Your weekly dose of defence news, biased opinions and poorly curated content. You’re welcome.
TOP STORY THIS WEEK
It’s all go in the English Channel
Circling before dropping off the camera crew
The bootnecks have (finally) had their day.
As you will have seen (because, for some reason, an entire professional camera team was accompanying them), the Royal Marines and NCA boarded the Smyrtos - a Russian "shadow fleet" vessel - to much fanfare.
Slightly unsportingly, the British have charged the Indian captain.
The Russian reaction? Send a frigate, fire a couple of potshots at a retired couple, and carry on business as usual.
IN OTHER NEWS
Tupac Tump: Peace in the Middle East?
The very expensive peace deal, brokered by Pakistan to bring peace with Iran, is currently holding. Trump is hailing the $300bn bill as a bargain, claiming he has inflicted $1.7tn in damage. Quick math.
He also says America won't be footing the bill and expects regional states and private investors to chip in. Seems likely.
The usual threats to "bomb the hell out of them" if the deal falls through are still in the mixer.
USA might buy Chagos
I smell FREE CASH
I'm not giving this too many column inches, but it is apparently a thing. Part of a memorandum released by the White House recently suggested the US was considering options to buy Chagos from Mauritius should the British handover go through.
One British commentator described it as the most "monumentally ridiculous deal" - I’ll dig the source out asap.
IN THE MEDIA
Quite nice actually: RM Raids
BFBS have kept this little bit short enough for you to get through it. A few mins talking about the raid and who the geezers with the cameras were.
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
Big events from the past, covered in brief and probably inaccurately.
18th June 1815: Battle of Waterloo
Pictured before he got absolutely smashed by the Brits
On the 18th June 1815: Napoleon's final gamble came to an end at Waterloo.
After 23 years of near-constant warfare, a coalition army led by the Duke of Wellington and Prussian forces under Blücher defeated the little French Emperor in what remains one of the most consequential battles in European history.
The Brits have literally never mentioned it since.
JOB SPOTLIGHT
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.
Swindon, Yorkshire - you’re next!
Gas engineers - starting north of £32k with a decent benefits package. Can take newly qualified ACS peeps. Reply to this email or fill in this form (just ignore the driving question and put your gas quals in the notes). As always, if you give us the name of someone who is looking for work and they pass probation, we’ll send you £500 no questions asked.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Get your mucker to sign up for this…
Bored of asking - they’ll love Despatches and we’ll love them.
Cheers,
Team Forces Assist