Prime Minister Boris Johnson with British troops stationed in Estonia during a visit in 2019. Getty Images
Prime Minister Boris Johnson with British troops stationed in Estonia during a visit in 2019. Getty Images
Prime Minister Boris Johnson with British troops stationed in Estonia during a visit in 2019. Getty Images
Prime Minister Boris Johnson with British troops stationed in Estonia during a visit in 2019. Getty Images

UK's Integrated Review: cut British Army and unleash the winds of technological warfare


Thomas Harding
  • English
  • Arabic

Britain is due to unveil a top-down shake-up of its international security strategy on Tuesday, but one thing is already clear: the decisions will mean a much smaller, perhaps weakened Army.

Dragging the Army into a new strategic reality removes the uncertainty that has crept in after the long slog of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Trails of the Integrated Review suggest reducing the number of Army servicemen and servicewomen by 15 per cent to 70,000, and a bet that the wars of the future are not going to be personnel-intensive.

It might indeed be a visionary move, with a greater reliance on machines doing the jobs of people.

“The idea is to modernise the Army into an ultra-modern force with drones, long-range rocket artillery and cyberattacks,” said military expert Prof Michael Clarke.

“It's a neat trick if you can do it but it'll take them a decade to re-organise.”

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Retired Brig Ben Barry feels it could be a risk too far.

"It's potentially overambitious and could leave the Army thinly stretched. Unless there is a significant investment in modernising the Army's capability, this will decline by about 50 per cent over five years."

The other two services, the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, look set to continue receiving modern warships and advanced jets, with the air force tilting towards unmanned fighter aircraft.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will oversee military operations and terrorism emergencies from the new £9 million Situation Centre – or SitCen – command bunker in the Cabinet Office, just a short walk from Downing Street in London.

The prime minister and important Cabinet members will sit alongside military and intelligence chiefs to watch drone strikes and military operations on wall-to-wall flat screens.

Mr Johnson will make a statement in the House of Commons legislature outlining the review's conclusions on Tuesday.

Ahead of the statement, he said: “The foundation of our foreign policy is who we are as a country: our values, our strengths and – most importantly – our people.

“So I am determined to ensure we have a foreign policy that delivers for those people.

“Our international ambitions must start at home, and through the Integrated Review we will drive investment back into our communities, ensuring the UK is on the cutting edge of innovation and creating an entire country that is match-fit for a more competitive world,” Mr Johnson said.

Integrated Review: What will happen to British Army?

The personnel reduction is almost inevitable, as the service sheds people in preference to machines.

There will be a loss of infantry battalions and armoured units, with the number of new Challenger III tanks nearly halving to 150.

Similarly, the artillery will lose its AS-90 155mm self-propelled artillery weapon and multiple-launch rocket systems. Instead, the service will expand the stock of long-distance precision-guided rockets and attack drones.

It will likely retire the faithful but ageing 600 Warrior tracked armoured personnel carriers, which need a £1.5 billion upgrade, but keep 600 Ajax and 500 Boxer armoured vehicles.

Integrated Review: What will happen to the Royal Navy?

Boris Johnson is clearly persuaded that his vision of "Global Britain" requires the powerful Royal Navy that the country possessed in previous centuries.

Two aircraft carriers are at long last becoming operational, but to back up Mr Johnson's pledge that Britain will become the “foremost naval power in Europe” with a “shipbuilding renaissance”, more warships are being built.

There will be eight Type 26 frigates and at least five Type 31 multipurpose frigates, to be joined by possibly a similar number of the new Type 32 frigate.

This will increase the Navy's surface fleet from 17 to 24 warships, in addition to seven Astute-class hunter-killer submarines and three Dreadnought-class ballistic nuclear submarines. The Navy will also develop unmanned vessels for mine-hunting and surveillance.

Integrated Review: What will happen to the Royal Air Force?

Instead of getting 138 F-35 Lightning combat jets, as military chiefs had hoped, the RAF will probably receive at most 50 of the £100 million aircraft.

The big order will be cancelled in favour of the proposed Tempest fighter, which would be able to operate with or without crew.

Similarly, 24 Typhoon fighter jets will be retired early, with the RAF retaining seven frontline squadrons. The RAF will likely lose 11 surveillance planes and potentially up to 14 C-130J Hercules transport planes.

"The air force is going to get into drones in a big way and is going to dress that up as modernising," said Prof Clarke.

“But the Navy will fly the flag around the world with a carrier battle group and become a powerful, potent force."

However, Brig Barry sounded a warning about the tank cuts. "An army that moves away from heavy armour and armoured warfare will be much less effective, and it will also have much less influence."

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

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Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free

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AUSTRALIA SQUAD

Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle

What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
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  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
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  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

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Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
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  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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The Transfiguration

Director: Michael O’Shea

Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine

Three stars

Padmaavat

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh

3.5/5

The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder

Transmission: CVT auto

Power: 181bhp

Torque: 244Nm

Price: Dh122,900 

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Generation Start-up: Awok company profile

Started: 2013

Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev

Sector: e-commerce

Size: 600 plus

Stage: still in talks with VCs

Principal Investors: self-financed by founder

Christopher Robin
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Haley Atwell, Jim Cummings, Peter Capaldi
Three stars

Profile

Company name: Jaib

Started: January 2018

Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour

Based: Jordan

Sector: FinTech

Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018

Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Company%20Profile
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'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Tips to keep your car cool
  • Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
  • Park in shaded or covered areas
  • Add tint to windows
  • Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
  • Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
  • Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi

Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe

For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.

Golden Dallah

For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.

Al Mrzab Restaurant

For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.

Al Derwaza

For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup. 

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Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

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CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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RESULTS

Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)

Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)

Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)

Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)

Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)

Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)

Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)

Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)

Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)

Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs

A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.

The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.

Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.

Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 582bhp

Torque: 730Nm

Price: Dh649,000

On sale: now  

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
Ultra processed foods

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;

- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,

- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.

Look north

BBC business reporters, like a new raft of government officials, are being removed from the national and international hub of London and surely the quality of their work must suffer.

MATCH INFO

Sheffield United 2 Bournemouth 1
United: Sharp (45 2'), Lundstram (84')
Bournemouth: C Wilson (13')

Man of the Match: Jack O’Connell (Sheffield United)

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