Defence

Gurkhas called up to fill army ranks - 11/06/00 Army recruits Nepalese at one-third regular cost

Tories will scrap plans to set up EU army - 12/06/00

Job cuts at defence firm [BAe] - 15/06/00

SAS to recruit troops from German army - 02/07/00

Forces fail to meet black recruitment target - 04/07/00

Women face submarine ban over risk to unborn - 09/07/00 Underwater craft to be only male-only part of armed forces under government reforms

Defence delays criticised - 06/07/00

Women nearer combat role - 10/07/00 Female soldiers may be given chance to join infantry regiments

Go-ahead for £1bn Navy warship order - 12/07/00 Government approves building of three destroyers to safeguard 5,500 British shipbuilding jobs

Britain to stand by Falklands - 13/07/00 Security of islands ensured for as long as territory needs to be defended

Forces chief routs Brown on spending - 15/07/00 Chief of the Defence Staff secures first rise in military budget since end of Cold War : Sir Charles has the right to demand a meeting with the Prime Minister : Mr Blair sided with the Service chiefs and the Defence Secretary in a classic spending showdown with the Chancellor

MoD cuts that drove military into battle - 15/07/00 Traditional battle between Treasury and Ministry of Defence reaches 'high intensity' proportions

Frontline tanks have guns that won't fire - 16/07/00

America to station stealth bomber planes in Britain - 16/07/00 First long-term assignment outside US for most secretive, expensive and feared aircraft in its air force's arsenal

British Army Apaches grounded after faults - 16/07/00

SAS charity 'threatens national security' - 16/07/00

Forces budget decline reversed - 19/07/00

MOD pulls the plug on Army radio disaster - 26/07/00

Army's decision angers farmers - 26/07/00 the Army will no longer feed its troops on British meat

RAF Harriers left guns behind in jungle action - 01/08/00

MOD admits base may be privatised - 05/08/00

Cash cuts and peacekeeping chores put Services at risk - 11/08/00

Red line at its thinnest since days of Wellington - 12/08/00 it will take five years to solve the current manning shortfall

Ministers accused of bombing cover-up - 14/08/00

MoD buying record 'abysmal' - 16/08/00

MoD cost overruns 'would buy 15 frigates' - 16/08/00

Forces may have to admit disabled - 21/08/00

Film on Marines comes under fire - 27/08/00

Welsh regiment repeats 1892 march in search of recruits - 31/08/00

The Royal Irish Regiment [A brief guide] - 02/09/00

RAF budget cut fears dismissed by minister - 02/09/00

Forces are sued over cuts in pay and housing aid - 03/09/00

Blair to focus on peacekeeping - 06/09/00

RAF plan puts three frontline squadrons at risk - 12/09/00

Body blow for the strike force - 12/09/00

Jaguar the cheap option - 12/09/00

Frigate hits the rocks in fjord fiasco - 12/09/00

HMS Grafton

RAF short of pilots after cuts in training - 14/09/00

Training delay leaves RAF short of fast pilots - 14/09/00

Gibraltar allows sub repairs - 14/09/00

Navy defence chief ends 12-year gap - 19/09/00 New CDS is Adml Sir Michael Boyce

British Army raid foils terror plot in Kosovo - 20/09/00

British troops foil Serb plot to upset elections - 20/09/00

Regiments return to regional roots for families' sake - 21/09/00

County links strong despite march of change - 21/09/00

Navy tests 'revolutionary' warship - 11/10/00

Experts to discuss crippled UK sub - 27/10/00

British troops target guns and crime in Kosovo - 29/10/00

Army drivers train to smash fuel-tax pickets - 29/10/00

Army magazine gagged over SAS jungle raid - 29/10/00

Ex-ministers [inc. Lord Healey] face police inquiry on Porton Down tests - 29/10/00 Police are examining documents which show that ministers were aware of the tests

Bomber crash sparks off new protest at low flying - 29/10/00

RAF savings mean helicopter pilots hardly ever fly - 29/10/00

US to pull out of Nato if EU force goes ahead - 29/10/00

Ministers 'making Forces political' - 02/11/00 an officer had been forced to defend Government policy

Minister [Geoff Hoon] denies Euro army move - 14/11/00

Troops pledged to new EU force - 20/11/00

EU ministers approve army plan - 20/11/00

Euro army explained - 20/11/00

Euro army widens political splits - 20/11/00

Talks to widen EU force - 21/11/00

Blair turns on 'Euro army' critics - 21/11/00

Thatcher condemns 'EU army' - 22/11/00

Nato reviews Euro force impact - 05/12/00

Chirac springs surprise on defence - 07/12/00 defying earlier agreements that the force would not compromise Nato's role

Marines to guard Trident base - 10/12/00

Nato meets as Euro row deepens - 14/12/00

MoD assesses new urban weapon - 04/01/01 Thermobaric

Britain works on grenade that goes through walls - 05/01/01

UK to sign up for super fighter - 17/01/01

What is the Joint Strike Fighter? - 17/01/01

British K-For troops under fire from Albanian rebels - 25/01/01

Pin-up soldier runs off with sergeant - 01/02/01

Army pin-up leaves her comrades in the dark - 02/02/01

How 'hobby bobbies' were to defend Falklands - 04/02/01

Britain vows to back US on Euro force - 04/02/01

Warning shot on EU army by White House - 05/02/01

Forces chief fires Nato broadside over Euro-army - 09/02/01

Cook fails to ease American doubts on EU defence plans - 09/02/01

Corporal Roberta torn off a strip for Page 3 pose - 09/02/01

Soldier faces jail over strip - 09/02/01

Army shame as another woman goes over the top - 10/02/01

Blair and Chirac split over defence - 10/02/01

£50,000 bonus for Navy pilots angers RAF men - 10/02/01

£400 million project will create computerised infantry - 11/02/01

Female pilots' arms 'too short' for Eurofighters - 11/02/01

Army eases vision standards - 11/02/01

Villagers fight MoD over tank firing on fells - 11/02/01

Call to boost Euro armies - 11/02/01 CDS Sir Charles Guthrie: Europe must beef up its own defence forces, rather than relying on the US

Officers' pay will be pinned to PC targets - 11/02/01 Performance related pay to be introduced in all three armed services, despite 'strong resistance'... One criterion for judging officers will be their success in meeting goals for racial diversity

Guthrie launches final assault on 'pc' forces - 16/02/01 Britain's most senior soldier, Gen Sir Charles Guthrie, retired last night, still shooting from the hip at the political correctness the Government has imposed on the Armed Forces

Guthrie: the trouble with women - 16/02/01 You can't have two structures: one for good times and one for bad

A general's parting shot - 16/02/01 the Labour Government's championing of a "rights" agenda leaves no room for confidence that the Armed Forces are safe in its hands

Pentagon chief sends for Tory [Iain Duncan Smith] - 17/02/01 An MOD source in London admitted that it was "quite a coup" for the Tories... members of Congress had been unimpressed by the Foreign Secretary Robin Cook's efforts to defend the Euro-army last week

Blair's big defence choice in America - 18/02/01

Cook at odds with Blair on Star Wars II - 18/02/01

Swearing ban for women's commando trainers - 18/02/01

BAE links with Boeing to bid for RAF contract - 18/02/01

Germans undercut Vickers for tank order - 18/02/01

Cook voices fears over cost of 'Son of Star Wars' - 19/02/01

Robertson welcomes Russian 'Star Wars' - 20/02/01

Bush offers support for European force - 24/02/01

Blair pledge to aid Bush on 'son of Star Wars' - 24/02/01

Critic of Euro-force given top State Department position - 24/02/01

Hand-to-hand warfare 'not for women' - 23/03/01

First women join Commando course - 23/03/01

So, this is the way to the front line - 23/03/01 On Monday, the first women soldiers to join the fearsome Commando course will go through the pain barrier

Full muster of field marshals salutes the baton - 26/03/01

Rank with long history in armies across Europe - 26/03/01

Combat tests 'watered down for women' - 26/03/01 We have been told to keep our thoughts to ourselves

EU force will not need Nato, says French military chief - 28/03/01

SAS troops seize Kosovo bomb suspects - 28/03/01

British troops on the watch over Kosovo border - 30/03/01

[Foot & Mouth] Fears focus on barracks kitchen - 01/04/01

How General Jackson makes politicians feel small - 01/04/01

Labour is risking British soldiers, says defence chief - 01/04/01

Most of our reservists are missing, admits MoD - 11/04/01

Blair 'misled public over EU reaction force' - 12/04/01 This force is not locked into Nato, it will compete with Nato and undermine our defence

EU goes global as Patten chases superpower role - 12/04/01 hostility towards America has become the "sub-text" of the EU's new Common Foreign and Security Policy

Is the war over for Britain's big battle tanks? - 14/04/01

Little Willie has outgrown today's battleground - 14/04/01

Calls to honour inventor of bomb disposal device - 16/04/01

RAF to sell off emergency services - 18/04/01

Ten regiments could be axed in recruiting crisis - 24/04/01

Ulster 'an excuse' for Army cutbacks - 25/04/01

Palace guard could face axe as Army seeks cuts - 27/04/01

MoD defends free breast implants for soldiers - 27/04/01

Army gives soldiers sex change operations - 29/04/01

Leaked papers highlight danger of Forces cuts - 01/05/01

Harriers go operational with new Maverick tankbuster - 01/05/01

Tory outcry at renewed assault on TA numbers - 02/05/01

Blair's aide ends dithering on Star Wars - 03/05/01 remarks seen as reflecting Blair's real thinking and Mr Campbell's growing influence at the heart of the Government

Blair and the missiles - 03/05/01 such equivocation is the surest route to contempt from the White House

Lack of cash 'put missile on hold' - 03/05/01 ASRAAM (Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile)

Blair faces revolt over US missile defence - 04/05/01

Labour 'wishy-washy' on missile defence, says top Bush adviser - 06/05/01

Army to merge Scottish brigades - 07/05/01

£100m vehicle order halted as Army cuts bite - 08/05/01

Minister 'lied' over plan to merge Scots brigades - 11/05/01 "This report recommends the amalgamation of the Highland and Lowland Brigades. Why John Spellar denies any knowledge of this report is hard to understand."

Hoon seeks more cash to quell Army revolt - 16/05/01 up to 10 regiments face the axe

Second woman quits commando course - 16/05/01

Minister urged to quit over Army mergers - 17/05/01 Iain Duncan Smith, the Shadow Defence Secretary, accused Mr Spellar of mounting a cover-up so as not to lose votes in Scotland

No defence - 17/05/01 Iain Duncan Smith, the shadow defence secretary, has accused the minister of not telling the truth, and he has called for his resignation. He is justified in doing so

EU 'faces rift with US on defence spending' - 17/05/01 European defence spending is dropping relentlessly

Beware Euro army, says Major - 18/05/01 He accuses Tony Blair of playing into the hands of the French by undermining the primacy of the Nato alliance

Britain may come to regret Blair's Euro-army muddle - By John Major - 18/05/01

Tories go on the attack over neglected defence issue - 25/05/01 the forces could no longer cope with the same number of commitments, especially with the Army so short of soldiers

Britain fails to heal rift on EU force - 26/05/01 the dispute could expose Mr Blair to renewed Tory accusations that he is undermining Nato

Euro army unveils Germanic anthem - 27/05/01 British troops taking part in operations with the new European rapid reaction force will march to a Germanic-sounding anthem

Europe falls out with US over missile shield plan - 30/05/01

Nato pressed over Baltic states - 31/05/01

RAF ends 56 years in Germany - 15/06/01

Hoon scraps Britain's last ever warplane - 13/07/01 Britain will never design and build another combat aircraft as a result of a decision by Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, to stop funding for the RAF's future fighter-bomber. The decision was taken in Feb but kept quiet until after the General Election

Clipped wings: end of the Spitfire tradition - 13/07/01 The industry that led the world into the jet age now looks set to be a junior partner to the giants of American aerospace

Hoon may cut Army to solve recruits problem - 13/07/01

Apache gunship delayed a year by MoD sell-off - 15/07/01

AWOL couple sentenced - 16/07/01

Runaway lovers detained and reduced to ranks - 17/07/01

Foreign legion boosts Army - 24/07/01 The Army is recruiting large numbers of Commonwealth nationals in an attempt to cut a deficit of 8,000 soldiers

RAF loses pilots to airline handouts - 31/08/01

Hoon warned that women aren't tough enough for the front line - 02/09/01 research has uncovered widespread evidence that female soldiers undermine the battlefield effectiveness of troops

recruits not fit enough for Army training - 06/09/01 The Army has only 100,000 soldiers compared to a full strength requirement of 108,000

Army has too few medics to go to war - 23/09/01

5,000th call-out by RAF rescuers at Lossiemouth - 24/09/01

Tanks pulled out of Gulf exercise - 01/10/01 12 Challenger 2 tanks have had problems with engine air filters

Illustrious to take command in Swift Sword manoeuvres - 01/10/01 Britain's biggest naval deployment since the Falklands war

UK defence forces face shake-up - 02/10/01

UK military will change to encounter new threat - 03/10/01

Firing range in Northumberland national park gets the go-ahead - 05/10/01

MoD insurer drops cover for troops likely to go to war - 15/10/01

Rifles updated in time for invasion - 16/10/01

British troops must battle with faulty radios - 04/11/01

UK troops' anti-terror role to widen - 05/12/01

Marines sent to Kabul with faulty rifle - 24/12/01

Army save rare Waxcap - 29/12/01 A rare Waxcap toadstool is being preserved in a place where no one will dare pick it - in the middle of an Army firing range

Tougher Army training doubles female injuries - 03/01/02

Army training 'too tough for women' - 03/01/02

RAF axes Tornado force that protects London from attack - 01/02/02

UK forces 'stretched to the limit' - 10/02/02

SAS war heroes may be denied Victoria Cross - 13/02/02

Labour MP attacks mercenary peace role - 14/02/02

MoD calls for expanded TA role - 14/02/02

TA poised for new terror role - 14/02/02

TA soldiers 'didn't join to defend Heathrow' - 15/02/02

Army alters drugs policy in effort to ease recruits crisis - 17/02/02

Big cut in TA numbers was a mistake, Hoon admits - 20/02/02

TA cuts a mistake, says Hoon - 20/02/02

Courts martial in the dock over European ruling - 25/02/02

Military tribunals began in Crusades - 25/02/02

Straw under fire for wanting British troops in EU force - 04/03/02

How not to defend Europe - 04/03/02

Government 'in U-turn' on defence research sale - 07/03/02

SAS 'suicide mission' to wipe out Exocets - 08/03/02 Falklands War

Row over US veto on EU army - 15/03/02 it has emerged that Tony Blair wants to give America a veto over any EU military action!

British troops for Iraq war denied training - 17/03/02

Court martialled soldiers seek £60,000 payouts - 17/03/02 military discipline now impossible thanks to Europe

HMS Fearless makes last trip home - 18/03/02

Secret plan for bigger cuts in Army - 20/03/02 at a time when the armed forces are facing intense pressure to meet the Government's military commitments around the world

Blair absent from debate on sending in Marines - 21/03/02 Labour's idea of a "Prime Minister" was absent from last night's emergency Commons debate on sending 1,700 Royal Marines to fight in Afghanistan because he gave priority to reaching a deal with Labour MPs over banning foxhunting!!!

Prudent use of the sword - 21/03/02 Having given the Opposition no notice of one of the largest deployments for a decade, the Government then tried to deny the Commons a debate

'How will we know when the war is won?' - 21/03/02

MoD 'forced to make cuts' - 22/03/02

Army must cut Kosovo garrison to save money - 23/03/02

Blair told: expect 20 Marines to be killed - 24/03/02

The men who will take the mountains - 24/03/02

Army's new helicopter cannot fire missiles - 25/03/02

750 naval jobs to be cut - 25/03/02

750 jobs to go as Labour breaks dockyard pledge - 26/03/02

British SBS commando to get 'American VC' - 26/03/02

Welcome honour for SBS role in Afghanistan - 26/03/02

The Wessex helicopter ends duty in Ulster - 26/03/02

Britain bans boy soldiers going to war - 29/03/02

End of an era for little drummer boys and the powder monkeys - 29/03/02

Boy soldiers banned from conflict - 29/03/02

Women will not be allowed to serve on frontline, says Hoon - 30/03/02 an MOD report is believed to have concluded that most servicewomen would not be physically capable of close combat

The strange logic of sexual inequality in the Forces - 30/03/02

From military superiority to 'just about' capable - 02/04/02

Cuts 'mean we can't fight another Falklands' - 02/04/02

Sea Harrier cuts leave the fleet exposed - 02/04/02

Army holds on to its drug takers - 04/04/02

Army short of mechanics to fix vehicles - 11/04/02

UK troops stretched to limit - 12/04/02

MoD shows terrorists how to make an A-bomb - 15/04/02

Why Britain had to make its own A-bomb - 15/04/02

Atomic bomb secrets withdrawn from view - 16/04/02

Families must pay for Ulster memorials - 16/04/02 Relatives of British serviceman killed in Northern Ireland have been told they must pay £100 each if they want a permanent memorial plaque to their sons

Bloody Sunday soldiers named - 16/04/02 The names of 76 soldiers involved in Bloody Sunday have been released "accidentally" by the team running the Saville inquiry

MoD tax blunder hits Navy and RAF - 22/04/02

MoD owns up to new pensions confusion - 23/04/02

MoD forces short-term contracts on soldiers - 29/04/02

Cuts 'rip heart out of defence strategy' - 08/05/02 the fleet will be left without air cover

Sea Harrier's demise puts Britain's fleet in peril for six years - 08/05/02

Our best all-weather fighter - 08/05/02

Offensive capability 'will be enhanced' - 08/05/02 in other words it won't

Gurkhas in pay fight - 08/05/02

MoD attacked by MPs over service pensions review - 09/05/02

How the Marines found Operation Snipe could not fly - 17/05/02 the MoD's public relations machine has failed our troops

Hoon moves to heal rift with Marines - 20/05/02 the Defence Secretary publicly backed the Royal Marines commander in Afghanistan yesterday after a rift opened between the Government and the military over how the mission was being portrayed

Army decides to keep women off the front line - 20/05/02 The decision comes after more than two years of debate and nine months of tests costing hundreds of thousands of pounds

Marines commander to be replaced - 20/05/02 Conservative opposite defence spokesman Bernard Jenkin accused the government of "yet another presentational cock-up"

Women banned from front line as a dangerous distraction - 23/05/02

A woman's place - 23/05/02

RAF facing spare parts crisis on Sea Kings - 23/05/02

Dirty war opens on Marines' new chief - 26/05/02

Huge force guards NATO summit in Italy - 28/05/02

Old enemies toast new Nato office in Moscow - 28/05/02

6ft wall is the last obstacle to woman's green beret - 30/05/02

Inventor's dispute could hit MoD sale - 31/05/02

Britain plans anti-terror reserve force - 10/06/02

UK anti-terror force 'planned' - 10/06/02

Anti-terror force plans unveiled - 12/06/02

No funding agreed for anti-terror forces - 13/06/02

Regiments face their Waterloo in new cuts - 16/06/02

Hoon to announce Marines' return - 19/06/02

RAF abandons missile system after near miss - 23/06/02

MP demands RAF base decision - 25/06/02

Army doctors abandon Sandhurst cadets - 30/06/02

MoD investigates 'faulty' forces rifle - 05/07/02

Military chief to retire early as Hoon denies rift - 06/07/02

Army's £93m revamped rifle 'still misfiring' - 06/07/02

Scrap British rifle and buy Heckler, say the generals - 07/07/02

We'd get more bang for a buck - 07/07/02

SOS call as Royal Navy destroyer hits rocks - 08/07/02

Brown wants to cut order for 'outdated' Eurofighter - 10/07/02

Flak flies over Eurofighter, a Cold War 'relic' - 10/07/02

Defence: Help for war on terrorism - 16/07/02

Marines blamed [by MOD] for rifle failure - 21/07/02

MoD rifle excuse is 'pathetic' - 21/07/02 for the second time this year the MOD has blamed soldiers for its own failings

Hoon refuses to clear pilots - 23/07/02 MOD still blames servicemen

Army trials of new SA-80 rifle 'were fudged' - 26/07/02

Faulty army rifles 'scandalous' - 26/07/02

Army corporals forced out 'to save pension cash' - 29/07/02 a paratrooper was stopped from seeing his seriously ill baby unless he agreed to give up his pension

Tanks, guns and boots all failed Army in desert - 01/08/02

Crack Nato unit disbanded as Britain pulls out - 14/08/02

MoD 'fobs off' claims for tax refund on pensions - 15/08/02

MoD admits new error on taxed war pensions - 16/08/02

Ministry 'failing to cut friendly fire risks' - 21/08/02

Nato maps out anti-terror role - 24/09/02

UK to buy 150 fighter planes - 30/09/02 JSF

Commons 'misled' on desert contract - 28/11/02

Toying with soldiers - 28/11/02

Officials buried veterans' files - 13/12/02

Friendly fire threat to Gulf troops - 06/01/03 British troops should not be sent to fight in Iraq unless a system is in place to prevent accidental attacks by American aircraft

Defence chiefs accused over 'friendly fire' - 06/01/03

UK ready to help 'Son of Star Wars' - 15/01/03

BAE Systems wins carrier deal - 30/01/03

What is UK troops' role in Iraq? - 03/03/03

Armed Forces face big new cuts, say Tories - 27/05/03

Labour faces more flak on handling of war after TV film - 31/05/03

British forces in mission to halt Congo massacres - 31/05/03

UK troops caught unawares by war - 12/06/03 US brought plans forward by a day without warning Britain

MoD 'could cut 10,000 jobs' - 16/06/03

Frontline troops 'had only five bullets to defend themselves' - 18/06/03 some troops were issued with desert clothing and boots only after the war was won

Nato is the only show in town . . . Euro force must not go it alone - 19/06/03 Gen Sir Mike Walker

Dead soldiers had 'no back-up' - 27/06/03

Thousands of aviation jobs at risk - 18/07/03

Scots regiment 'under threat' - 04/08/03

Navy chief has 'too few ships to guard sea lanes from terrorists' - 07/09/03

Blair 'backs plan' to give EU army more power - 22/09/03

Cleared Colonel awarded Iraq war OBE - 31/10/03

Treasury orders Army recruitment freeze from April - 16/11/03

Ten Army regiments 'facing axe' - 23/11/03

Nato discusses EU defence plans - 01/12/03

UK military faces major "overhaul" - 09/12/03 which actually means cuts in warships, aircraft and heavy armour

Hoon to unveil UK forces overhaul - 11/12/03

Where the forces cuts will fall - 11/12/03

UK troops 'left without key kit' - 11/12/03 Nuclear, chemical and biological weapon protection suits and desert clothing did not reach frontline forces during the Iraq War. Many of the problems were made worse because Treasury pressure meant the MOD only held limited stocks of some kit in an effort to reduce costs

Forces face 'hidden' cuts in shake-up - 12/12/03

Blair should be giving the Armed Forces more rations, not less - 12/12/03

There is no substitute for 'boots on the ground' - 12/12/03 Our troops are underequipped and overstretched. The defence budget has halved over the past decade, even though September 11 introduced us to new and present dangers. A fine time for Blair to cut defence spending. The White Paper demands, curiously, that the Services must "implement the Government's domestic agenda" (Serving Queen and Country is nowhere mentioned)

Sophisticated forces camouflage - 12/12/03 Officials refused to be drawn on the impact of the changes on Army manpower

MoD corruption 'leaves troops with substandard equipment' - 29/12/03

Warships are first casualty as spending cuts hit Navy - 06/01/04

Hoon must quit, says Iraq widow - 15/01/04

Hoon 'sorry' over soldier's death - 16/01/04 but not sorry enough to resign

Hoon hit by second tragic blunder over kit for Iraq - 17/01/04

Hoon winged by the second barrel - 17/01/04 Mr Hoon blithely told MPs that all was well. Now, we see that all was not well

'We had no armour plates - and no body bags either' - 17/01/04

Matthew Parris: I regret to say Geoff Hoon is a sorry apology for a politician - 17/01/04

Geoff Hoon 'said that Dr Kelly was no martyr' - 18/01/04

You sent my husband to fight, Mr Hoon. Now it's time you showed some backbone - 18/01/04

Sean Rayment: How they tried to cover up my story about Sgt Roberts - 18/01/04 On May 14, while lying to the defence select committee, Geoff Hoon accused newspaper editors of wasting space in newspapers. He demanded that they apologise. He also pretended to MPs that there was enough body armour for the force sent to Iraq

Iraq widow ups pressure on Hoon - 18/01/04

Lukewarm Hain fails to defend embattled Hoon - 19/01/04

Hoon 'should consider his position' - 19/01/04

Hoon refuses to accept blame in talks with widow - 20/01/04

Hoon and Hodge should consider new careers - 20/01/04

MP questions Hoon over Iraq crash - 20/01/04 a helicopter crash in Iraq might have been avoided if the pilots had worn night goggles

British troops 'lacked vital medical supplies' - 22/01/04

Hoon refused to prepare for war, says MoD chief - 22/01/04

Ministers accused over war kit - 22/01/04 Troops went to war in Iraq without the correct protection because ministers delayed ordering kit to keep Labour MPs onside

Black Watch 'short of vital kit' - 22/01/04

Defence boss slated over war kit - 22/01/04

Call for Red Caps deaths inquiry - 22/01/04

Warning over MoD kit overspend - 23/01/04

Troops had only enough germ war kit for two weeks - 24/01/04 so it's a good thing Blair was lying about WMD!

Gulf soldiers forced to buy parts for combat radios - 25/01/04

Part-exchange deal is Britain's latest defence fiasco - 25/01/04

Woman soldier joins TA exodus after being sent into the Iraq frontline - 02/02/04 Around 400 TA soldiers have already quit over the lack of equipment they encountered in Iraq

MoD hit with more Army kit claims - 22/02/04

Army charges for welfare parcels - 28/02/04

Iraq war chest 'will be empty by July' - 22/03/04

Jobs cut threat to defence plant - 24/03/04

Nato adapts to changing role - 29/03/04

Navy to 'lose two carriers' in cutbacks - 01/04/04

In peril from the air - 01/04/04 The Royal Navy will soon be left without air cover for the first time in over half a century

Five RAF bases to close in £1bn cuts - 02/04/04

MoD fights Kosovo deaths ruling - 08/04/04

Builder honoured for war bravery - 23/04/04

RAF bases axed in defence review - 23/04/04

Jets are 'too heavy to take off' - 16/05/04

MoD dismisses 'huge budget cuts' - 26/06/04

Army doctors 'lacked equipment' - 29/06/04

Defence plans criticised by MPs - 01/07/04

20,000 posts go in defence cuts - 21/07/04

In pictures: ships facing the axe - 21/07/04

Cuts reduce RAF to The Few - 22/07/04

Army frightened for its future - 08/08/04

RAF gets a new fighter with a gun it cannot fire - 13/08/04

Soldier's mum's anger at Prescott - 19/08/04

Army cuts proposal blasted by MPs - 15/09/04

Moray RAF base to lose 390 jobs - 16/09/04

Air base 'may close' as 500 jobs go - 16/09/04

Tories pledge £2.7bn defence hike - 01/10/04

Army forced to sell Land Rovers bought for Iraq - 02/10/04 because Gordon Brown will not pay for them

UK deployment raises tactical concerns - 18/10/04

Army cutbacks fight stepped up - 23/10/04

RAF Kinloss faces squadron cuts - 03/11/04

British casualties in Iraq - 04/11/04

A testing time for the Black Watch - 05/11/04

Prince meets Black Watch families - 06/11/04

PM pressed on regiments decision - 11/11/04

Secret report urges Army to defy Hoon over cuts to fighting forces - 05/12/04

Scottish regiments 'must be kept' - 05/12/04

Army chiefs in regiments decision - 06/12/04

Why do regiments matter? - 06/12/04

Hoon rejects Army cuts criticism - 12/12/04

Reservists to boost Iraq forces - 14/12/04

Last-minute plea over regiments - 16/12/04

Battalions go in troops shake-up - 16/12/04 SNP MP Annabelle Ewing called Mr Hoon a "backstabbing coward"

Hoon confirms super-regiment plan - 16/12/04

Name row over new Welsh regiment - 16/12/04

RAF displays troubled Eurofighter - 17/12/04 Britain is estimated to have spent more than £19bn on the aircraft

400 extra troops from axed Highland regiment sent to Iraq - 11/01/05

Air workhorse plays pivotal role - 30/01/05

Hercules crash servicemen named - 01/02/05

BAE Systems to buy US rival UDI - 07/03/05

Ingram slammed for RAF job 'snub' - 11/03/05

Scale of RAF job losses revealed - 10/05/03

Blair accused of security gamble - 30/03/05

Rally protest over regiment cuts - 02/04/05

Rally to protest army cut plans - 08/04/05

Scots march in army cuts protest - 09/04/05

Blair betrays the Crown as well as the country - 10/04/05 The Prime Minister made a jarring reference to "my" armed forces, oblivious both to the fact that servicemen owe their allegiance to the Crown

Fears over UK forces' readiness - 15/06/05

Hope shines out at naval ceremony - 29/06/05

Soldiers forced to shout 'bang' as the Army runs out of ammunition - 17/07/05

Fears grow for radar base future - 21/07/05

Reid is accused of 'sneaking out' news of defence job cuts - 22/07/05

US announces German base closures - 30/07/05

Chequered history of Irish regiment - 01/08/05

Last journey for aircraft carrier - 01/08/05

Fears over civilian jobs in MoD - 04/08/05

Concerns over RAF jet maintenance - 05/09/05

MoD 'letting down armed forces' - 12/10/05 Delays or cuts could be caused by the MoD's failure to apply its own "smart acquisition" rules

MoD says Iraq has cost UK £3.1bn - 28/10/05

MP says BAE cuts are 'a disgrace' - 01/11/05

Soldiers' prosecution fears 'may cause fatal hesitation' - 20/11/05

Dismay as regiments lose their historic badges - 26/11/05 soldiers double-crossed

Spin and silence at the end of the special relationship - 27/11/05

Nato in a spin over Afghan expansion - 12/12/05 the government "has still not decided what it wants the military to do in Helmand"

Carrier order 'behind schedule' - 21/12/05

Military discipline 'at risk' from fear of courts - 15/01/06

MPs attack 'perverse' MoD closure - 18/01/06

Defence workers protest over cuts - 25/01/06

Facing multiple enemies - 26/01/06

MPs review UK's nuclear weapons - 14/03/06

Wales bid for UK military academy - 20/03/06

No number change in TA shake-up - 23/03/06

Air cover is 'inadequate' for troops in Afghanistan - 06/04/06

RAF pilots 'asked for tank foam' - 02/04/06

Resourcing blamed over July bombs - 11/05/06

MoD cost cuts 'will put troops in peril' - 15/05/06

Lions equipped by dinosaurs - 15/05/06 rifles that won't shoot straight, planes that won't fly, billions of pounds squandered

More than 1,000 desert UK forces - 28/05/06 there has been a tripling in cases over the past three years

Iraq death due to kit shortage - 31/07/06

Historic date as regiments merge - 01/08/06

Troops in Iraq 'under-equipped' - 10/08/06

MoD accused of covering up casualty rates - 20/08/06

Our troops pay in blood for Government failures - 17/09/06

TA soldiers 'passed over for promotion' after serving in Iraq - 25/09/06

Typhoon wins gun dogfight - 03/10/06

"Scandal"of soldiers waiting for treatment - 04/10/06 An estimated 5,000 injured troops are being prevented from joining front-line operations because they are languishing on health service waiting lists

We need more, newer helicopters, say stressed pilots - 04/10/06

Pledge on wounded made two years ago - 06/10/06 "things might not be functioning as well as the chain of command thinks it is"

UK troops 'need more helicopters' - 07/10/06

Blair condemned by Army for 'you will have what you need' pledge - 08/10/06

Blair and his mates have driven our military like joyriders - 19/10/06

UK armed forces 'below strength' - 03/11/06

Cheap bullets put lives of paratroopers at risk - 23/11/06 senior technical officers tested five different batches of ammunition. They were all defective

Defence deals 'to be years late' - 24/11/06

Fresh claims of Afghan shortages - 24/11/06 Countless times we have put in requests for what we need extra, and it has not arrived

Blair fails in bid to bolster Afghan mission - 29/11/06

Marines furious at front-line 'pay cut' - 30/11/06

Browne refuses to pay Marines 'missing' bonus - 02/12/06

Former Army chief criticises MoD - 06/12/06

Soldiers shed blood for shameful MoD - 13/12/06

MPs �misled over troop payments� - 14/12/06

Troop shortages 'a clear danger' - 13/12/06

Hoon called to body armour inquest - 15/12/06

Notebook - W F Deedes - 15/12/06 there is an anti-military clique in the Treasury which regards spending on the Armed Forces as a diversion of funds from the social budget

No jumps for Paras as MoD cuts £1bn - 17/12/06

Skills shortage 'threatens UK nuclear deterrent' - 20/12/06

British Army is 'too small' to cope - 22/12/06

Admiral: 'tinpot' armed services - 24/12/06

Defence cuts 'could cost lives' - 24/12/06 they already have

Back troops, says UK Iraq general - 27/12/06

Not enough troops for training excercises - 29/12/06

Defence cuts deprive - 29/12/06 Labour were busy destroying our defences 30 years ago

Crisis threatened nuclear weapons - 29/12/06 there's nothing new about Britain's defences being under threat from Labour

Army shrinks after soldiers quit - 29/12/06 we now have only 95,560 soldiers

Shot soldier contracts MRSA bug in a Birmingham hospital - 31/12/06

General condemns forces housing - 03/01/07

Navy to cut its fleet by half - 05/01/07 not once in history did this ever turn out to be a good idea

Ships to be scrapped - 05/01/07

In pics: Farewell to fleet - 05/01/07

How Britannia was allowed to rule the waves - 05/01/07 see how the navy is shrinking away to nothing!

Labour MP attacks Naval cost cutting - 05/01/07

Promotion freezes as cuts bite in Navy - 06/01/07

Armed forces face Brown's fury - 07/01/07

The big guns are ordered to hold fire - 07/01/07 In what is now being called an "autumn of military discontent", barely a week has gone by without some form of classified information being passed to the press in an attempt to demonstrate how under-funded the military has become under Labour

We need to spend more on armed forces, admits Blair - 13/01/07 Blair admits troops have been asked to do too much with too little

A patchy performance - 21/01/07 It is astonishing that the MoD has sent our troops into action unequipped with helicopters used by pretty well every other army in the world

Frontline troops are refused kit to fight Taliban - 21/01/07 four months ago Blair pledged that commanders would be supplied with whatever they needed to "get the job done"

Government assets worth £337bn - 31/01/07

Army units merge to form Rifles - 01/02/07

We deserve better from US in 'friendly fire' case - 07/02/07 The Ministry of Defence has presented a feeble spectacle, wringing its hands but unwilling to press the issue with Washington

Dead soldier's mother criticises Blair for failure to attend funeral - 09/02/07 At the time of the funeral Mr Blair was a few minutes' car ride away visiting an eco-friendly engineering firm

Families of Iraq victims denied any legal aid - 11/02/07

Working hours rules wipe out weekend troops - 11/02/07 European Union nobbles the Territorial Army

Aircraft carrier 'delays' warning - 15/02/07

Armoured vehicle delays condemned - 21/02/07

Rescue team so brave, say pilots - 23/02/07

Funds 'threaten future defence' - 01/03/07

MoD 'failed to act' on Hercules warning - 02/03/07

British forces 'very stretched' - 06/03/07

'No time' for military training - 09/03/07

Sir Jock's 'locker' has not much in it but skeletons - 11/03/07

Iran's defiance makes Britain look powerless - 31/03/07

A weak Britain becomes a target for tyrants - 01/04/07

Iran targeted the Security Council's weakest link: us - 01/04/07

Friendly fire progress 'too slow' - 01/05/07

Gurkha tells of citizenship joy - 02/06/07

MoD beats very quiet retreat from Europe - 03/06/07

Afghanistan warning decoded - 18/07/07

Britain almost out of troops, memo reveals - 21/07/07 see the reaction at British Army Rumour Service

Armed Forces stretched to breaking - 21/07/07

RAF 'operations' ground airshow - 29/07/07

British troops 'are stressed out' - 03/08/07

UK troops 'stretched but winning' - 19/08/07

British general hints at Iraq pull-out - 20/08/07 General Sir Richard Dannatt said that his forces are stretched in Afghanistan and cannot deploy any more soldiers

MoD criticised on budget forecast - 10/09/07

Secret plans to slash Navy fleet revealed - 30/09/07 "The disclosures are likely to embarrass Gordon Brown, who has long been viewed with some suspicion within the Services" despite pretending to be "a strong supporter of the Armed Forces"

Treasury cuts 'will shed 6,000 Army jobs' - 01/10/07

Tory anger at Brown's Iraq visit - 02/10/07 Mr Brown preferred a photo opportunity in Basra to keeping his promise to tell MPs first about planned troop cuts

The battle over forces spending - 08/11/07

Forces are 'paying in blood for lack of funding' - 09/11/07

Army crisis as number of troops leaving soars - 22/11/07

Brown 'shows contempt for forces' - 22/11/07

Navy would struggle to fight a war - 02/12/07 Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, ordered a Whitehall report on the state of the Navy in order to counter criticism in the media and from opposition parties. But this backfired spectacularly when the report found that with an "under-resourced" fleet composed of "ageing and operationally defective ships", the Navy would struggle even to repeat its role in the Iraq war and is now "far more vulnerable to unexpected shocks." The document adds that the Navy is too "thinly stretched" and its fighting capability is being "eroded." New Labour - New Danger!

MoD knew the dangers of a plane unfit to fly - 05/12/07

MoD paying for 8,000 empty homes - 12/12/07

Half-trained troops to fight the Taleban - 31/01/08

Spending cuts 'will put national security at risk' - 12/02/08

British soldier awarded the Military Cross for fighting off 150 Taliban - 09/03/08 FR Comments

UK to scrap two-year defence budgets - Apr 13, 2008

Report reveals Iran seized British sailors in disputed waters - 17/04/08

Warships 'due to move Navy base' - 15/04/09

Naval move would 'devastate' city - 15/04/09

UK combat operations end in Iraq - 30/04/09

Lumley in public clash on Gurkhas - 07/05/09

Gordon Brown orders defence delays to plug £2bn hole - 01/06/08

MoD accused of Chinook 'cock-up' - 03/06/08

Half of UK forces 'ready to quit' - 10/07/08

Basra and the Brits - 14/08/08 the British failure to act was an embarrassment, even a humiliation, and explanations have begun to emerge. All point to a failure of political leadership. FR Comments

Gurkhas win right to stay in UK - 30/09/08

Army machine gun 'fires without trigger being pulled' - 02/11/08

SAS chief says MOD has 'blood on its hands' - 07/03/09

Navy carriers '£1bn over budget' - 29/06/09

UK 'must slash defence spending' - 30/06/09

PM challenged in helicopter row - 16/07/09

MoD accused of wasting millions - 20/07/09

UK has enough helicopters - Brown - 22/07/09 on the same day a British soldier is killed travelling by road in Afghanistan because of the shortage of helicopters. Gordon Brown: "I am satisfied"

UK soldier dies in Afghanistan - 22/07/09

Minister Lord Malloch-Brown admits to Afghanistan helicopter shortage - 21/07/09

Two navy shipyards 'could close' - 30/07/09

UK Afghan helicopters 'not safe' - 03/08/09

Brown move to cut UK nuclear subs - 23/09/09 treason doesn't come higher than this

Cost-cutting led to Nimrod spy plane crash - 28/10/09

Cuts made to boost UK Afghan mission - 15/12/09 RAF Cottesmore in Rutland will be closed

MoD 'institutionally incapable' of succeeding in Afghanistan - 03/01/10

Defence cuts 'will shrink UK armed forces' - 13/01/10

Iraq inquiry: 'Gordon Brown cut budget for helicopters' - 19/01/10 he delayed ordering body armour for British troops going into Iraq

UK counter-terror spending 'ambitions' cut - minister - 21/01/10

Gordon Brown visits Afghan troops amid defence row - 06/03/10

Troops axed in Army cutback plan - 22/03/10

VC hero refuses to shake Gordon Brown's hand because of 'disrespect' for Armed Forces - 05/04/10 He was 'absolutely furious' at the way Mr Brown fidgeted and moved during the two-minute silence, adding: 'All that was going through my head was to knock him out. FR Comments

Three quarters of Army's Apache attack helicopters not serviceable - 02/05/10 FR Comments

Labour-Watch