why Sumak, Cleverly, Starmer, Lammy and Hermer started or seized upon this Hurty thing and got it so wrong. Did anyone ask me if I wanted to be part of their cunning plan? No. But as far as I’m concerned I have feelings and anything hurty and harming my feelings is bad. OK? Arrest them all.
Plot lost
Plot was lost for everyone since these muppets took power!
Anyone not brainwashed by right wing sewer media knows that’s as far from the truth as could be possible 🤡
Sadly current event do show otherwise but cannot be seen by the left wing sewer receptive clowns.
What has the current Labour gov. done?
What have they procured, implemented and what treaties have they signed?
The government has shifted the UK’s defence posture toward what they describe as a “NATO-first” policy, focusing on industrial growth.
Major new treaties and pacts include – the Trinity House Agreement a landmark defence treaty with Germany, the first of its kind since WWII and includes –
Rheinmetall opening a new artillery factory factory in the UK to manufacture artillery gun barrels using British steel.
The joint development of long-range strike missiles with a range significantly greater than the current Storm Shadow.
German maritime P-8 patrol aircraft will now operate out of RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland to hunt submarines in the North Atlantic.
The UK-EU Security Pact, a massive strategic reset that ended the post-Brexit “defence vacuum.” It facilitates joint intelligence sharing, coordination on sanctions, and allows the UK to participate in certain EU military crisis management missions.
The 100-Year Partnership with Ukraine, a legally binding treaty that commits the UK to support Ukraine for a century. It includes plans for joint defence factories on Ukrainian soil and a “24-hour consultation” clause if Ukraine is attacked again after the current war ends.
The Lunna House Agreement, a deep “hookup” with Norway focused on the High North. The two navies will now operate an “interchangeable” frigate fleet, sharing maintenance docks and even training crews together to protect undersea cables from Russian interference.
Industrial consortium. The government has moved away from simple “buying” to forming deep industrial partnerships:
GCAP, Labour formally ratified the treaty with Japan and Italy in late 2024 to build the 6th-generation stealth fighter. The headquarters for this global project is now officially established in the UK.
AUKUS Pillar 2 expansion moves beyond just submarines, the UK has signed new “deals” under AUKUS for AI in the Pacific, including, joint testing of AI-controlled drones and a trilateral agreement to speed up the testing of hypersonic flight missiles flying at 5x the speed of sound.
The “Diamond” Partnership deal with Australia to integrate Australian-made batteries and components into the British submarine supply chain, ensuring that if one country’s factory is hit, the other can provide the parts.
Strategic “Deals” for materials, the sovereign steel deal, a specific agreement with UK steel manufacturers including the transition at Tata Steel Port Talbot to ensure the MOD has a “priority supply” of high-grade steel for the Type 26 frigates and Dreadnought submarines.
The “Munitions Multiplier” the deal with MBDA and Thales to move to a “war footing” production model, where the government pays a retainer to keep assembly lines “warm” even when not actively ordering, allowing for a rapid surge in production during a crisis.
—
Committed to 2.5% GDP Spending by 2027. In early 2025, Starmer set a “cast-iron” timeline to reach 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2027, with an aspirational target of 3.0% by 2030 and 5.0% for total national security by 2035.
Passed the Armed Forces Commissioner Act in 2025, creating an independent champion for service personnel and their families, with legal powers to investigate welfare issues outside the chain of command.
Largest Pay Rise in Decades, awarded military personnel their largest pay increase in over 20 years to combat a “crisis in recruitment and retention.”
New Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) realigned procurement to prioritise UK-based businesses, aiming to make defence an “engine for growth” and securing thousands of jobs in sectors like steel and high-tech manufacturing.
UK-EU Security Pact, initiated negotiations for a new ambitious security agreement with European partners to strengthen intelligence sharing and joint military procurement.
The gov. has adopted a “reprioritisation” strategy – scrapping older equipment to fund modern technology.
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) budget has more than doubled to £3.46 billion in the 2024/25 period to fix “crumbling” barracks, military housing, and docks.
“Homes for Heroes” a dedicated program brought 36,000 military homes back into public ownership and targeted refurbishment of the existing estate.
National Armaments Director (NAD) a new high-level role created to oversee a “national arsenal,” focusing on rapid procurement of drones, AI, and autonomous systems.
Nuclear Deterrent Investment. The Defence Nuclear Organisation saw a budget increase of £586 million, reaffirming the “Triple Lock” commitment to the UK’s nuclear submarines.
Global Ops Funding has an additional £2.2 billion specifically to support Ukraine and maintain deployments in response to the Russian threat.
—
Assets and equipment; several older platforms were retired and decommissioned to save costs, including –
HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion, two assault ships placed into lower readiness/retirement earlier than planned.
Watchkeeper Drones: The older tactical UAVs was retired in favour of newer, rapid-innovation models.
Puma and Gazelle Helicopters were phased out to streamline the rotary wing fleet.
Head Office Reductions, the budget for the “MOD Main Building” bureaucrats and procurement staff was cut by roughly £439 million to divert funds to front-line infrastructure and repairs.
Following the July 2024 election, the UK scaled its drone production for Ukraine and domestic testing from 10,000 to 100,000 units annually. This includes FPV and “kamikaze” drones.
£4 Billion Autonomous Investment, announced in the 2025 Strategic Defence Review, this is a multi-year ring-fenced fund for autonomous systems, including swarm-drone technology and robot dogs for bomb disposal.
Ukrainian defence company, Ukrspecsystems (Shark and PD-2) in a major 2025 deal saw Ukraine’s largest drone manufacturer invest £200 million to open a UK-based factory, creating a “sovereign” supply chain for long-range reconnaissance UAVs.
7,000 long-range missiles, in June 2025, the government announced a £1.5 billion investment to build at least six new weapons factories. This includes a massive order for 7,000 British-built missiles and precision-guided munitions to restock depleted UK stockpiles.
UK-Germany artillery deal, a £52 million contract was signed late in 2025 for joint development of cutting-edge artillery systems, designed to ensure interoperability between the British Army and the Bundeswehr.
Complex Weapons Extension, a new 10-year partnership with MBDA was secured to guarantee the supply of Storm Shadow, Brimstone, and Meteor missiles, as well as the new SPEAR Cap 3 for the F-35B fighter jets.
Project Unity (Submarines) this is the largest single contract since the election – a multi-billion pound, eight-year deal with Rolls-Royce Submarines. This secures the design and manufacture of the next generation of nuclear reactors for the Dreadnought and SSN-AUKUS fleets.
Type 26 Frigates, While already in progress, the gov. finalised a £10 billion export order to build Type 26-based frigates for the Norwegian Navy on the Clyde, which integrates with the Royal Navy’s own fleet procurement.
HMS Glasgow, currently in the final outfitting and “engine startup” phase. Sea trials expected to begin in mid-to-late 2026. IOC confirmed for 2028.
HMS Cardiff & HMS Belfast are currently under construction in Glasgow, expected to enter service between 2029 and 2030. The full fleet by 2035.
The Royal Navy is currently facing a “trough” in ship numbers. Because HMS Westminster and HMS Argyll were retired early late 2024 and HMS Lancaster just retired late in 2025, the total number of active frigates has dropped to its lowest point in modern history.
The strategy to “manage the gap by keeping the remaining Type 23s; HMS Somerset and HMS Portland at high readiness while accelerating the Type 31 frigates.
The Type 31 are simpler, general-purpose frigates, the first, HMS Venturer, also floating off in 2026/27 will help bolster the numbers while the more complex Type 26s are finished.
In 2025, the MOD awarded Babcock a £65 million contract specifically for a Capability Insertion Period. The Type 31 will get Mk41 VLS, the MOD confirmed that all five Type 31s will be fitted with the Mk41 VLS strike silos. This ensures that the ships are not delayed during their initial build but receive their “heavy” weapons shortly after.
HMS Active and HMS Formidable are currently in advanced assembly. There is a strong push to install the Mk41 during the fitting-out phase (after launch but before joining the fleet), rather than as a retrofit. This would see them enter active service with the silos already in place by 2028–2029. By the time HMS Bulldog and HMS Campbeltown are completed in the early 2030s, the Mk41 will be a standard part of the build from the start.
HMS Venturer, will conduct initial sea trials in 2026 with her baseline weapons; Sea Ceptor and guns, Mk41 silos are scheduled to be retrofitted during her first major planned maintenance block, likely between 2027 and 2028.
Type 31 will get Mk41 VLS In a major policy reversal, the MOD confirmed that all five Type 31s will be fitted with the Mk41 VLS strike silos.
This allows the ship to carry “heavy hitters” it previously couldn’t, such as:
Tomahawk Cruise Missiles, Anti-Ballistic Missiles to intercept high-end threats.
Future Offensive Surface Weapon (FOSW) the UK’s next-gen anti-ship missile.
The £65 million Capability Insertion Period (CIP). Ships are being built “fitted for” this system, with the hardware to be installed as they enter service or shortly after.
Sea Viper upgrades Contracts were awarded for the Aster 30 (Sea Viper) missile system to include anti-ballistic missile capabilities, specifically aimed at defending against hypersonic threats in the Red Sea and beyond.
The gov. has expanded its “National Arsenal” strategy. The focus is now on “High-Mass, Low-Cost” systems to complement the expensive, high-end missiles.
Other major weapon systems and munitions being procured or under new multi-year contracts as of early 2026,
Air Defence & Surface-to-Air Systems like Sky Sabre Expansion (£118m) in August 2025, the MOD doubled the number of deployable Sky Sabre systems. This included buying six additional Land Ceptor missile launchers from MBDA to bolster homeland defence and NATO’s eastern flank.
“Raven” Air Defence System, a new contract was signed for the Raven system, which uses surface-launched ASRAAM missiles (originally air-to-air) as a rapid-response solution against drones and cruise missiles.
Starstreak & Martlet, a new multi-year “stockpile-refresh” contracts were signed with Thales to replenish these high-velocity missiles after significant donations to Ukraine.
Deep Strike and Long-Range Portfolio includes 7,000 Long-Range Missiles (£1.5bn): The government committed to a massive multi-year order for 7,000 UK-built precision weapons. This includes a mix of existing designs and a new class of “One-Way Effectors” long-range attack drones/missiles.
FC/ASW (Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon): In late 2025, the UK and France moved to the next phase of this program, which will replace the Harpoon and Storm Shadow. It will feature two variants: one supersonic for “hard” target penetration and one stealthy subsonic for deep strike.
Crossbow OWE(H), a new weapon unveiled by MBDA in late 2025 for production in 2026. This is a “heavy” one-way effector drone with an 800km+ range and a 300kg warhead, designed for mass production at a much lower cost than a traditional cruise missile.
Land Systems & Artillery will see the RCH 155 Artillery (£70m Joint Deal), the contract was signed with Germany in late 2025 for the Remote Controlled Howitzer (RCH 155). This is a high-tech, automated artillery system that can fire while moving, replacing the donated AS-90s.
NLAW Anti-Tank Missiles (£280m), a major deal for “several thousand” NLAWs is currently being delivered (2024–2026), assembled at the Thales facility in Belfast.
GMLRS Upgrades: The MOD is procuring Extended Range (ER) Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, increasing the reach of the Army’s “70-mile sniper” rockets to over 150km.
Autonomous & “New Era” Weapons, a £5 Billion “Tech Fund”, split into £4 Billion for Uncrewed Systems and £1 Billion for Lasers.
In addition to the naval DragonFire, a 15kW Land Laser is being procured for integration onto Wolfhound armoured vehicles to provide the Army with a permanent, low-cost “anti-drone shield.”
Regarding DEW and AI, the DragonFire laser, following successful trials in late 2024, the MOD accelerated the “minimum viable product” (MVP) version of the DragonFire laser for installation on Royal Navy ships by 2027 – well ahead of previous conservative estimates.
New orders for the Akeron Non-Line-of-Sight missile, which allows Challenger 3 tanks and Ajax vehicles to strike enemy armour from behind cover without a direct line of sight.
A £100 million investment was announced in late 2025 for Arondite AI software a veteran-founded UK tech firm, to build the AI software architecture that will connect the MOD’s various autonomous systems.
Under the Labour gov. “Defence Industrial Strategy” (DIS) launched in September 2025, procurement has shifted toward creating regional “Defence Growth Deals.” These deals are designed to ensure that the increased spending (reaching 2.6% of GDP by 2027) fuels local economies outside of London and the South East.
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The UK faces significant challenges regarding its “mass” (number of soldiers and ships) and its “resilience” (ability to sustain a high-intensity conflict over time).
Is the UK “Well Armed”? Yes, in terms of quality; no, in terms of quantity.
The UK is considered one of the most technologically advanced militaries in the world. It possesses high-end “tier-one” assets like the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, F-35B stealth jets, and Astute-class nuclear submarines.
Needs substantially more B’s and A’s, specifically A’s.
While the weapons are high-tech, the “stockpiles”, the actual number of missiles and shells were severely depleted by donations to Ukraine and years of underinvestment.
The 2025 “National Arsenal” initiative is currently working to fix this, but full replenishment is not expected until 2027–2028.
Is the UK “Strong”? Yes, as a specialised “force multiplier” within NATO.
The UK consistently ranks 6th or 7th in the Global Firepower Index (2025/26). It is the strongest military in Europe alongside France.
Strength is underpinned by the Nuclear Deterrent / Continuous At-Sea Deterrent (CASD). The UK is one of the few nations capable of launching nuclear strikes independently, which provides a level of ultimate strategic strength.
The UK remains one of the very few nations able to project power, capable of deploying a carrier strike group across the globe, as seen with recent deployments to the Indo-Pacific.
The problem is mass, strength is hindered by the size of the Army, which has shrunk to roughly 70,000–73,000 regular troops – critics argue this makes the UK “too small” to fight a prolonged land war without significant allied help.
Is the UK resilient? No. This is the military’s current weakest link.
Resilience is hampered by the personnel, recruitment and retention crisis. Despite the 2025 pay rises, the Armed Forces are still losing more people than they are recruiting, which strains the “human resilience” of the remaining troops.
Resilience refers to the ability to “take a punch” and keep fighting. Current assessments suggest the UK would struggle in a “hot war” lasting more than a few weeks due to lack of spare parts, limited hospital ship capacity, and thin logistical chains.
“Hollowing Out” – the 2025 Strategic Defence Review explicitly used the term “hollowing out” to describe the state of the forces Labour inherited.
The current focus is on “Strategic Resilience” – fixing crumbling barracks, infrastructure, securing domestic food/fuel supplies for the MOD, and building the Defence Growth Deals to ensure the UK can manufacture its own weapons during a blockade.
Labour could do more, but everyone is hanging out for the Defence Infrastructure Recapitalisation Plan, probably revealed in Feb. The Defence Investment Plan will “drop” in Spring (UK) and the Capability Command Paper (the final granular equipment numbers following the Spending Review is due in Autumn (UK).
Sorry it’s long, think I reiterated a couple of points … not my intention, just got a bit lost.
Any typo’s due to bad eyesight, cataracts being cut out on Tuesday.
Ha ha ha wow what an absolute tirade Of nonsense! Are you the Def Sec PA? The vast majority of that crap you have regurgitated is political, all promises, propaganda, concepts, contracts previously arranged and finalised under these muppets and a desperate effort at resupply after giving Ukraine such a high proportion of munitions and kit! Do give yourself a tea break with your silliness, as if you believe all you have posted then you are surely one of those rose tinted sheep that Labour love to have following them about! And it would appear, it’s me still in your head.
Airborne.
I always have a smile when I read your inane comments.
However, It has become clear that you lack both character and good form.
Henceforth I am no longer comfortable with the way you are communicating with me, our communication has become unhealthy, and I’ve decided to stop engaging. I won’t be responding to any further messages from you.
I’m moving on from this conversation now and would appreciate it if you did the same.
I wish you well.
I took the effort over an hour to make a worthy reply, but I created it in word doc before cutting and pasting and it is now in moderation hell.
Ha ha ha remember you initially replied to me with a pile if tosh, I debunked your crap, you continued to reply and then you run out of shite to whine about, then you gave up! I am officially in your head 🤡
Replying to Magenta,
Quite, it tells me you have a wish list for Santa. May I remind you Winterval is now over.
Tell me do, what actual orders have been placed since July 2024? Most of the actual hardware was ordered by the slightly righty version of the previous Government. I’ll lay odds that most of your Santa’s list will melt with the snow. The NATO target is 5%. You’ll never get there even if you do include the new ‘Number 10 Bomb Shelter’. So off you go and play Risk.
I laid out some facts and figures.
I never alluded to any kind of wish list.
I listed items purchased.
I don’t think there was anything listed that will not come to fruition.
“Winterval” – interesting; I well rember when Birmingham City Council introduced “Winterval” back in 97’ it initialy made me angry at the idea of cancelling Christmas in my home country, yet the media lapped it up and lied about the actual realities of what the festival represented, but later retracted their stories. I was around the Birmingham NIA area in late November 98’ shooting a tv series and often in the city centre for consumables, it never felt that Christmas had been “replaced” … just added to. I also used to travel to just about every major football ground in the England between 96’ and 99’ and I was at Villa Park, St Andrew’s or Hawthorns and had a good feel for the overall area.
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To me, your reply confirms the bias perceptions and interpretations of my comment. It reveals your inability to accept some facts when presented. Cognitive distortion; where biased, exaggerated, irrational thought patterns cause a perceived reality of inaccuracies, and negative thoughts often feel like objective facts but, they typically only reinforce the negative emotions. The suggestion is to break the twisted partisan cycle and balance your bias, it won’t hurt you, I swear.
If the political parties were reversed I would be maintaining the same observation; I not here to defend any particular political party, hence my handle (see colour theory).
I am pointing out to the usual perps of that the … “the UK armed forces are fscked, ALL because of the current gov. of the last 18 months” is a ridicolous perspective, it’s myopic and reeks of crude bias, as evident in some of the comments. It doesn’t serve the cause to be blinkered to the past … however far back you wish to go.
I don’t think I’m alone in this outlook. I don’t care how others view of my line of thinking, as I see it as “without fear or favour”, however, some are obviously deranged and not worthy of adult discourse.
The problem with your list which you headed it up with the question ‘what has the Labour Government done?’. This started the conversation with a questionable bias and a lot of padding to gloss over shortcomings. Nothing is certain unless the economy succeeds. You are never going to get close to 5% GDP because on present trends the overiding problem is shortly going to be the very high public debt which will grow unless investments are made in UK owned and based private industry and not into unproductive liabilities like immigration and benefits.
The rebuilding of the Navy I have pressed for over many years. Don’t forget it all restarted under the Conservatives National Ship Building Plan. Just as the carriers have come operational is no time to be turning our back on the Indo-Pacific and giving away in an extraordinarily careless and expensive manner the Chagos to Mauritius who have a worse claim than ourselves! Got a Navy, go to practically anywhere.
The Atlantic and Scandinavia are our back door and must be kept defended from Russian intrusion.
GCAP as a long range strategic fighter is showing to be a potential winner but I do think we may still need a less fancy 2nd tier Fighter like the Grippen for the BOTs when we retire the Typhoons and quite possibly need a Naval version.
Labours biggest failure is any reference to a Home Defence ABM system or increasing the Paltry 10 MPAs.
I dont know enough about the Army with the advent of drones to comment.
Reply to Jonno.
I asked – “What has the current Labour gov. done?”
That is not a biased based question.
I asked – “What have they procured, implemented and what treaties have they signed?”
That is not a biased based question.
They are rhetorical questions in ‘answer” to the incessent bleating and kvetching by the blinkered, the priggish and the politicaly ignorant.
Couldn’t careless about who anyone votes for, the right party at the right time has always been my motto; regardless of party.
Here’s my political voting history for the UK.
I’ll start by stating that there is no way in the world I would EVER have voted Corbyn at any point of time; he’s a commie cnnt!
I voted for Blair in 97’ as did a lot of the perps on this site I imagine. That historic landslide victory ended 18 years of Conservative rule; the people I helped put into power.
However, previously I voted for Thatcher 79′ and Major 90′, I would have voted for Cameron in 10’ (and eventualy regretted it) maybe May in 16’ but not Johnson in 19’ but the alternatives were non existent, anyway it all went fscking tits up after 2019 … Truss (omfg!!!), Sunak and now with Badenoch representing the odious and ugly side of politics, it’s either abstain as is your right or vote for the Liberal Democrats … shock horror. Reform would/will never get my vote, it’s just Corbyn inverted with different opperators pulling the strings and it’s not the UK that they care about.
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I get the sense that its ONLY my posts that start conversations with questionable bias, not the very ones I am “replying” to … I’ve got it mate, I understand your level of comprehension.
You said “… the overiding problem is SHORTLY going to be the very high public debt …” (my use of capitals)
This comment reveals your naivety as the UK debt-to-GDP was 35% of GDP before the GFC. During the banking crisis between 08; and 10′, the debt kinda doubled to 65-70% as the government bailed out banks and tax revenues plummeted. Then the Pandemic hit in 20′ and debt took another massive leap from 85% to over 100% (106% i think) due to furlough schemes and emergency spending. The current status, since 23’ – the UK has struggled to get the debt below 95%.
95%!
I say there is nothing SHORTLY about it. The UK debt is currently in a “high-cost” phase. For the 25’-26′ fiscal year, the government is expected to spend roughly £111.2 billion on debt INTREST alone. £300m a day! That’s 8.3% of all public spending going to pay interest. It is more than the entire budget for the Home Office, Justice, and Transport combined. It is roughly half of what is spent on the entire NHS. These are OBR figures. The only good news is that most UK debt is UK owned. UK Pension Funds own 30%, the Bank of England owns 30%, but because the Bank is state-owned, much of the interest it receives is actually returned to the Treasury, effectively acting as a “refund” for the taxpayer. Hey-ho.
Anyway, this why I mentioned the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) so that every pound of the defence budget should serve a dual purpose: strengthening national security and creating high-skilled British jobs. UK Defence Innovation office was established with £400 million in ring-fenced funding. Its goal is to ensure that at least 10% of the MOD’s equipment budget goes toward “novel technologies”.
They have effectively adopted a “Sovereign First” approach. We still buy from our allies like the US, we are now using a new “Offset Policy” essentially telling foreign firms; “If you want our contracts, you must build factories or share technology with British firms in return.”
This is the most interventionist any UK government has been in the defence industry since the Cold War. They aren’t just buying equipment; they are TRYING to rebuild a National Industrial Base that can sustain itself if global supply chains fail. By 2026, the success of this plan depends entirely on whether they can actually cut through the MOD’s legendary “red tape” to meet those ambitious 3-month and 2-year contracting targets.
But, ho hum forget all that … it’s a pipe dream, Labour twats.
The Conservatives National Ship Building Plan was a brilliant and much needed plan and I am cock-a-hoop they pushed it through, bravo indeed, they did a lot of good work as much as they did defective work.
Now, regarding Diego Garcia, The US apparently pays zip to the UK for its base, however, “The UK isn’t ‘losing’ money on Diego Garcia; it’s outsourcing its national security for 0.2% of the UK defense budget (the £101m payment to Mauritius), the UK gets access to a $5 billion military facility, global intelligence data, and the protection of its trade routes, all while the US pays 100% of the bills to keep the lights on. It’s the cheapest ‘Superpower status’ the UK has ever bought.”
The UK only pays for infrastructure if it is specifically required by UK law or Ministry of Defence policy and has no equivalent in US law (which, as the story goes is rare).
Estimates for the yearly running of Diego Garcia (power, water, food for 3,000–5,000 personnel, and satellite maintenance) range from $500 million to $800 million. The total infrastructure value, over the decades, the US has invested roughly $4.5 billion to $5 billion into the island’s infrastructure, which includes:
2x 12,000-foot runways, capable of handling B-2 stealth bombers. Deep-water piers for nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers. A massive “tank farm” for millions of gallons of jet fuel and the GEODSS space surveillance system (tracking satellites and space debris).
Not forgetting that Diego Garcia is part of the Five Eyes intelligence network and because it is a UK territory, the UK has legal “sovereign access” to the massive amount of intelligence gathered there. This includes signals intelligence (SIGINT) and space-tracking data that the UK simply couldn’t afford to collect on its own. The UK is seen as a “global power” because of its ability to strike anywhere. The “Mothership” Diego Garcia allows the UK to support its own carrier strike groups or special forces in the Middle East and Indo-Pacific without needing to ask a foreign country for permission. It provides a safe, secret berth for UK nuclear submarines in the Indian Ocean.
On the Oil and Food economic security lens; roughly one-third of global cargo and two-thirds of global oil shipments pass through the Indian Ocean. The UK government argues that having a US-funded “Police Station” in the middle of these lanes keeps global insurance rates and shipping costs down, which keeps the price of food and fuel lower in British supermarkets.
The Trump Administration, despite early criticism from figures like Marco Rubio and Mike (let’s invite everybody into our Signal Chat Group) Waltz, officially signed off on the deal in early 2025. Trump told Starmer he was “inclined to go with your country” and that he had “a feeling it’s going to work out very well.”on the deal, this effectively neutered the Conservative argument that the deal was “destroying the special relationship.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio who previously opposed the deal, issued a statement praising the “leadership and vision” of the UK and Mauritius. The review concluded that the 99-year lease actually provided more legal certainty for the US military than the previous “shaky” UK claim, which was under constant attack in international courts.
No one is suggesting a turnabout regarding the Indo-Pacific, certainly not this current gov. As I understand it the Conservative government in 21′ called it an Indo-Pacific “tilt”, which implies a temporary lean, the current government’s 25′ SDR officially retired that word. — The Indo-Pacific is supposedly a permanent strategic priority.
The UK is “staying” in the Indo-Pacific, BUT have been honest about their limits. and some people get the idea they are “turning back.” Europe is priority number 1. The government has been explicit that the Euro-Atlantic (NATO) is the primary security theater due to the ongoing threat from Russia.
Diplomacy over Destroyers: You will likely see fewer “show of force” carrier deployments and more “tech and trade” deals. The UK is shifting from being a “global policeman” to being a “global tech partner.”
Regardless of all that, the UK has secured the Chagos Archipelago for 99 years.
“…The Atlantic and Scandinavia are our back door and must be kept defended from Russian intrusion…” I absolutely agree.
The Gripen E certainly has the range, but as a single engine aircraft, this could prove to be a psychological barrier for pilots.over the oceans.
Is Labours biggest failure that they lacked any reference to a Home Defence ABM system. While they don’t plan to build a national missile s hield system like Iron Dome, in the June 25′ SDR, the gov. officially acknowledged that the UK’s “home” is no longer a safe haven and announced a £1 billion investment specifically for a homeland air and missile defence system. The goal being that it isn’t just for nukes; it’s to protect critical national infrastructure” – power stations, data centers, and ports etc. from the kind of long-range drone and cruise missile attacks seen in Ukraine. Added to this in August 25′ the MOD signed a £118 million contract to double the number of deployable Sky Sabre units on British soil.
The real ABM solution for the UK is likely to be the German led as the UK is a member of the European Sky Shield Initiative, this involves the common purchase of the Arrow 3 ballistic missile interceptor and Iris-T systems. Although the UK hasn’t placed any orders for Arrow 3 yet, they are “integrating” British radars into the European network so that a missile heading for London could technically be intercepted by a system based in Germany or the Netherlands. In the longterm the UK needs a sovereign based ABM defence system.
The MPA’s are going to be supplemented by the RWUAS Phase 3A Proteus through an Hybrid Air Wing. The P8’s do the routine tracking, when they get a ping it hands over to a Proteus that drops sonobuoys and track submarines. By 27′, the plan is for these drones to do the “boring” patrol work, effectively acting as “force multipliers” that make the 9 existing P8s feel like a fleet of 15. This alows the Navy to have an MPA-like capability on every single Frigate, rather than just having a few jets stuck at an airbase in the north of Scotland. It’s a shift from Land-Based Surveillance to Distributed Sea Surveillance.
… what army?
Yes but aside from all that, what has the current Labour government done? 😉
Good luck with the cataract operation 🤞🏻
Ta.
In the mean time we still have 5 of the 6 SSN’s laid up due to lack of trained crew and/or lack of dry docking facilities with 2025 seeing some month with zero availability for SSN’s. Our anti-submarine Frigate availability is down to just one so for a good percentage of the year there was no UK anti submarine assets deployed at sea.
With the British Army ability to sustain a modern fight down to just 2 weeks before its current levels of ammunition/spear parts and reserve personnel are exhausted so unless we are able to defeat the raging hordes in a 2 week time frame then we are f–ked, plus with the loss of RFA shipping we would find it extremely hard to move our assets to Europe (or any wear else) in the first place.
The RAF have approximatly 100 airworthy modern fighters that can hold there own in an air to air fight but are limited to free fall bombs in the support of the ground forces so if we managed to deploy a battalion or 2 to Europe they would have extremely limited top core, plus with a limited fleet of transport aircraft we would again find it hard to reinforce any overseas deployments.
With the current lack of certainty which side the Americans are on the UK and Europe needs to rearm now not “in a few years time” as after 30odd years of slash and burn to our armed forces Mr Putin has a rye smile on his face when our government tell its people that they are investing in defence.
Thanks for that, an impressive array of things commenced but not yet completed.You have given the lie to accusations of Labour weakness. We need better resiliance, the may mean some form of conscription to provide cadre.
News reports are a year out for university students in the services, being a significant build on OTC opportunities that currently succeed in building the Officer recruitment pipeline.
As technology and innovation become more important to lethality, it makes sense to get more STEM graduates hired.
Agree . Trump is very friendly with the Argentine President Javier Milei . And i think it would not be suprising if Trump sides with Argentine President on a deal of somekind . And the oil compa y that will be extracting oil from the ocean is an American Israeli company with many board members ex employees of Israeli govt . Info available on wikipedia :). So all of a sudden the USA and Israel now have a direct intetest in the Falklands which i believe is a very poor strategic decision by UK. Especially as we have no armed forces of depth and probable only about 5 frigates at best available to cover all our commitments around the world , so the Arabian Gulf has demonstrated we would be lucky to send two frigates to Falklands as a show of force .
Not to downplay the exercise but an OPV and four Typhoons max (last read only three were operational) hardly represents a huge deterrent effect. We should be thankful that the Argentine Armed Forces are in a worse state than ours. That said, with their recent acquisition of F-16s, that may be beginning to change.
Its fine, we’ll just cut more frigates. That’ll show the Argies.
Exactly I’d be surprised if this didn’t travel the opposite effect of that which was intended. An OPV is not an assault ship (or two).
I wonder which South American country will buy the Bulwark class ,that the Government has put up for disposal be purchased by ?
If you mean the Albion Class assault ships, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwalk, then Albion is awaiting disposal and Bulwalk was sold months ago to Brazil.
Why would we need an assault ship down there? Who do you think we should be invading?
I agree, we should develop a strong A2/AD capability and practice rolling it out to all our island bases like Diego Garcia, Ascension and Mount Pleasant.
STRATUS LO and PrSM will soon give us the ability to strike ships from 1000km. However if we bought something like Dark eagle and expanded our Oberon radar constellation then we could strike targets out to 3000km allowing us to shut down the Indian, Atlantic, Arctic and Southern Oceans and Mediterranean during a war.
Not bad for a “small island no one listens to anymore”. No other country could deploy a capability this wide from soverign territory.
If we put an anti ship capability onto the new Anglo German long range cruise missile it could do something similar.
CAMM would work well in a defence role against cruise missiles but if we want to deter someone like China with this strategy we need an ABM capability like SAMP/T.
As far as I know, Typhoons are far superior to the F16s Argentina bought, but selling those F16s was a tone deaf move by the Americans.
Presumably not unrelated to the F16 purchase rejection for Türkiye that decided Typhoon was a good match for their requirements.
I’m not so sure that S400 getting a good look at Typhoon is good for NATO..
I have a brown trouser moment worrying about that too. I’m all for selling as many Typhoons as possible, and they do sound superior or at least equal to pretty much everything that isn’t a stealth fighter, but why offer them to someone who might pass them on to Russia?
Let’s hope we don’t regret this, although since we’re looking to F35S and Tempest, it’ll be of limited use to the Russians.
I don’t believe the Argentine F16s have the range and their Air Force has no refueling capacity.
Even if they were able, I don’t think the US support for the Argentine F16s would continue if they were to be used against the Falklands.
Buy Trump$ coin if you want refuelling capability.
When Starmer finds out about this exercise he is going to be upset😂
Keir Starmer suppresses his emotions; which is in fact his problem 😉
It’s an asset for a legal eagle but a liability for a politician.
His response is likely to be the blanket ban of all criticism of public figures (coincidentally protecting himself more than anyone else, even Trump these days), rather than stop being the kind of person who generates criticism.
Nothing that can’t be solved by cutting 20 fighter jets, 3 escorts and 30 tanks.
We used to wargame an attack when I was there and we could have taken out the base very quickly to deny resupply.
Since then it’s all gone and they use YA units as the RIC.
4000 is now 1000 if that and the pre positioned equipment for two brigades hasn’t been updated. The Chinooks are gone and the rapier batteries.
The four typhoons cannot maintain a CAP or survive a swarm event
Once it’s gone we can’t get it back.
It’s OK. Intel will give us sufficient warning to reinforce. You know, like it did in ’82.
Just a note. It did in 82. It was political failure that ignored the warnings.
And the intell assets there now are more comprehensive.
That’s the thing with ‘war games’ though,you always assume your enemies strength and capability,not what they are actually capable of achieving,and usually downplaying ‘our’ side to get commanders to be able to react to doomsday scenarios.
FI Rapier has been replaced with the much more effective Sky Sabre.
GB still not ready to take on Russia the best scenario would be for Putin to die or be overthrown. GB has the capicity to inflict indescribable damage on Russia but doesnt have resources to maintain the momentum. The nxt Russian president might be more militant than Putin but lets hope hes less. The thing is Russia and Chinese are preparing for war as we speak GB has to ensure that it remains in preparation show them that Russia looks better as a country and not a desert to rival Gobi and Sahara.
Chairman xi has not authorised nuclear weapons so kaputin only has empty threats.
Global mercantile dominance is the CCP strategy, and no one allied dictator is allowed to threaten that.
Unlimited friendship means RF buy all the conventional weapons they want and pay with oil and gas that CCP knows RF can’t sell elsewhere.
Even that arrangement is wearing thin as RF becomes more a vassal state, issuing bonds in yuan as nobody wants to trade in rubles, not even RF banks nor oligarchs.
As the RF refinery Bingo Board fills up, and the sovereign wealth fund gold reserve depletes past 25%, the RF economic collapse gets closer and closer. $35/Bl less the $20 discount for Ural crude is a loss against production, transport and insurance costs. They’re desperate.
Ukraine is doing kinetic sanctions helped by the coalition of the willing on long range precision fires investment and collaboration. The terrorist state paper tiger is out of Syria, Iran, and soon the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine.
Apparently East Falkland Is on Rightmove 👀
Morning all you lovely experts, can you tell me why this is different from a normal days activity ?
Couple of Typhoons, a small Patrol boat and a re supply Atlas sounds pretty normal to me 🤔🤔🤔
“Large Scale Sovereignty Mission” does sound a bit silly really. It’s not like we used “Swarms” of Ships and Aircrafts with Massed Drones.
Morning mate. I agree.
You know how HMG and the MoD package everything with huge doses of spin.
I guess the differences from the norm were that elements of the RIC went on Forth ( has been done before ) and the resident fixed SAR asset went as far as Ascension.
The assets deployed to the South Atlantic are fine for the current threat, and consist of more than the bits most posters obsess on, 5 planes and a ship.
I agree.
We do now also have two huge carriers and T45. Which can be used defensively.
The problematic bit, if US won’t help with AAR is the overwatch as refuelled the 737 P8’s could overwatch a task group.
So *if* intel is acted upon we can hold off a pretty serious assault.
The bigger problem is that there is no way of landing troops anymore. Unless we start borrowing some North Sea ferries….
We can land social services or traffic wardens if we are polite and dont kick up.
Operation Journeyman in 1997 was a more credible force. We can only dream of something on that scale now.
Operation Highmast, conducted by the UK military in 2025, was on a far larger scale than Operation Journeyman.
Unfortunately Highmast never ventured into the South Atlantic and was A multinational force with frequent port visits. We have deployed reasonable power in the Baltic region of late. Not relevant to the Argentines. As was Highmast.
Journeyman was completely self supporting with no port visits and three airdrop at sea resupply and mail drops. All vessels were fully loaded for war and operated clandestinely. Highmast was a flag waving exercise. Dreadnought was so heavy her first dive was carried out by trimming her vanes. No need for ballast.
Operation Highmast was a deployment to the Pacific via the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean.
It was never intended to visit the South Atlantic.
The deployment of UK naval surface vessels together with submarine and air assets in 2025 to the other side of the world for eight months will have been noted by both Beijing and Buenos Aires.
Journeyman was an operation in which the rules of engagement told the RN submarine commander to run if he was attacked. The operation was bluster waiting to be exposed as such if it were confronted.
As someone who took part in Journeymen I can assure you it was no bluster. Hugh Balfour who was CO of Phoebe and overall commander was frustrated by his rules of engagement. When you see where we were patrolling potential for confrontation was high. The Argentines were shocked to find out of our presence. They made no public comment at the time. Diplomatic sources in Argentina determined the threat was no longer credible and we were ordered home. Switched the radar on one days sailing from Madeira.
Again Highmast was multinational with many port visits no sustained period at sea.
The RN commitment for Journeyman was three vessels, two escorts and a submarine, for Highmast it was four vessels, two escorts, a submarine and an aircraft carrier.
Journeyman was launched in response to the landing of Argentines on South Thule.
It ended with the Argentines still on South Thule.
The CO was right to be frustrated by the rules of engagement, they guaranteed that Journeyman was nothing more than a flag waving exercise that would be exposed as the bluster it was should it be met with force.
I can assure you on journeyman we waved no flags. No point nobody to see them. Again having lived through it onboard it was no blister. Again Highmast was multinational with more port visits than a Cunard liner.
No comment on Journeyman actually being a smaller RN deployment than Highmast, Ken?
Of course it was smaller. Statistics alone show that. However it was self sustainable at distance for months. Deep water the whole time, no maintenance facilities available. Highmast I think showed we could not sustain a fleet at sea as nation. Port visits while flag waving also were required for dry stores. We simply did not have the RFA capability. No dry stores ship.
As you said China and Argentina will take notes.
Of course Journeyman was smaller, Ken. Despite your original claim that we could only dream of something on that scale now.
Journeyman was a far smaller RN deployment than Highmast.
To pretend otherwise is to deny reality.
China and Argentina will have been taking notes.
Including that the world record number of fifth generation jets operated from a carrier is held by the RN.
1977 wasn’t it ?
Yes November of 1977. Longest time I ever spent continuously on a ship without ever seeing land. Just that never ending swell of the South Atlantic and the odd Albatross. We would do a single sweep on the radar a few times a day. All communication was through the Scot system. Or by light between ships.
77!! Not 97.
Yes 77. Typo on my part.
Which Royal Irish are the Roulement company and which unit was based at Ascension?
Timely.
CSG ‘25 should have swung by.
As far as I know, the Typhoon is far superior to the F16, but thank goodness the Argies are also in financial crisis: you could count the number of Falklands Typhoons on one hand, after a grenade went off in that hand.
I have been wondering for some time now, what stance the current incumbents will take, when Argentina again decides it wishes to contest the ownership of the Falkland Isles.
The seas surrounding the islands hold huge mineral wealth, as well as estimates of £74 billion in oil, which is more than is left in the North Sea. (and there is still a lot there)
Considering all this wealth, I do wonder how much it would take, for the Labour party to buckle under the pressures that may be exerted from friend and foe alike.
The current US administration seems focused on the huge oil reserves of Venezuela that are fully productive not just surveyed. Short attention span of MSM in USA should ensure no interest in FI EEZ…
How about a show of force to the US next?
Best to do that in Baltic or Black Sea though Montreaux Treaty would limit the naval component, closing the Bosphorus.