Defence Secretary Ben Wallace defended plans to cut the number of troops as he announced an updated plan for the military on Tuesday. The Defence White Paper (pdf) confirmed that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will press ahead with a previously announced plan to reduce the size of the regular army to around 73,000 troops…

Ben Wallace has confirmed that he will resign as defence secretary in the next Cabinet reshuffle. The Conservative MP will also stand down in the next general election, but doesn’t plan to trigger a by-election by resigning “prematurely,” he told The Times of London. “I’m not standing next time,” Mr. Wallace said. “I went into…

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has pushed back against criticisms of his decision to cut the UK’s last remaining C-130J Hercules transport aircraft, which critics say would leave the country “dangerously exposed.” Wallace announced the decision in March 2021. He told the House of Commons at the time, “As the transport fleet improves availability, we will…

Britain is supplying Ukraine’s armed forces with long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has announced. Addressing the House of Commons on Thursday, Wallace said the missiles would allow Ukraine to hit Russian troops, ammunition, and fuel dumps deep behind the front line. He told MPs: “Today, I can confirm that the UK…

The British military has evacuated UK diplomats and their families from war-torn Sudan in a “complex and rapid” operation, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said. Hundreds have died in a bloody conflict between the Sudanese army and a powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces, which broke out eight days ago. In a…

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has hailed Finland’s accession to the NATO military alliance, calling it a “historic day.” Finland formally joined NATO on Tuesday as Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto completed the accession process by handing over an official document to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Sunak…

Britain and its NATO allies have allowed their ammunition reserves to fall to “dangerously low levels” as they seek to keep Ukraine supplied in its resistance against the Russian invasion, a parliamentary committee has said. The Defence Committee in the House of Commons warned on Tuesday that rebuilding Britain’s munitions stockpile could take at least…

The army’s “troubled” Ajax armoured vehicles order is now back on track after remedies were put in place to fix the issues, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Wednesday. Inspecting Ajax trials near the Bovington Camp, Wallace said the Ministry of Defence (MoD) aims to deploy the vehicles soon after the testing programme is completed in about…

The international community should support Ukraine with long-term military and security assurances, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion. The conflict began exactly one year ago, when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. At a virtual meeting with G-7 leaders…

The war in Ukraine could last another year, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said. This Friday will mark the first anniversary of the war, which began when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. Asked whether the public will still see Ukraine and Russia at war in another 12…