Experts say that drone warfare is the biggest problem for the authors of Britain’s forthcoming Integrated Review for defence.
Analysts at a Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) conference said that the prevalence of unmanned aerial systems in modern warfare was a major challenge.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered a Europe-wide rush for drones, with some militaries turning to manufacturers overseas for new models.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will make a statement on the revised report during his trip to the US on Monday, Downing Street said.
His predecessor last September ordered a new framework for foreign policy, defence, national security and international development after Ukraine war started.
Ulrike Franke, a senior policy fellow at think tank the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the war in Ukraine had led to a “reckoning” among international leaders and forced them to reassess and look for gaps in their militaries.
Stocktakes showed gaps where drones would be useful, she said.
“In terms of kamikaze drones or single-use drones, loitering munitions, you’ve got the Lithuanians, the Netherlands, the Britons, the Polish, the French, they are all buying these systems,” she said. “So there is definitely a move here.”
New developments, usages and applications for drone hardware means it is still classed as “an emerging capability” although it has been around for some time, she said.
“The first thing we are seeing in Ukraine, and people are taking note of this, is the sheer importance and prevalence of drones in the sky over Ukraine,” she said.
“This is something that we hadn’t necessarily predicted five or 10 years ago when we really started talking about drones.
“At the beginning, it was primarily a kind of narrative about drones being important for the global war on terror, very asymmetric wars rather than in conventional wars.”
A “huge range” of drones, from simple to sophisticated devices, are being used in Ukraine, she said, even while Kyiv and Moscow also use their respective air forces to hit targets.
Dr Franke said the “biggest wake-up call” Ukraine war has had in European capitals is the realisation that “we are lacking military industrial capability and a military industrial base”.
“This is true for pretty much any system completely,” she added, referring to ammunition, artillery and tanks.
The panel discussion also heard from Markus Schiller, founder of ST Analytics, a consulting firm specialising in space, rocket technology and high technology.
He stressed the need for interoperability when it comes to military systems.
“We will run into problems if everybody just buys off the shelf,” he said.
He said decision-makers need to co-ordinate “hand in hand, with common standards so that we really have something that is integrated”.
Under the current systems, he said, politicians decide what to buy and engineers and military leaders are often left with a problem if certain weaponry cannot be used.
Mr Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron signed several deals, including a pact on defence, at a Franco-British summit in Paris on Friday.
The pacts on migration, defence and energy were agreed to during the first summit of its kind in five years.
A deal aimed at stopping the flow of illegal migration to the UK from France will bring more drones into service for use in surveillance along the northern French coastline.
The UK agreed to pay £481 million ($581 million) for measures including increased beach patrols and a new detention centre.
Another deal aimed at strengthening co-operation on defence will involve the British and French militaries jointly training Ukrainian marines.
It also contained a commitment by both parties to work together on weapons development, including long-range missiles and air defence systems.
Another plan involves increased allied activity in the Indo-Pacific, with Downing Street saying it would include establishing France and the UK as the “backbone” to a permanent European maritime presence there.
The approach will include co-ordinating regular missions of France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and the UK’s HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales carriers.
During a joint press conference following one-on-one talks, Mr Sunak noted that France and the UK — both Nato members and the only European allies to be permanent members of the UN Security Council — are two of the world’s biggest defence powers.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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Director:Shakun Batra
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- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
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UAE WARRIORS RESULTS
Featherweight
Azouz Anwar (EGY) beat Marcelo Pontes (BRA)
TKO round 2
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) beat Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Split points decision
Welterweight
Gimbat Ismailov (RUS) beat Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR)
TKO round 1
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) beat Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Unanimous points decision
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) beat Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
TKO round 1
Catchweight 100kg
Marc Vleiger (NED) beat Mohamed Ali (EGY)
Rear neck choke round 1
Featherweight
James Bishop (NZ) beat Mark Valerio (PHI)
TKO round 2
Welterweight
Abdelghani Saber (EGY) beat Gerson Carvalho (BRA)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) beat Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Unanimous points decision
Bantamweight
Fabio Mello (BRA) beat Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Unanimous points decision
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magomedsultanov (RUS)
TKO round 1
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) beat Jayson Margallo (PHI)
TKO round 3
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) beat Roman Golovinov (UKR)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Submission round 2
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
TKO round 2
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
