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24 Oct 24. Armed Forces not ready to fight a war, admits Defence Secretary. John Healey says military has been ‘hollowed out’ and ‘underfunded’ under last government.
The Armed Forces are not ready to fight a war, the Defence Secretary has admitted.
John Healey said the military had been “hollowed out” and “underfunded” under the last government to such an extent that it would not be able to deter the enemy if war broke out today.
He said: “The UK, in keeping with many other nations, has essentially become very skilled and ready to conduct military operations. What we’ve not been ready to do is to fight. Unless we are ready to fight, we are not in shape to deter.
“This is at the heart of the Nato thinking. We’ve got to not just be capable of defending our Nato nations, but more importantly we’ve got to be more effective in the deterrence we provide against any future aggression.”
This week, Vladimir Putin’s allies gathered at a summit in Russia in what the Russian president claimed was the start of a new world order.
In attendance were Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, as well as the leaders of 36 countries including Iran, India, South Africa the UAE, Ethiopia and Egypt.
Military figures suggested Britain could fight but needed to ensure that it remained technologically advanced. A senior Army source told The Telegraph the British military was putting in the work to fight effectively in modern warfare.
“We can fight, no question,” said the source, who warned that the risk the British military faced in war was that it “might be left dangerously obsolete” because adversaries were more advanced.
“We’re ready to fight the last war. But we need to be ready to fight the next war,” he added.
Mr Healey’s comments came after he was asked on the Politico podcast Power Play about a recent warning by Gen Sir Roland Walker, the head of the Army, that the UK needs to be ready to fight a major war in three years and must double its ability to kill the enemy by 2027 and triple it by the end of the decade. Earlier this year, The Telegraph revealed that Gen Sir Patrick Sanders, a former head of the Army, was to warn that civilians would be called up to fight in the event of war because the Army was too small. It has been reduced to its smallest size for centuries and he argued that, as a result, the public would need to bulk up the depleted force. (Source: Daily Telegraph)
23 Oct 24. Turkey: Earlier on 23 October, unknown assailants launched a suicide bombing and small arms attack against the Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TAI) facility in the capital Ankara’s Kahramankazan district. The security forces killed two assailants. Turkish Minister of the Interior Ali Yerlikaya issued a statement confirming that at least four individuals were killed and 14 others were injured in the attack.
SIGNIFICANCE
- The attack comes a day after Devlet Bahçeli, a leading Turkish nationalist parliamentarian and ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, invited the imprisoned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan to call publicly for the group’s dissolution before the Turkish parliament. The attack also comes a year after the PKK claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing outside a government building in Ankara.
- While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack, the authorities are likely to blame members of the PKK; the incident is broadly consistent with known PKK attacks against government and military assets.
- TAI is a large aerospace defence business responsible for designing, developing and manufacturing aerospace systems, including various drones and the TF Kaan, Turkey’s first national combat aircraft.
FORECAST
A heightened security posture near government and military-industry facilities is highly likely in the coming days, elevating travel disruption. Arbitrary stop-and-search operations are likely along major highways and intersections throughout Turkey, particularly around Ankara and its Kahramankazan district, driving travel disruption and the risk of arbitrary arrests. There is a realistic possibility such operations will prompt sporadic scuffles with affected members of the public, driving elevated bystander security risks in the coming week.
A nationwide crackdown on suspected PKK members is likely as the authorities investigate the incident. Turkish intelligence and the security forces are likely to conduct wide-scale raids on properties and business assets throughout Turkey in the coming weeks. These are particularly likely around Kurdish-majority population centres. Such operations will elevate ethno-religious tensions as well as the risk of arbitrary detention and clashes with the security forces, driving bystander risks. Heightened ethno-religious tensions will elevate the likelihood of domestic unrest, particularly in south-eastern provinces where there are larger Kurdish populations, including Diyarbakır, Hakkâri, Mardin and Şırnak provinces.
The Turkish military is likely to conduct airstrikes on PKK positions in the coming days, elevating security risks in northern Iraq. In response to the attack, we assess that the Turkish Air Force (TuAF) will likely target camps and weapons depots in Duhok, Erbil and Nineveh governorates (all Iraq), elevating bystander risks and the likelihood of damage to proximate business assets, including in large towns and cities. This will also likely elevate diplomatic tensions between the Turkish and Iraqi governments, driving broader regional tensions. (Source: Sibylline)
23 Oct 24. Deadly ‘terror’ attack hits major defense company in Turkey. Emergency services respond to the attack at the Turkish Aerospace Industries in Ankara on Wednesday.
A deadly “terror” attack targeted a Turkish aerospace company in the capital Ankara, government officials said Wednesday.
“A terrorist attack was carried out against the Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TUSAS) Ankara Kahramankazan facilities. Unfortunately, we have martyrs and injured people after the attack,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X.
A social media video verified and geolocated by CNN showed the moment an explosion rocked the TUSAS headquarters. After the blast, a person holding a firearm is seen running in what appears to be a parking lot.
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Ankara mayor Mansur Yavas said he was “saddened” by the attack on TUSAS, a major defense company.
TUSAS was incorporated into Turkey’s Ministry of Industry and Technology in 1973 in order to reduce the country’s “foreign dependence in defense industry,” according to its website.
Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said an investigation has been launched into the attack.
The US State Department is “tracking reports” of the attack, a spokesperson told CNN.
Following the attack, the company’s general manager, Mehmet Demiroglu, left a high-profile defense fair early to return to Ankara, state news agency Anadolu reported.
The attack occurred while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in the Russian city of Kazan to attend the annual BRICS summit.
(Source: CNN)
23 Oct 24. A landmark defence agreement was signed by Defence Secretary John Healey MP and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius in London today in a major moment for NATO, and European security and prosperity. It is the first-of-its-kind agreement between the UK and Germany on defence.
- Defence Secretary John Healey MP and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius will sign the landmark Trinity House Agreement today (Wednesday 23 October), bringing the two nations closer together than ever before.
- Agreement will boost the economy, investment, and jobs, paving the way for a new artillery gun barrel factory to open in the UK.
- German aircraft will operate from Scotland as part of the agreement, bolstering European security.
The signing of the Trinity House Agreement marks a fundamental shift in the UK’s relations with Germany and for European security. This agreement between Europe’s two biggest defence spenders will strengthen national security and economic growth in the face of growing Russian aggression and increasing threats.
The new partnership will help drive investment into the UK – with the agreement paving the way for a new artillery gun barrel factory to be opened in the UK, supporting more than 400 jobs and nearly half a bn-pounds boost to the British economy. The opening of the Rheinmetall factory will see the UK manufacture artillery gun barrels for the first time in 10 years, using British steel produced by Sheffield Forgemasters.
The deal will see the UK and Germany work together systemically for years to come on a range of ground-breaking defence projects and across all domains (air, land, sea, space and cyber). This includes working jointly to rapidly develop brand-new extended deep strike weapons that can travel further with more precision than current systems, including Storm Shadow.
It will bring the two nation’s defence industries closer than ever, including a long-term commitment to manufacturing Boxer armoured vehicles, supporting skilled jobs across the UK. The deal also aims to support and expanded complex weapons development in the UK, laying a path for Sting Ray Torpedoes procurement.
The Trinity House Agreement includes:
- New long-range strike weapons – working jointly to rapidly develop a new system that can fire even further and be more precise in its targeting than any current system.
- New boost for British industry – a new large calibre gun manufacturing facility in the UK, supporting more than 400 jobs, and planned to use British steel, bringing nearly half a bn-pound economic boost to the UK over 10 years.
- New cooperation to strengthen the Eastern Flank – the armies training and exercising more together, using the front as a catalyst for developing new ways of fighting.
- Land Industrial Cooperation – cooperation on Boxer armed vehicles and kickstarting collaboration of land-based drones.
- Protecting critical underwater infrastructure – working together to protect the vital cables in the seabed on the North Sea. This includes exploring new offboard undersea surveillance capabilities to improve detection of adversary activity.
- German planes in Scotland – German P8 aircraft will periodically operate out of Lossiemouth to help protect the North Atlantic.
- New drones – working towards drones that could operate alongside our fighter jets, as well as drones that can be used by other military force.
- Exploration and development of new Maritime Uncrewed Air System capabilities.
- New Ukraine support – new joint work to enable German Sea King helicopters to be armed with modern missile systems as well as work on capability coalitions.
- Joint work with partners to integrate air defence systems to better protect European air space against the threat of long-range missiles, building on work agreed at the NATO Defence Ministers meeting just last week.
The agreement is a key example of the Government delivering on its commitment to reset relations with European allies and bolster national security. It will be signed less than 100 days after the Defence Secretary visited Berlin to kick off negotiations in July and is the first pillar in a wider UK-Germany treaty pledged by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Olaf Scholz in August.
Defence Secretary John Healey MP said: “The Trinity House Agreement is a milestone moment in our relationship with Germany and a major strengthening of Europe’s security. It secures unprecedented levels of new cooperation with the German Armed Forces and industry, bringing benefits to our shared security and prosperity, protecting our shared values and boosting our defence industrial bases. This landmark agreement delivers on the Government’s manifesto commitment to strike a new defence relationship with Germany – less than four months since winning the election in July – and we will build on this new cooperation in the months and years ahead. I pay tribute to our negotiating teams who have worked hard at pace to deliver this.”
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said: “The UK and Germany are moving closer together. With projects across the air, land, sea, and cyber domains, we will jointly increase our defence capabilities, thereby strengthening the European pillar within NATO. We can only strengthen our ability to act together. This is why our cooperation projects are open to other partners. We must not take security in Europe for granted. Russia is waging war against Ukraine, it is increasing its weapons production immensely and has repeatedly launched hybrid attacks on our partners in Eastern Europe. With the Trinity House Agreement, we are showing that the NATO Allies have recognised what these times require and are determined to improve their deterrence and defence capabilities. As it lays the foundation for future projects, the Trinity House Agreement is an important contribution to this. It is particularly important to me that we cooperate even more closely to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank and to close critical capability gaps, for instance in the field of long-range strike weapons.”
Armin Papperger, CEO and Chairman of Rheinmetall AG commented that: “Rheinmetall’s investment in the gun hall reflects a forward-looking approach to innovation, collaboration, and national defence. It ensures the UK remains a leader in developing and manufacturing defence technologies that safeguard both national and global security.”
Gary Nutter, Chief Executive Officer at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: I am delighted to confirm that Sheffield Forgemasters will reinstate gun barrels manufacture after a 20-year hiatus, to supply large-calibre gun-barrels to Germany’s Rheinmetall AG, servicing UK defence contracts and exports. ” (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
18 Oct 24. Switzerland defends decision to omit subsidiaries from Russian sanctions. Switzerland is “unequivocally committed” to sanctions against Moscow, the government said on Friday, after it decided not to adopt in full a package of European Union measures, a move the U.S. ambassador called disappointing.
As Western governments try to cut off Russia’s means to finance its war on Ukraine, U.S. officials have pressed Switzerland to do more to close loopholes given the country’s role as a global financial centre and commodity trading hub.
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the department that oversees Switzerland’s sanctions regime, said in a statement emailed to Reuters that the decision not to implement the full EU sanctions package this week was “not politically motivated.”
“Switzerland is unwaveringly and unequivocally committed to sanctions against Russia,” it said.
The government took issue with wording that requires companies to prevent circumvention via their subsidiaries “to the best of their ability.” (Source: glstrade.com/Reuters)
18 Oct 24. EDA Coordinates Efforts to Develop Military Testing in the Era of AI. The European Defence Agency (EDA) brought together military experts, researchers, and industry professionals in October to shape the future of testing and evaluation of military capabilities.
The development of testing and evaluation (T&E) centres for defence systems has been a priority for the EDA since its inception in 2004. Ensuring that testing across the EU follows the same procedures is crucial for interoperability among European forces and for equipment, where interoperability must be established from the ground up.
Over the three days of the conference from 8 October 2024, more than 100 participants from 18 EU Member States, EDA partner countries, EU institutions, and other relevant stakeholders gathered for the Fourth Test and Evaluation Community Days Conference in Linköping, Sweden.
In Linköping, delegates reflected on lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on defence testing capabilities, the influence of big data on decision-making within T&E organisations, and what testing and evaluation may mean for a new generation of experts.
As multidomain operations become a crucial element of modern warfare, understanding the interplay between air, land, maritime, space, and cyber operations is essential for building interoperability. In Sweden, experts shared case studies on international cooperation, illustrating how countries can collaborate to overcome common challenges, such as differing testing requirements and procedures across jurisdictions.
Part of the discussions was the IT platform developed for the European Defence Test and Evaluation Base (DTEB). This platform aims to identify test centres across EU Member States, highlighting available resources and challenges in the domains of land, maritime, air, space, and cyber defence. This initiative could play a pivotal role in addressing gaps in testing and evaluation resources across Europe, leading to more integrated and efficient efforts.
The event was co-organised with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, and delegates visited two test centres, one for land in Karlsborg and the other for air in Linköping. (Source: ASD Network)
18 Oct 24. Industrial Strategy: The end of the beginning. There is a warm sense of satisfaction in the office this week over the Government’s Green Paper for the Industrial Strategy, hot on the heels of their highly touted International Investment Summit. For well over a year, we have been calling for a holistic industrial strategy that is co-created with industry. In particular, the government’s recognition of Advanced Manufacturing, Defence, and Digital and Technology as key enablers of economic growth are hugely welcome and reflective of our sectors’ strategic importance at the heart of the UK’s prosperity and national security. However, I recognise this is far from the end of our hard work on this, but it is a great step forward.
Before the Green Paper, it was encouraging to see such firm rhetoric from the Government at and before the Summit itself on the importance and value of making the UK a globally attractive place to invest. By bringing down those barriers and investing in skills and infrastructure, the Government can see real returns on its policies. With the value ADS’ sectors provide to the UK economy increasing 50% in the last decade, initiatives further allowing our sectors to truly thrive and invest will bring huge returns to the UK and fuel the creation of thousands of high-skilled, high-paid jobs across all regions and nations of the UK. With two primary sectors from among our membership recognised as growth sectors, in defence and aerospace (within Advanced Manufacturing) respectively, alongside the wider contribution our members make in the Digital and Technologies and Professional and Business Services spheres, it’s clear that the Government recognises the significant economic potential of our sectors.
That level of recognition truly is a great acknowledgement for our sectors, and is a reflection of a lot of hard work within ADS, our wider membership and with stakeholders from throughout the political ecosystem.
While this Green Paper made a good start, and we are already deeply involved in the process of consulting with members, we now need detail of what the Industrial Strategy will entail. This cannot be a lone initiative that exists with a vacuum around it in Government. It must be a true guiding philosophy across Whitehall, the backbone of reasoning for all their investment decisions and business policies. This must be achieved through close collaboration between our sectors and the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council, whereby business has a strong voice in shaping effective policy.
The Government has produced a notably condensed timeline for the consultation on this Green Paper, however, those who would like to take part in the process should reach out to ADS’ Head of Policy Nathan Mathiot.
Moreover, we need practical delivery of the Strategy, in its full and final form, quickly. After years of a highly damaging cost-of-doing-business crisis, we need change. Our sectors have been held back from delivering the full potential of the economic value and number of jobs in recent years by the challenges we’ve faced. This Strategy must empower our sectors to bring prosperity to communities across the country. We should not be held back any longer. (Source: ADS)
18 Oct 24. UK MoD using AI to help prepare defence review outcome. The Strategic Defence Review will present in the first half of 2025 amid the prospect that cuts will be required in order to plug a claimed £22bn black hole in the UK’s public finances. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is using artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in the analysis of thousands of responses into the future Strategic Defence Review (SDR), which is due to report in 2025 amid the potential for cuts to key procurement programmes.
Disclosing the use of AI on 15 October into the MoD’s SDR, Minster for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard said that it was “helping” to “comprehend and analyse over 8,000 responses across the propositions, totalling over 2.2 m words”.
Pollard said that the use of AI was “enhancing” the SDR team’s ability to “focus on complex tasks”, such as applying “robust challenge” to submissions through panel sessions during October and November 2024.
“AI is not a replacement for human judgment, but an enabler of greater efficiency and one part of facilitating a more comprehensive review process. Decisions on drafting are solely made by the reviewers: Lord George Robertson, General Sir Richard Barrons and Dr Fiona Hill,” said Pollard.
The UK government confirmed on 15 October 2024, that more than 1,700 individuals and organisations responded to the SDR request for comment, providing more than 8,000 answers across 23 propositions.
Respondents included serving and retired members of the UK military, the defence industry, the public, academics, members of the UK parliament, as well as UK allies and partners, including Nato.
The UK MoD declined to specify to Army Technology which AI program was being used to help analyse initial responses.
The UK has received rare public criticism from the United States in recent months as London appears to be increasingly isolated in the diplomatic sector, with Washington preferring to deal with European Union members such as the Netherlands, France, and Germany.
Criticism from the US has centred on the UK’s ability to uphold its Nato requirement in terms of land capability commitments.
In January 2024 US Secretary of the Navy Carlos del Toro called for the UK to “reassess” its defence spending, amid a wholesale restructure of the British Army and reduction in personnel.
However, the outcome of the SDR could result in cuts to major programmes, with UK government claims of a £22bn black hole in public finances potentially a prelude to another round of cost savings.
Given the ongoing war in Ukraine and the parlous state of the UK’s military, particularly in the land domain, it will be hoped that any cuts that are required would be minimal, compared to other sectors in country’s economy.
Generative AI sees the creation of video, text, and images by AI models when presented with a dataset or prompt, with the most common example of its kind OpenAI’s ChatGPT AI chat program.
Manish Dixit, practice head of disruptive tech at GlobalData, said that the AI sector was experiencing “explosive growth”, driven by unprecedented levels of investment and the emergence of new players in the industry.
“The successful implementation of [hybrid neural architectures and cognitive systems] will fundamentally reshape decision-making, operational efficiency, and strategy across industries,” Dixit said.
Across the defence sector, AI has cemented its position as one of the most crucial technologies for the coming battlespace, and is already being used in areas such as data analysis and mission operations.
(Source: army-technology.com)
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