Britain’s Ministry of Defence is staging a war game to test how the country’s supplies of ammunition and equipment would hold up during a conflict, as it encourages soldiers to enter a “warfighting mindset”.
The week-long exercise, at the Defence Academy in Oxfordshire, will involve defence company representatives for the first time to simulate Britain's ability to fight a major war. The head of the army, General Sir Roland Walker, recently warned that the country needs to prepare for that scenario within three years.
As part of the preparations, soldiers have been asked to start donating blood regularly to ensure the military has enough supplies for a war, following an exercise in Germany that analysed blood stock levels to determine their impact on treatment. In an email explaining the decision, the military encouraged troops to enter a “warfighting mindset”.
“Based on warfighting projections and the need to maintain NHS outputs concurrently, anyone requiring more than two pints of blood would be triaged as untreatable due to sustainment stock levels available,” it said.
The military’s games this week involve “real-time, wartime scenarios” that will put supply chains under stress to test the UK’s readiness for war, focusing on artillery weapons and drones. In 2021, the army ran out of ammunition before the completion of a 10-day war game exercise, according to the former head of the US Army in Europe, Lt Gen Ben Hodges.
The warnings come as retried General Sir Richard Barrons told MPs on Tuesday that the armed forces were facing a "skills crisis" over the personnel needed for modern day warfare.
During questioning on the UK’s strategic defence review, in which he is leading with two others, he said the shortage was “not unique to defence” and was prominent in cyber, AI and digital skills.
“The review is examining that and will make some very powerful recommendations," he added. "I'm pretty confident on the way to fix it. That is as important as deciding how much ammunition you have got.”
He saidthe review, ordered by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the summer, was also provoking “a very challenging discussions” across defence.
Former Nato secretary general George Robertson, who is also conducting the review, that the forces would be able to innovate better, particularly taking on board the developments in Ukraine, “once the review has finished”.
Asked about the general security situation Lord Robertson said: “I just wish sometimes that people were as worried as I am, on behalf of my children and my grandchildren when I know what's going on.”
The pair also disclosed that they were meeting the defence secretary once a week and had had meetings with the prime minister and the chancellor.
UK troops arrive at Brize Norton- in pictures
Defence Secretary John Healey told the London Defence Conference on Monday that the UK is staging its war games with “key industry players” to ensure they understand decisions that will be required of government “in order to be able to sustain our war fighters on the front line when supply chains are disrupted, or when we may be faced with extended conflict”. Participating companies include BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin.
“In the face of rising global threats, we need public and private together, investors, industry innovators, and my message is this, invest in defence and send a strong signal to Putin and other adversaries that would do us harm,” Mr Healey said.
In January, Gen Walker's predecessor, Gen Sir Patrick Sanders warned that Britain might need to train and equip a citizen army to fight Russia in a future war.
Any preparation for any conflict would need to be a “whole-of-nation undertaking”, he said, adding that citizens should be trained and equipped to be in a state of readiness.
He said the army would not be big enough to fight an all-out war with Russia even if it had 120,000 fully trained soldiers. The UK army is predicted to number just 72,500 soldiers by 2025.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202-litre%20direct%20injection%20turbo%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%207-speed%20automatic%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20261hp%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20400Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20From%20Dh134%2C999%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
4.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UNpaid bills:
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN budget in 2019
USA – $1.055 billion
Brazil – $143 million
Argentina – $52 million
Mexico – $36 million
Iran – $27 million
Israel – $18 million
Venezuela – $17 million
Korea – $10 million
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN peacekeeping operations in 2019
USA – $2.38 billion
Brazil – $287 million
Spain – $110 million
France – $103 million
Ukraine – $100 million
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
