Latest news with #MoD
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Lawyer joins calls for sealed Chinook crash documents to be released
RAF Chinook ZD576 crashed in foggy weather on the Mull of Kintyre on June 2 1994 while carrying 25 British intelligence personnel from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness. The crash killed all 25 passengers along with all four members of the helicopter's crew in what remains one of the RAF's worst peacetime losses of life. Following the crash, the helicopter's dead pilots, flight lieutenants Richard Cook and Jonathan Tapper, were accused of gross negligence, but this was overturned in 2011, with the Government saying there was 'no justification' for it. A number of investigations into the incident have been carried out, including a review by Lord Philips, but last year a BBC documentary revealed a number of documents linked to the crash have been sealed for 100 years. The legal representative for Flight Lieutenant Cook has now joined bereaved families in calling for those documents to be made public and for the truth about what happened to RAF Chinook ZD576 to be revealed. Professor Peter Watson, solicitor advocate of PBW Law, said: 'The continued secrecy around these documents is indefensible after 30 years. The families deserve transparency and accountability. 'The men and women who died were dedicated public servants, military and civilian alike, lost in one of the most tragic peacetime events in RAF history. 'The fact their loved ones are still fighting for the truth three decades later is a national disgrace. 'The decision to seal vital documents for a century – until 2094 – is extraordinary and unjustified. What possible reason can there be for shielding the facts from public scrutiny for so long, particularly after the pilots were exonerated? 'The persistence of secrecy only fuels mistrust and prolongs the suffering of grieving families. It is time for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the UK Government to act with integrity and release these documents. 'The public, and most importantly the families, have a right to know the full truth.' Lord Philip's review set out numerous concerns raised by those who worked on the Chinooks, with staff at the MoD's testing centre at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire declaring the helicopters 'unfit to fly' prior to the crash. Prof Watson's call comes after the Chinook Justice Campaign, which includes the families of those who died, issued an open letter renewing calls for a public inquiry and for the sealed documents to be released in full. The group made a formal request for a public inquiry in October, but this was turned down by minister for veterans and people Alistair Carns in December. The group added that the minister has not responded to further requests for a meeting. The open letter also describes the 'huge concern and upset' experienced by the bereaved families as a result of the sealed documents. 'The papers will not be released until 2094, long after the spouses and children of those killed have themselves passed away,' it states. 'It is unbearable to us as bereaved families to know that this sealed information could give us the answers we need.' The MoD said the closed records contain personal information relating to third parties, and that releasing them early would breach those individuals' data protection rights. The ministry added that it was 'highly unlikely' a further review would identify any new evidence, or reach new conclusions on the basis of existing evidence. A MoD spokesperson said: 'The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died.'
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Business Standard
3 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
UK taps Ukraine lessons to invest GBP 1 billion into warfare systems
In its strategic defense review, expected to be published in full next week, the UK will also set up a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command to protect military networks Bloomberg The UK will invest more than £1 billion ($1.4 billion) in a new digital targeting system to allow the country's armed forces to pinpoint and eliminate enemy targets more swiftly as part of a forthcoming revamp of Britain's defensive capabilities. In its strategic defense review, expected to be published in full next week, the UK will also set up a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command to protect military networks against tens of thousands of cyber attacks a year and help coordinate Britain's own cyber operations, the Ministry of Defence said Thursday in a statement. The command will also lead operations to jam enemy signals to drones and missiles and help intercept military communications. The new funding forms part of the government's commitment to increase defense spending to 2.5 per cent of economic output by 2027 and is the first announcement from the long-awaited defense review. The MoD vowed the new strategy would 'end the hollowing out' of the UK Armed Forces — the army is at its smallest size since the Napoleonic era — and focus on driving innovation in its defense industry over the next decade. Still, the UK is likely to come under pressure to increase its spending further, as NATO begins negotiations with members to adopt a new target at its June summit. That target is set to be 5 per cent of economic output, with 3.5 per cent on hard defense spending, and 1.5 per cent on military-related expenditures like cyber and border security. The £1 billion UK investment will help establish a 'Digital Targeting Web' by 2027 to better connect Britain's weapons systems to speed-up decisions for targeting enemy threats on the battlefield. The MOD said a threat could be identified by a sensor on a ship or in space before being disabled by one of its fighter jets or drones, through enhanced communication between its armed forces.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Britain to unleash army of hackers on Putin
The British military is to spend more than £1 billion on artificial intelligence and a hacking attack team, the Defence Secretary has announced. John Healey vowed to give the Armed Forces more power online to target hostile states such as Vladimir Putin's Russia as he warned that 'the keyboard has become a weapon of war'. The offensive operations will be conducted through a new Cyber and Electronic Command, which will also oversee a £1 billion investment in upgraded targeting systems using an artificial intelligence 'kill web' that connects military systems. Mr Healey said that the command unit, which will be included in the Government's Strategic Defence Review (SDR) being published on Monday, would set 'new standards' in defence. When asked if the Ministry of Defence was increasing its capability to attack enemy states such as Russia and China, Mr Healey said: 'Yes. The Cyber Command is part of removing duplication, setting new standards, giving new authority behind defensive and offensive cyber.' The comments are the most explicit confirmation by any minister so far of Britain's appetite to carry out offensive hacks, in addition to defending its own interests against foreign cyber attacks. Speaking on Wednesday from MoD Corsham, the UK's military cyber HQ, Mr Healey said: 'We are under daily attack, increasing attacks, and this is the nerve centre of the UK's military that helps us defend against these attacks. The keyboard has become a weapon of war.' Mr Healey added that the SDR had recognised that the war in Ukraine had proved 'those that prevail will be those who are not just better equipped and better trained, but better connected and also capable of innovating ahead of adversaries'. He said: 'That's what our new cyber command will allow us to do.' For the last five years, the National Cyber Force has conducted hacking operations on behalf of the military, as part of a joint venture between GCHQ and the MoD. It will now coordinate offensive cyber capabilities with the new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command, which will fight enemies on the web and lead defensive operations. Details of Britain's offensive cyber capabilities are a secret. However, action by other countries has ranged from spying on officials to installing software that forces industrial machinery to break. Hostile countries including Russia, China, as well as Iran and North Korea, are all deemed to have hackers who work in espionage with the aim of breaking into sensitive information online, or engaging in online ransomware attacks. In the last two years the MoD has been subjected to 90,000 cyber attacks - double the number in 2023 - from hostile states including Russia and China. Mr Healey said: 'This is a level of cyber warfare that is continual and intensifying that requires us to step up our capacity to defend.' He added that, while previous governments had spoken of the importance of cyber, it had not been promoted in a way that integrated the efforts of the RAF, British Army and Royal Navy. 'You might have seen the talk, now you'll see the walk,' he said. Earlier this month, a report by the Commons public accounts committee warned that crumbling government computer systems have been outpaced by cyber criminals and that the Government is lacking experts with cyber skills. It found that more than a quarter of all public sector IT systems use vulnerable, older 'legacy' technology, which has led to a significant gap between the cyber threat and the Government's ability. It comes after a number of UK retailers suffered cyber attacks, including Marks & Spencer, Harrods and the Co-op. Richard Horne, the chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, told a cyber security conference at the start of this month that the number of 'nationally significant' cyber attacks targeting the UK had doubled in the past six months. As part of the new military command, more than £1 billion will be invested in a Digital Targeting Web that will come into action by 2027. The system – known colloquially as a 'kill web' – will operate by using AI and new software to better connect military weapons systems across all three forces, enabling quicker decisions to be made on the battlefield. This could be done by identifying a threat using a sensor on a ship or in space, before it is disabled by an F-35 aircraft, drone, or offensive cyber operation. The new command will also exploit the military's expertise in electromagnetic warfare, such as degrading the enemy's command and control, jamming signals to drones or missiles and intercepting an adversary's communications. The MoD likened it to how the Ukrainians were able to stop a Russian advance by using technology to find the enemy quickly and attack at scale. The new unit will sit under General Sir James Hockenhull's responsibilities. He is currently Commander of UK Strategic Command, which oversees operations across all three services and includes cyber and space. The MoD said that the SDR, which was announced by Labour last year to set out a path for defence over the next decade, would show how enhanced cyber defences will help bolster national security and support economic stability. Earlier this year the MoD announced that military recruits would be fast-tracked into specialist roles to tackle the growing cyber threat to the UK through the Cyber Direct Entry programme. Mr Healey added: 'Ways of warfare are rapidly changing, with the UK facing daily cyber-attacks on this new front line. The hard-fought lessons from Putin's illegal war in Ukraine leave us under no illusions that future conflicts will be won through forces that are better connected, better equipped and innovating faster than their adversaries. 'We will give our Armed Forces the ability to act at speeds never seen before – connecting ships, aircraft, tanks and operators so they can share vital information instantly and strike further and faster. 'By attracting the best digital talent, and establishing a nerve centre for our cyber capability, we will harness the latest innovations, properly fund Britain's defences for the modern age and support the government's Plan for Change.' 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.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
More than £1bn earmarked for battlefield tech
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) will spend more than £1bn to develop technology to speed up decisions on the battlefield. The funding will be one of the results of the government's long-awaited strategic defence review which is due to be published in full on Monday. The government has committed to raising defence spending to 2.5% GDP from April 2027 with an ambition to increase that to 3% in the next parliament. In February, the prime minister said cuts to the foreign aid budget would be used to fund the military boost. Announcing the results of the review, the MoD said a new Digital Targeting Web would better connect soldiers on the ground with key information provided by satellites, aircraft and drones helping them target enemy threats faster. Defence Secretary John Healey said the technology announced in the review - which will harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) and software - also highlights lessons being learnt from the war in Ukraine. Ukraine is already using AI and software to speed up the process of identifying, and then hitting, Russian military targets. The review had been commissioned by the newly formed Labour government shortly after last year's election with Healey describing it as the "first of its kind". The government said the findings would be published in the first half of 2025, but did not give an exact date. Healey made the announcement on a visit to the MoD's cyber headquarters in Corsham, Wiltshire. The headquarters is where the UK military co-ordinates their cyber activities to both prevent and to carry out cyber-attacks. Defence officials said over the last two years the UK's military had faced more than 90,000 cyber-attacks by potential adversaries. Attacks have been on the rise, as has their level of sophistication, they added. Staff at Corsham said they had recently helped identify and block malware sent to UK military personnel who recently returned from working abroad. They said the source of the malware was from a "known Russian actor". Both Russia and China have been linked to the increase in cyber-attacks. Defence officials have confirmed that the UK military has also been conducting its own offensive cyber-attacks. Healey said it showed the nature of warfare was changing. "The keyboard is now a weapon of war and we are responding to that," he said. He said the UK needed to be the fastest-innovating military within the Nato alliance. As part of the strategic defence review, the UK's military cyber operations will be overseen by a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command. The MoD said the Command would also take the lead in electronic warfare, from co-ordinating efforts to intercept any adversaries communications, to jamming drones. Healey said the extra investment being made was possible because of the government's "historic commitment" to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027. However, the Nato Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, is calling on allies to increase defence spending by more than 3.5% of GDP. The terrifying new weapon changing the war in Ukraine 'It's going to be ugly': Westminster braces for Spending Review UK announces further £450m military support to Ukraine
BBC News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
More than £1bn earmarked for battlefield tech
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) will spend more than £1bn to develop technology to speed up decisions on the battlefield. The funding will be one of the results of the government's long-awaited strategic defence review which is due to be published in full on government has committed to raising defence spending to 2.5% GDP from April 2027 with an ambition to increase that to 3% in the next February, the prime minister said cuts to the foreign aid budget would be used to fund the military boost. Announcing the results of the review, the MoD said a new Digital Targeting Web would better connect soldiers on the ground with key information provided by satellites, aircraft and drones helping them target enemy threats Secretary John Healey said the technology announced in the review - which will harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) and software - also highlights lessons being learnt from the war in is already using AI and software to speed up the process of identifying, and then hitting, Russian military review had been commissioned by the newly formed Labour government shortly after last year's election with Healey describing it as the "first of its kind". The government said the findings would be published in the first half of 2025, but did not give an exact made the announcement on a visit to the MoD's cyber headquarters in Corsham, Wiltshire. The headquarters is where the UK military co-ordinates their cyber activities to both prevent and to carry out officials said over the last two years the UK's military had faced more than 90,000 cyber-attacks by potential adversaries. Attacks have been on the rise, as has their level of sophistication, they added. Staff at Corsham said they had recently helped identify and block malware sent to UK military personnel who recently returned from working abroad. They said the source of the malware was from a "known Russian actor".Both Russia and China have been linked to the increase in cyber-attacks. Defence officials have confirmed that the UK military has also been conducting its own offensive said it showed the nature of warfare was changing. "The keyboard is now a weapon of war and we are responding to that," he said the UK needed to be the fastest-innovating military within the Nato part of the strategic defence review, the UK's military cyber operations will be overseen by a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command. The MoD said the Command would also take the lead in electronic warfare, from co-ordinating efforts to intercept any adversaries communications, to jamming said the extra investment being made was possible because of the government's "historic commitment" to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027. However, the Nato Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, is calling on allies to increase defence spending by more than 3.5% of GDP.
