New Report 🇬🇧 🇨🇳 Living with the Dragon: What does a coherent UK policy towards China look like? @Civitas_UK

What does John Healey’s resignation mean for the military? More delay. More uncertainty. More difficulty in getting the kit Armed Forces personnel so desperately need. The Defence Investment Plan has been written up since January. The financial plan for it was only revealed on Monday to the former Defence Secretary. Put simply, it wasn’t nearly enough. The Treasury (and the Chancellor) has refused to fund it to the levels needed. This will almost certainly result in projects being cancelled or delayed. And that, in turn, will almost certainly result in the taxpayer paying the price. Priorities will be hacked back to fund essential projects; work for British industry will be cut through procurement slowdowns, meaning some companies may not be able to weather the drought of financial investment. Companies based in Britain may consider moving abroad because of the financial uncertainty, damaging the country’s defence industry. This is a debacle two decades in the making but coming home to roost now. Labour had a chance to try and fix it, to try and show Britain can increase its defences. It has so far failed, miserably. Cuts will need to be made. Training, critical to keeping troops’ war-fighting edge sharp, may be cancelled for some units to save money. Ministers repeatedly said were working “flat out” on finishing the DIP. If that’s true, how was financial statement for the investment plan only revealed to the former defence secretary Monday afternoon? This is an embarrassing situation for Britain and a pathetic display of leadership by Starmer. As several military figures told me today, the only person this debacle benefits is Putin. “He’ll be rubbing his hands in glee,” one person said. It’s hard not to agree with that…

In many respects no10 brought this on themselves. You could easily make it balance with £10bn in years 1 and 2 and get out of GCAP and into CCAs. But No10 didnt want to do that, even when warned that the programme requirement set had changed from a fighter to a LR bomber

France has officially launched development of the ASN4G, MBDA’s next-generation nuclear air-launched missile. Designed for the Rafale F5, ASN4G is expected to use a scramjet-powered hypersonic propulsion system, reach Mach 6–7 , fly beyond 1,000 km, and combine extreme speed, maneuverability and low observability to penetrate advanced air and missile defenses. It will replace the ASMP-A. defense.gouv.fr/dga/actualit…

news.sky.com/story/politics-… Must be the first time a CDS write the the PM. cc @TomCotterillX @thinkdefence @ModernNavy

Argh, @AirbusDefence has given what appear to be U-Boat designations to all its uncrewed products. The #Eurodrone is now the U950, and this is the new #Ravenstorm or the U760. Will investigate this designation strategy.

With NGF dead and GCAP reportedly facing financial concerns (at least from a UK perspective), what are the odds that the one European future fighter project to actually go the distance will be Sweden's KFS?

Starting the #ILA Airshow in #Berlin with some clarity, but probably not the news industry wanted to hear: faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/d…

"This 'advanced stealth' looks expensive, you sure it's needed?" Cut. "'Combat cloud connectivity'? Sounds very wishy-washy." Cut. "And this 'ISANKE' thingamajig, what even is that?" Cut! Cut! Cut!

Good luck to Germany's next partner. #FCAS

Canada confirms purchase of 26 HIMARS rocket launchers from U.S. government. DND says decision made after 'a rigorous evaluation process' #cdnpoli #HIMARS #Army #CanadaUSRelations cbc.ca/news/politics/army-ar…

Innovation cycles in theatre are 3-6 weeks. The British Army are 'testing' an already 3-year old platform, that the US Army adopted two years ago. People still believe that the UK is moving 'at pace' to adopt a 'war fighting readiness'. Laughable.

Goes again the whole punish Europe vibe. At least FMS there continues.

This should not even be a question. The balanced force model is already broken, gone, finished. Plenty of secondary roles for Army on continent, and exciting opportunities for transforming “land power” via new tech in future, but “taking and holding” ground in the depths of Eastern Europe don’t think so. Doesn’t mean no presence but with specialised troops rather than entire battlegroups. Eur allies don’t need more soldiers (not that we could put any significant force in the field anytime soon anyway), they need us to lead where we’re best and where it’s harder for them — in the air domain FIRST, in cyber/space, and also at sea. Space should be (near) top of the list for anyone serious abt Uk contribution to actual Eur defence, let alone our own national requirements as a power with global pretensions.

🚨EXCLUSIVE🚨 Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to fund Britain’s military is set to be unveiled next week, industry sources have told The Telegraph. Several insiders have signalled the long-delayed defence investment plan (DIP) could be ready by June 11. It would mean the plan can be revealed a week before John Healey, the Defence Secretary, is expected to attend a major summit of Nato defence ministers in Ramstein, Germany, on June 18. “We’re hearing it from all angles,” one defence source said of the June 11 date, while another claimed some major military contractors have been told to begin moving equipment to support a potential announcement next Thursday. “We’ve heard similar things before and they haven’t happened but this time it felt like it was a bit more co-ordinated and a bit less flaky... the movement around this suggests this date is very credible,” another source said. Full story: telegraph.co.uk/gift/5888b69…

Learn how to cook Lasagne alla bolognese for 80 sailors in the 5-square-meter galley of a French Navy nuclear-powered attack submarine. 👨‍🍳⚓️🇫🇷🍽 Useful tip: Add some honey to reduce the acidity. #militaryfood by forces_sous_marines / INS

It is a standoff weapon, but a glide weapon that must be dropped from altitude compared to the Spear which is powered and can be launched from low altitude - per the OP.

At SOCOM’s request, the rifle features a swappable barrel, allowing operators to change between legacy cartridges and the newer 6.5mm Creedmoor. defensenews.com/news/your-mi…

army.mod.uk/news/deep-underg… 9 DSRB in a shrinking British Army

The Shangri-La Dialogue has officially kicked off! Who, When, Where, Why, and What is it? 👀 Nik and Eddie break down everything you need to know about Asia's foremost defence summit and the UK's role at the heart of it. 🇬🇧🇸🇬 #IISS_SLD26