How the UK gave away its mine hunting fleet
UK removed its Gulf minehunters with no ready replacement Hormuz crisis: UK lacks MCM ships in region and enough escorts…
30 Mar 2026
Does it make sense for the UK to sell its Batch 1 OPVs?
UK reportedly considering selling HMS Tyne, Mersey and Severn to Uruguay for about $20m each Sale could cut OPV running/support costs and fund other defence needs Risk: fewer ships at sea, reducing escort/monitoring capacity as frigate numbers fall…
27 Mar 2026
Nato estimates UK defence spending is now below alliance average
Nato now puts UK 2025 defence spend at 2.31% of GDP (down from 2.4%) UK is below Nato averages and behind many allies, despite pledges of 2.6% by 2027 and 3.5% by 2035 Analysts say voters may not…
25 Mar 2026
In-depth: UK deployment in the Eastern Mediterranean
The Iran War has exposed longstanding gaps in the UK’s military capability But it has not stopped the armed forces from deploying innovative systems and tactics, particularly in the C-UAS…
12 Mar 2026
Why can’t Royal Navy submarines operate under polar ice?
Royal Navy Arctic under-ice capability gap: HMS Trenchant broke through metre-thick ice during ICEX 2018, with the UK reaching an eight-year pause in polar submarine operations Astute-class availability crisis hits UK submarine readiness: With…
10 Mar 2026
Shahed UAS: Iran’s single, reliable weapon in the aerial theatre
While Iran’s ballistic missile strikes decline, its one-way attack drones are filling the void For defenders, the main challenge of a drone barrage is the saturation; a few units are…
27 Feb 2026
A defence circus like no other: the UK and its DIP
The Defence Investment Plan was due in Q3 2025, before slipping inexorably through winter and possibly the spring Delays to defence spending by the UK Government is an act of…