Latest news with #BenWallace
Economist
3 days ago
- Politics
- Economist
Britain's ambitious plan to rearm looks underfunded
IF THERE IS one thing that Britain's political parties agree on, it is that British defences are broken. The armed forces were 'hollowed-out…overstretched and under-equipped', acknowledged Ben Wallace, then defence secretary, in 2023. John Healey, his Labour successor, speaking last year, agreed: 'What we've not been ready to do is to fight.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Troop numbers won't increase for at least four years, says Defence Secretary
Troop numbers will not increase for at least four years, the Defence Secretary has admitted. Ahead of Monday's publication of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), John Healey said he did not expect the number of people in the Army to rise until the next parliament. It comes despite speculation that Labour could look to reverse the British Army troop cuts made under the previous Tory government. Asked on the BBC's Sunday Morning With Laura Kuenssberg when the 'depleted' Army would reach its target of 73,000 people in the force, Mr Healey said there had been '15 years of a recruitment and retention crisis in our forces', of which the 'last government set and missed targets every year in every service for those 14 years'. 'We've narrowed the gap, but we've still got more people leaving than joining,' he said. 'The first job is to reverse that trend and then I want to see in the next parliament our ability to start to increase the number of our full-time forces.' However, pushed on why this target could not be achieved sooner Mr Healey said: 'My first task as Defence Secretary is to reverse that long run decline, that deep set crisis in recruitment, deep set crisis in retention.' In May last year the number of Army personnel fell below 73,000 for the first time since the Napoleonic era. Under Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary, it was announced that the Army was to be reduced to 72,500 personnel by 2025, scrapping the 82,000 target which had been set in 2015. Troop numbers have been cut by around 27,500 since 2010. When Labour was last in office, the Army had more than 100,000 soldiers. Mr Healey also sidestepped questions about whether he had any guarantee from the Treasury that funding would be committed to boost defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2034. Asked what he would tell Nato allies at an upcoming summit after calls for members to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence, he said: 'The heart of this is not just how much the nations spend, but how we spend it. 'And you will see just as much concentration on what are the capabilities that Nato together needs in order to deter adversaries in the future.' The Defence Secretary said that Monday's SDR would send a 'message to Moscow'. He said: 'This is a message to Moscow as well. This is Britain standing behind, making our Armed Forces stronger but making our industrial base stronger, and this is part of our readiness to fight, if required.' Mr Healey revealed Russia is 'attacking the UK daily' in cyberspace. Asked if he expected a form of real-world attack by Russia on the UK in the coming years, he said: 'We have to be prepared. Nato has to be prepared. We see Putin in Ukraine trying to redraw international boundaries by force... it's part of the growing Russian aggression.' Mr Healey added that is why Nato and the UK are 'stepping up our ability to deter as well as to defend in the future'. 'The world is more uncertain. The tensions are greater but we prepare for war in order to secure the peace. If you're strong enough to defeat an enemy you deter them from attacking in the first place.' Earlier this week Mr Healey announced the British military is to spend more than £1 billion on artificial intelligence and a hacking-attack team. He also vowed to fix the 'dire' state of military homes as part of a £7 billion accommodation reboot to attract more people to join the military. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Troop numbers won't increase for at least four years, says Defence Secretary
Troop numbers will not increase for at least four years, the Defence Secretary has admitted. Ahead of Monday's publication of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), John Healey said he did not expect the number of people in the Army to rise until the next parliament. It comes despite speculation that Labour could look to reverse the British Army troop cuts made under the previous Tory government. Asked on the BBC's Sunday Morning With Laura Kuenssberg when the 'depleted' Army would reach its target of 73,000 people in the force, Mr Healey said there had been '15 years of a recruitment and retention crisis in our forces', of which the 'last government set and missed targets every year in every service for those 14 years'. 'We've narrowed the gap, but we've still got more people leaving than joining,' he said. 'The first job is to reverse that trend and then I want to see in the next parliament our ability to start to increase the number of our full-time forces.' However, pushed on why this target could not be achieved sooner Mr Healey said: 'My first task as Defence Secretary is to reverse that long run decline, that deep set crisis in recruitment, deep set crisis in retention.' In May last year the number of Army personnel fell below 73,000 for the first time since the Napoleonic era. Under Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary, it was announced that the Army was to be reduced to 72,500 personnel by 2025, scrapping the 82,000 target which had been set in 2015. Troop numbers have been cut by around 27,500 since 2010. When Labour was last in office, the Army had more than 100,000 soldiers. Mr Healey also sidestepped questions about whether he had any guarantee from the Treasury that funding would be committed to boost defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2034. Asked what he would tell Nato allies at an upcoming summit after calls for members to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence, he said: 'The heart of this is not just how much the nations spend, but how we spend it. 'And you will see just as much concentration on what are the capabilities that Nato together needs in order to deter adversaries in the future.' 'We have to be prepared' The Defence Secretary said that Monday's SDR would send a 'message to Moscow'. He said: 'This is a message to Moscow as well. This is Britain standing behind, making our Armed Forces stronger but making our industrial base stronger, and this is part of our readiness to fight, if required.' Mr Healey revealed Russia is ' attacking the UK daily ' in cyberspace. Asked if he expected a form of real-world attack by Russia on the UK in the coming years, he said: 'We have to be prepared. Nato has to be prepared. We see Putin in Ukraine trying to redraw international boundaries by force... it's part of the growing Russian aggression.' Mr Healey added that is why Nato and the UK are 'stepping up our ability to deter as well as to defend in the future'. 'The world is more uncertain. The tensions are greater but we prepare for war in order to secure the peace. If you're strong enough to defeat an enemy you deter them from attacking in the first place.' Earlier this week Mr Healey announced the British military is to spend more than £1 billion on artificial intelligence and a hacking-attack team.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"I'm man enough to take the punishment. But I'm not sorry" - Ben Wallace was unapologetic after Chicago Bulls benched him in 2006 for wearing a headband
When you think of Ben Wallace, you probably picture him wearing his signature headband — that iconic look became part of his identity. Interestingly, though, that very trademark once cost him his playing time on the court. Back in 2006, while Wallace was with the Chicago Bulls, the former four-time Defensive Player of The Year was actually benched because he wouldn't take off his headband. Headband drama In the NBA, accessories on the court are more than just practical — they're a way for players to show who they are. However, not every self-expression is welcome. At times, both league and team policies have placed limits on what players can wear, leading to surprisingly tense standoffs. Advertisement A prime example is Wallace. The powerful 6'9" player ran into trouble with the Bulls soon after joining them, not because of his playing time or strategy but because of his headgear. Few would expect something as trivial as a headband to cause serious friction, especially given "Big Ben's" stature at the time. He was a multiple-time All-Star, a marquee signing just months earlier brought in to bring toughness and leadership. Still, the team from Windy City had a strict ban on headbands, a rule that reportedly had started years earlier because of issues with former player Eddie Robinson, whose style and behavior annoyed team management. However, Wallace, who had worn his headband religiously throughout his rise to stardom with the Detroit Pistons, refused to drop the look. The Bulls, in turn, initially refused to make an exception. Advertisement Related: Walt Frazier admits NBA players were afraid to lift weights back in the day: "Basketball players thought it would affect their shot" Bulls in crisis What started as a minor disagreement over a headband soon exposed deeper issues between Wallace and the franchise — and, more specifically, with then-head coach Scott Skiles. The tension between the veteran center and Skiles was clear. It wasn't just about the headband. "Big Ben" reportedly pushed back against several team rules, like refusing to tape his ankles and questioning the ban on pregame music. Still, the headband quickly became a symbol of a bigger power struggle. Things came to a head during a game against the New York Knicks, when Scott benched Ben less than three minutes into the first quarter for breaking the team's headband policy. Wallace's reaction was calm and direct, but he stood by his choice. Advertisement "If you know the rules and break them, you expect to be punished. I can't try to put myself above the team or anybody else and wear a headband like I did. I'm man enough to take the punishment. But I'm not sorry," said the 2004 NBA champion with the Pistons, per ESPN. Despite the conflict, a compromise was found. In an unusual step, Skiles let the Bulls players vote on whether their teammate could keep wearing his signature headband — and they agreed. "We still have a no-headband rule," the head coach later explained. "I just left it up to the guys who have been here if they wanted to make an exception for Ben. I was fine with it. They were fine with it." This moment marked a shift — not just in the headband debate but in the team's leadership style. The then-GM John Paxson praised Skiles for "adapting, listening to his players" and, more importantly, for "understanding that the bigger picture is winning." Advertisement At that point, though, "winning" wasn't really happening for Wallace, Skiles and the team. Earlier that season, they had dropped six straight games and were sitting at a disappointing 3-9 just a few weeks in. That, no doubt, also helped turn the headband issue into such a big story. Related: "Are you mocking me?" - Ben Wallace initially wasn't pleased with Pistons fans rocking a fake afro to honor him
Sky News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
The Wargame: New Sky News and Tortoise Media podcast series simulates a Russian attack on UK
A top team of former government ministers and military and security chiefs have taken part in a wargame that simulates a Russian attack on the UK for a new podcast series announced on Wednesday by Sky News and Tortoise Media. Among the line-up, Sir Ben Wallace, a former Conservative defence secretary, plays the prime minister; Jack Straw, a former senior Labour politician, resumes his old job as foreign secretary; Amber Rudd steps back into her former role as home secretary and Jim Murphy, a secretary of state for Scotland under Gordon Brown, takes the position of chancellor. The defence secretary is played by James Heappey, a former armed forces minister. Lord Mark Sedwill is the national security adviser - a position he held for real under both Theresa May and Boris Johnson, while General Sir Richard Barrons, one of the leaders of a major defence review that is due to be published in the coming weeks, plays the role of chief of the defence staff, the UK's top military officer. Baroness Helena Kennedy, a barrister and expert on human rights law, appears as attorney general, while Lieutenant General Sir David Capewell resumes his former role as chief of joint operations, the UK's warfighting commander. Russia. It also explores the reliability - or otherwise - of key allies like the United States in a crisis. Asked why he wanted to take part in the project, Sir Ben said: "I think it's really important that we demonstrate to the public how government makes decisions in real crises and emergencies and let them understand and hopefully be reassured that actually there is a process and it's at that moment in time that no matter what people's party politics are, people pull together for the right reasons." Launching on 10 June, the five-part podcast series will give listeners the chance to experience the kind of wargame that is genuinely tested inside government. The only difference with this version is that nothing discussed is classified. The tagline for the series is: "Russia knows our weaknesses - but do you?" Written and presented by me, The Wargame pitches a fictional British government, led by Sir Ben, against an imagined Kremlin in a high-stakes contest that draws on the real-life knowledge and experience of the cast. The series begins a few months in the future, with the prime minister and his top team assembling for a COBRA emergency meeting as tensions escalate with Moscow. Keir Giles, a Russia expert, author and senior consulting fellow at the Chatham House think tank, is playing the part of the Russian president. He leads the Russia team, made up of fellow experts. The British side has little idea about what is about to unfold, but they are about to find out. "Ordinarily when this red team gets together, and we have done this before, we run rings around the opposition, partly because Russia has the initiative, partly because Russia has the tools, partly because Russia has the will and the determination to cause damage sometimes in ways that the opposition - whether it's the UK, NATO, another victim - doesn't imagine before the game actually starts," Mr Giles said. The scenario was devised and overseen by Rob Johnson, director of the Changing Character of War Centre at Oxford University and a former director of net assessment and challenge at the Ministry of Defence. "We are trying to raise awareness through this war game to say, look, let's have a look at what might happen," he said. "Unlikely and low probability though it is, so that we can start to put some measures in place and remind ourselves about how we used to do it - use history as our weapon, if you like, in that regard." He describes the events in his game as very low likelihood but high impact. That means a low chance of it happening but catastrophic consequences if it did. The Wargame is an exclusive collaboration between Sky News and Tortoise Media, now the new owners of The Observer. The first two episodes will premiere at 00.01 on 10 June across all Sky News platforms. Episodes three and four will follow on Tuesday 17 June, with the final episode airing Tuesday 24 June. The release comes as the UK government prepares to publish its Strategic Defence Review and as Britain and its allies prepare to meet for a major NATO summit next month.
