New Chief of Defence takes post

Your weekly dose of defence news, biased opinions and poorly curated content. You’re welcome.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton has become the UK’s new Chief of the Defence Staff, taking over from Admiral Sir Tony Radakin. Knighton was an interesting choice for the head of the RAF (his previous gig) as he was the first non-pilot to take the role. Giving the biggest job in defence to a non-combat airman is perhaps indicative of a future where technical and engineering expertise, rather than pure combat experience, are increasingly valued on the battlefield.

The UK has landed its biggest ever warship export deal - a £10bn agreement to supply Norway with five Type 26 frigates. The government says it will support 4,000 jobs in Glasgow and beyond “for working people”…whoever they are. Either way, the deal strengthens NATO’s northern flank and puts British shipbuilding ahead of French, German and US rivals. There are rumours that other Scandi countries also want in on the Scottish shopping spree.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s flight faced a GPS blackout while landing in Bulgaria, with pilots resorting to paper maps for the approach. The finger was immediately pointed at Russia, with general government flapping over electronic warfare threats. The Kremlin (really surprisingly) denied responsibility.

Big events from the past, covered in brief and probably inaccurately.

Within a year of WWI commencing, the Western Front had settled into a deadly stalemate, with trenches and barbed wire stifling movement. To break through, British Colonel Ernest Swinton and William Hankey proposed a tracked, armoured vehicle capable of crossing rough terrain and smashing enemy lines. Backed by Winston Churchill and the government (via the secretive Landships Committee) the first prototype - Little Willie - rolled off the production line 1915, followed by improvements that led to the Mark I at the Somme in 1916. Clunky and temperamental, these early tanks hinted at a formidable potential fully realised by the Mark IV at Cambrai in 1917, where hundreds crushed enemy positions and captured thousands of troops. The tank’s arrival marked a turning point in warfare: mobility, firepower, and armour combined to end static trench battles and shape modern mechanised combat across the 20th century.

To maintain secrecy, the vehicles were presented as battlefield water carriers and shipped in crates marked “tank”…a name that stuck.

Changing things up? This is where we briefly look at career options from across the civvy world - everything goes here so expect some absolute drivel. Sometimes Forces Assist can help place you, sometimes we can’t. Either way we can offer advice.

Private Service is an industry that doesn’t often come up at careers fairs, but it’s big, varied and has lots of roles for veterans.

We talked about this in detail on our Insta:

Over at Forces Assist we’re always looking for qualled up drivers nationally. If you have driving qualifications and are looking for work then head to forcesassist.com to start conversations.

Cheers,

Team Forces Assist