The Military Engineer

[Think Defence @thinkdefence]

A short thread on construction plant for light military forces. Not every unit can be fully mechanised or armoured, transport or terrain constraints force compromise. What are the alternatives to picks & shovels?

[John Healey @JohnHealey_MP]

My letter to the Prime Minister

[Deborah Haynes @haynesdeborah]

Extraordinarily - and this seems to demonstrate a complete disregard of the seriousness of defence at the heart of government - John Healey was only told what the offer was for additional defence funding on Monday afternoon.

I am told Number 10 then tried to rush and publish the Defence Investment Plan on Thursday.

Then a handbrake was applied by Mr Healey and his military chiefs. The (now ex) defence secretary made clear that racing to release the blueprint without a settlement that had been accepted by him and his team would be a risk for defence and for its soldiers, sailors and aviators.

You can only imagine the tone of the exchange that must have taken place - and I know that people were in the MOD until very late last night.

But John Healey firmly believes the settlement was inadequate and, if left unchallenged, would not enable the UK to keep the country safe or meet its international commitments - such as help defend Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.

A key detail is that Mr Healey believes defence spending must be increased to 3% of GDP by 2030, up from 2.3% now. This would guarantee tens of billions of additional pounds for defence.

But - despite the stakes and the position of the defence secretary - the Prime Minister and Chancellor agreed just to inch it up to 2.68% of GDP within that time frame, after hitting a new target of 2.6% next year (which is already being inflated by lumping in the 0.1% that is spent on the intelligence agencies).

Utterly incredible.

What must our allies and our adversaries be thinking, let alone everyone in the UK armed forces and, frankly, everyone in our country?

We all rely on a secure UK to live, work, go to school, enjoy holidays, access healthcare, spend time with friends and families.

This is not a divine right. It happens because we have security - something that might not be apparent until or unless it is compromised...

[The Military Engineer @TheMilitaryEngr]

@thinkdefence @MtarfaL I remember reading this at the time. A few good discussions with colleagues followed, discussing the huge benefits of a joint enablement formation of Army RE and RLC, with associated RAF organisations such as 5001 Sqn. It makes so much sense and with few downsides.

[The Military Engineer @TheMilitaryEngr]

@thinkdefence I think we do care... It's just that we don't understand it or think about it the wrong way.. which is understandable when you consider how little exposure soldiers and officers have to money stuff. Maybe a shift to greater financial authority at lower levels is the solution?

[The Military Engineer @TheMilitaryEngr]

@thinkdefence As others have said: name and shame. If we complain about videos (as well as you) help the process of getting the accounts banned or at least demonetised?

[The Military Engineer @TheMilitaryEngr]

Love a bit of airfield engineering - often overshadowed (along with other aspects of force support engineering ) by the shiny shinys of close support and EOD etc.... that is until it's needed! Hopefully our PSA and AM-2 stocks have been looked after since the 80s.

[Think Defence @thinkdefence]

Let's talk about...

The immediate post conflict operations at Port Stanley airport, 1982. Harrier and Hercules, the two essential aircraft

THREAD

[Larisa Brown @larisamlbrown]

EXCLUSIVE Sir Keir Starmer is expected to approve an £18 billion increase in defence spending as he faces a battle for political survival https://t.co/Y6kL9Sx46b with @Steven_Swinford and @oliver_wright

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

“Unprecedented destruction”

Majority of U.S. military sites in the Middle East damaged by Iran, CNN investigation reveals.

Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth desperately tried to keep the extent of the damage from the public so people wouldn’t see how badly this was botched. Now the images are coming out and they’re disturbing.

[MtarfaLee @MtarfaL]

The Troubled Odyssey of the GDLS AJAX Programme: A Chronicle of Procurement Failures

Views my own, corrections welcome.

1/25

In the annals of British defence procurement, few sagas rival the protracted and scandal-ridden journey of the AJAX armoured vehicle programme (but E-7 seems to be giving it a good run for its money). Conceived as a cornerstone of the British Army’s modernisation efforts, AJAX promised to deliver a family of cutting-edge platforms capable of revolutionising reconnaissance and combat operations in an era of networked warfare. Rooted in the late 1990s’ Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) initiative, it evolved into a £5.5 billion contract awarded to General Dynamics Land Systems UK (GDLS-UK) in 2010 for 589 vehicles across six variants: the reconnaissance-focused AJAX, the ARES personnel carrier, the ATHENA command vehicle, the ARGUS engineer reconnaissance variant, the ATLAS recovery vehicle, and the APOLLO repair platform.
These vehicles were envisioned as digitally integrated marvels, boasting superior mobility, sensor fusion, and data-sharing capabilities to align with the Army’s multi-domain operations doctrine. Yet, what began as a beacon of innovation has devolved into a quagmire of missed milestones, manufacturing blunders, health and safety catastrophes, and institutional intransigence. Drawing on exhaustive reports like the Sheldon Review (2023), the Ajax Noise and Vibration Review (2021), parliamentary evidence sessions, whistleblower testimonies, and the latest update from Defence Secretary Luke Pollard on the 22nd January 2026, this thread attempts to unravel the programme’s timeline. It exposes how commercial pressures from GDLS-UK and the Army’s unyielding push for capability have consistently trumped the welfare of service personnel. Special emphasis is placed on the pivotal role of the Institute of Naval Medicine (INM) report, which laid bare the severe noise and vibration risks, with direct quotes (just to remind everyone) underscoring the gravity of these failures. As I go deeper into this narrative, the evidence paints a damning picture of systemic failures that have allowed AJAX to limp forward, at great human and financial cost.

[Patricia Marins @pati_marins64]

US Strikes on Venezuela

Numerous military bases and ports in Venezuela were bombed this morning, marking the start of the attack. This was followed by a wave of Chinook helicopters, likely initiating ground operations, in a capital that is largely in darkness since electrical generation was also targeted in some areas.

Chinook helicopters and AH-64 Apaches appear to be flying well away from the 5,000 MANPADS and conducting special operations, as I believe the dozens of explosions have practically eliminated Venezuelan radars and main air defenses.

Ground operations are continuing throughout the morning. Based on the number of helicopters visible in the videos, hundreds of American soldiers are involved in the operation.

[OSINTdefender @sentdefender]

Footage showing a massive explosion earlier at Higuerote Airport in the State of Miranda, Northern Venezuela, with the secondary explosions and fire suggesting a strike against a surface-to-air missile launcher with the Venezuelan Air Force.

[NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 @NOELreports]

Caracas is under fire. Multiple U.S. strikes have hit key military sites: Fuerte Tiuna, La Carlota airbase, and a communications center in El Hatillo, all under Maduro’s control. Explosions echo through the capital, the power is out in parts of the city, and U.S. helicopters are flying low. Fires also rage near La Guaira.

[Ukraine Control Map @UAControlMap]

Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Key Summary 2025

In December 2024 we said two things that upset people:
- There's plenty of war left
- We hope Russia advances 4000 square kilometers (Hold your outrage)

We'll be covering in this thread 🧵on what that meant in 2025, and beyond

[UK Defence Journal @UKDefJournal]

A senior employee of General Dynamics UK has posted comments on social media suggesting that crews bear responsibility for several problems associated with the British Army’s Ajax armoured vehicle. Click image for more.
https://t.co/mBDnjaK1yv

[Ricky D Phillips - Military Historian @RDPHistory]

Welcome to bloody Scotland... 1,700 historic Royal Engineers drawings lost in a van which was set on fire.

[Francis Tusa @FTusa284]

Shared with you by a Times subscriber. Enjoy this article for free.

Holy, Cr*p...
https://t.co/Kzbe9nA0ZM

[Think Defence @thinkdefence]

𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗

Let's discuss...

The Military Load Classification system, or MLC, a British Invention that is now a NATO standard

Its origin story and current use

[John Spencer @SpencerGuard]

"The U.N. Genocide Report Against Israel Is an Assault on Critical Thinking" my latest @FreeBeacon https://t.co/cUMdiGTjkr

Presented as a "legal analysis" from a trio led by Navi Pillay, the former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, anyone who reads the text with even a modest degree of critical thinking will see that it is not an impartial investigation. It is an advocacy document that begins with a verdict and works backward, collecting fragments of information that support its claim while excluding anything that would complicate or contradict it.

...Taken together, these omissions create a distorted picture. By removing Hamas from the battlefield, the commission portrays Israel as waging a one-sided assault on civilians. By ignoring Hamas’s crimes against its own population, it absolves Hamas of responsibility for civilian suffering. By erasing Israel’s humanitarian efforts, it denies evidence that contradicts the accusation of genocidal intent. This is not an investigation. It is narrative construction.

What the report never demonstrates is the one thing the Genocide Convention requires: specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. Israel’s stated intent has been consistent and clear: to return its hostages, destroy Hamas’s military capacity, remove Hamas from power, and defend its citizens. That is not genocide. That is war.

[The Military Engineer @TheMilitaryEngr]

@thinkdefence What's FRES?