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The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Simon Mann obituary
The career of the former soldier and mercenary Simon Mann might have seemed unexceptional in the pages of John Buchan or Rider Haggard but unfortunately for him it ended not in the 19th century but in a jail cell in post-colonial 21st-century Africa. Mann, who has died aged 72 following a heart attack, spent five years in prisons in Zimbabwe and then Equatorial Guinea between 2004 and 2009 for his part in the attempted 'Wonga coup', so called because of his unavailing plea for his friends, including Sir Mark Thatcher, the son of the former prime minister, to stump up funds – 'a splodge of wonga' – to rescue him following a failed attempt to overthrow Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the president of the west African oil state. It was, he admitted, 'a fuck up'. The nicknames of those friends were in a letter he attempted to smuggle to his wife from a prison in Harare: Thatcher was Scratcher, allegedly because of the adolescent acne he had suffered at school, and there was also Smelly and Nosher, names perhaps more PG Wodehouse than Bulldog Drummond. But they did not save Mann from torture in Zimbabwe or isolation at the notorious Black Beach prison in Equatorial Guinea. The Sunday Times in 2011 said: 'Everything about [Mann] is preposterous, fruity, bonkers and slightly frightful,' but his friends found him engaging, intelligent, though easily bored, and wry. He had a military career with the Scots Guards and the SAS before seeking adventure and wealth as the organiser of a firm providing mercenaries, mainly from South Africa, to protect oil and mining companies in Angola. Had the coup to overthrow the tyrannical and corrupt president of Equatorial Guinea succeeded, Mann would have received a pay off in the region of £15m. He was a son of privilege, a scion of the London brewery family whose company merged with Watney's. Both his father, George, and grandfather, Frank, had briefly been England and Middlesex cricket captains, in the days when only amateurs were considered suitable for team leadership. Both had served with the Scots Guards and had won the Military Cross, respectively in the first and second world wars. George Mann captained the MCC England party on a tour of South Africa in 1948-49 and met his future wife, Margaret (nee Clark), an heiress, on the boat taking the side back to Britain. Simon, their son, preferred rowing to cricket at Eton, where he was apparently known as 'Maps' because of his fascination with Africa and, according to a friend, the possibility of staging coups there. He proceeded to Sandhurst and a commission in the family regiment. Seeking a livelier challenge, Mann passed the demanding tests for the SAS and became a troop commander specialising in intelligence and counter-terrorism. He served around the world but left the army at the age of 28 in 1981 and started a security business offering protection to wealthy, mainly Arab, clients in Britain, returning to the army briefly to serve during the first Gulf war on the staff of the commander Sir Peter de la Billière. Later, as a sideline, Mann played Col Derek Wilford, the Parachute brigade commander, in Bloody Sunday, the 2002 Paul Greengrass film of the killings by the army at a Derry civil rights demonstration in 1972. In 1996 he teamed up with an oil executive, Tony Buckingham, to found a firm based in South Africa providing security and military support to governments to protect their interests. The company, Executive Outcomes, helped protect the oil wells of the Angolan government, under attack from Unita rebels. Four years later, Mann co-founded Sandline International, another security firm, with a British former officer, Lt Col Tim Spicer, providing military training and arms to the Sierra Leone government trying to keep control of the country's diamond fields. The profits enabled Mann to buy an estate on the Beaulieu River in Hampshire, but also took him back to South Africa, where he began recruiting mercenaries to overthrow the Obiang regime in Equatorial Guinea and replace it with one led by the insurgent leader Severo Moto. By then Mann was in his mid-50s and the whole operation was haphazard and misconceived. It included Mann checking out the price of some supplies at a branch of B&Q. The South African authorities were well aware what was going on – probably as a result of loose talk by the plotters around a hotel swimming pool – and the Zimbabwean government was alerted too, though it continued selling arms and ammunition to Mann and his colleagues. Friends of Mann, including Thatcher, provided funds, though Thatcher himself later claimed he thought he had been buying a helicopter merely for humanitarian work, an excuse which did not prevent him receiving a suspended sentence and a hefty fine for breaking anti-mercenary legislation. All went wrong after Mann and his band of 70 mercenaries touched down in Harare on the night of 7 March 2004 to pick up the arms. They were arrested, as was a further group already in Malabo, the Guinean capital. It was while he was awaiting trial that the notorious letter was written: 'Our situation is not good and it is very URGENT … it may be that getting us out comes down to a large splodge of wonga. Now it's bad times and everyone has to fucking well pull their full weight. Once we get into a real trial scenario we are fucked.' The letter was intercepted by the prison guards. No money was forthcoming from Scratcher, or Smelly, thought to be a reference to Ely Calil, a Nigerian-Lebanese oil tycoon. 'They let me down badly,' Mann complained later. 'They ought to be in shackles as well.' He said Thatcher had known perfectly well about the coup plan and had been part of the team management. He regretted the coup: 'When you go tiger shooting, you don't expect the tiger to win.' Four months after the band's arrest, Mann was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, later reduced to four, on two counts of buying firearms illegally – the other mercenaries faced short sentences. He had claimed the object of the mission was to protect diamond mines in the Congo. Mann later said he had confessed under duress and had been tortured and subjected to sensory deprivation, 'all the sort of stuff we used to do to each other at (the SAS in) Hereford.' But on his release in Zimbabwe in May 2007 he was immediately extradited to Equatorial Guinea. There he was sentenced to 34 years at Black Beach prison, where, for most prisoners, assaults were rife and food intermittent. There were even rumours that Obiang had a penchant for eating bits of his captives – which the dictator denied. Mann's imprisonment was not so harsh: he had access to books and to journalists; food was supplied from a luxury hotel, and he lunched with the country's security minister. It helped that by then he was admitting his guilt, naming names and expressing contrition. Within 15 months, in November 2009, Obiang freed him 'on humanitarian grounds' to receive medical treatment and see his family in Britain. Back home, Mann was able to meet his five-year-old son, Arthur, for the first time, and to reunite with his wife, Amanda, and six other children. His attempts to restart his career, however, were less successful: 'My former peers couldn't hire me, even in the back office,' he told the Times in 2023. 'It was 'look Simon, don't take it personally, but we spend a lot of time and money telling everyone we are not mercenaries.'' In 2011 he wrote a book on his experiences, Cry Havoc, and latterly was chairing a start-up company attempting to turn plastic waste into hydrogen. One of his friends was said to be Obiang. Mann is survived by Amanda (nee Freedman), who was his third wife and the mother of four of the seven children who also survive him. Simon Mann, army officer and mercenary, born 26 June 1952; died 8 May 2025
Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Luxury Brit liner sent to brutal war - with astonishing comparison to Titanic
A fascinating new book revealing what is was like for crew and soldiers on QE2's epic voyage in 1982 to save lives in the Falklands War has been published on the 43rd anniversary of the South Atlantic conflict Cunard's Queen Elizabeth 2 offered the ultimate in fine dining cruising, but on this voyage, instead of suckling pig being served on bone china plates, passengers collected 'stodge' on trays from the canteen. Rather than the strains of an orchestra playing in the ballroom, the clump-clump of booted feet echoed around the hardboard-clad passageways that had been laid to protect miles of the ship's soft deep-pile carpets. And instead of lights from the chandeliers shining from the hundreds of portholes, all windows had been blacked out. The trappings of a luxury cruise ship, from her silverware and paintings to the casino tables, had been offloaded to transport 3,000 troops from 5 Infantry Brigade – made up of battalions from the Scots Guards, Welsh Guards and Gurkha Rifles – to launch an assault on Port Stanley in the South Atlantic, some 8,000 miles away. Among the brave soldiers onboard was 20-year-old Welsh Guardsman Simon Weston, who survived severe burns to his face and hands after his ship RFA Sir Galahad was attacked. It was QE2's finest hour – and she was at war. Now, 60 years after they started building the world's greatest ever liner, a fascinating new book about the QE2's crucial role in the Falklands War has been published to coincide with its 43rd anniversary. Co-authors of The QE2 in the Falklands War: Troopship to the South Atlantic, Commodore Ronald Warwick and Professor David Humphreys, both served on the historic voyage. Ronald Warwick, now 85, served as chief officer when he was 42, while David was a senior accounts petty officer, then aged 25. Neither had expected QE2 to be requisitioned when the Thatcher government dispatched a naval task force to set sail within 72 hours of Argentina invading the Falklands Islands on April 2, 1982. 'There were 45 merchant ships requisitioned to assist the Royal Navy, including the P&O liner Canberra,' explains David, 62, of Canterbury, Kent. 'Word went round that QE2 was just too big and too famous to go down, so we sailed to Philadelphia. 'We were coming back across the Atlantic when we got within 12 miles of the coast on May 3 and could pick up radio and TV signals, and heard on the Jimmy Young Show that we had been requisitioned. 'Everybody went to find a TV set to watch the BBC 1 O'Clock news. It was standing-room-only when the Secretary of State made the announcement. A cheer went up and Ron and I were among the 660 crew who volunteered for the voyage.' Captain Hutcheson then made a tannoy announcement informing everyone that QE2 would be withdrawn from commercial service on arrival at Southampton. He told a reporter at the time: 'I think the troops will enjoy Cunard luxury.' The crew who volunteered for QE2's epic voyage were under no illusion as to the dangers they would face. 'Wills were written and one couple even brought forward their marriage plans,' writes David. ' When we sailed from Southampton, we had no idea where we were going. The Belgrano had just been sunk and war was getting very real.' Although Captain Hutcheson remained onboard, Captain Peter Jackson, who had served in the Second World War, took over command. Over the next eight days, the liner was converted into a troopship – the two swimming pools were covered with steel pads strong enough to hold Sea King helicopters. QE2 did not have the fuel tank capacity to travel non-stop to the South Atlantic, and modifications had to be made so she could refuel at sea. It was calculated that the fuel bill would cost $1m for a one-way trip. Urgent structural work was carried out by Vosper Thornycroft shipyard in Southampton, which had modified the Canberra. 'There was talk of redundancies, but when the Falklands War came along, they were spared,' remembers David. 'It was a very intense period. The superstructure was cut away at the aft of the ship to build the helicopter deck, and the cruise liner accoutrements were offloaded - including posh food like lobster tails, caviar and foie gras and we took on board carb-heavy food for the troops.' Lorries removed deckchairs and valuable furniture, which were replaced with stacking chairs, camp beds and trestle tables, along with tons of ammunition and military equipment, including helicopters, drums of fuel and Land Rovers, which were carried on QE2's open decks. The structural changes, along with 4,000 passengers and all the extra equipment meant when QE2 sailed from Southampton on May 12, 1982, with thousands of well-wishers lining the quayside, she was below the Plimsoll line. 'Normally there would be 1,000 crew and 2,000 passengers. So there were more souls on board for that voyage than ever sailed in the ship before or since,' adds David. Extra life jackets were loaded for everyone on board. While, included in the £60,000-worth of medical supplies were sea sickness tablets, which would be needed in the rough seas. 'The Gurkhas suffered very badly and had to be berthed on the lowest Passenger deck which has less motion,' says David. But spirits on board were high. Soldiers would jog around the boat deck for their daily exercise and the function rooms, which were used for training during the day, were used as bars for troops to relax and buy their daily quota of two cans of beer in the evening. As they drank their way through 6,000 cans of beer and 3,500 cans of soft drinks every night, a large gang of night stewards cleaned their rooms. David also reveals that, despite the ship's strict non-fraternisation rule, there were lots of parties. 'There were three groups of senior officers from the QE2, NP1980 and 5 Infantry Brigade, and it was decided they would host receptions for each other. On one occasion, an evening of bagpipes and drums was described by an officer as 'excellent stuff, but a little hard on the ears in a small room'.' Troops only had access to one shop onboard which sold chocolate, cigarettes and souvenirs – all at cost price plus a 10% to cover staff wages. And the ship's hairdresser turned his salon into a barbers - charging 75p a haircut - saying: 'I'm more used to blow dry and set, not short back and sides.' After six days at sea on Tuesday, May 18, QE2 docked at Freetown in Sierra Leone to take on fuel and fresh water, before sailing silently away. David recalls: 'The climate in the port was hot and humid, and some of the troops exercising on the upper decks got sunburnt. 'Until now, QE2 had transmitted messages, but after leaving Freetown complete radio silence was observed. 'It was only when we arrived at Ascension Island on May 20 that we realised we were going to South Georgia and that we would not be permitted to go in close to the Falklands.' David also reveals that co-author Ron discovered evidence that the Argentinians thought QE2 would sail with a Royal Navy escort direct for the Falklands. He says: 'Instead, we relied on our speed and sailed without a Royal Navy escort direct for South Georgia.' Along with more troops and supplies, QE2 took onboard copies of the Daily Mirror. David recalls: 'The Mirror carried a story that Argentina was going to sink QE2 on Argentina National Day, which is May 25. It never happened, but two British ships were hit – Atlantic Conveyor and HMS Coventry – whose Captain David Hart Dyke is father of the comedian Miranda Hart.' QE2 set sail from Ascension on May 21 and headed for the abandoned whaling station of Grytviken on South Georgia island, where the Argentine flag had flown a month previously. 'Once we left Ascension, there was this serious mood and we realised that some of them might not be coming back,' saysDavid, who comes from a Southampton seafaring family. Recalling feeling nervous as the ship travelled through treacherous ice fields, he adds: 'The excellent navigators got us through, but it was impossible not to think of the Titanic – both my great uncles fireman William Butt and steward Robert Butt went down with the fated liner in 1912.' 'We arrived at night and awoke the following morning to be greeted by snow-clad mountains of South Georgia, and Canberra also anchored there.' Having arrived safely, the 5 Infantry Brigade disembarked to the join the Canberra, Norland and other ships. 'It was an incredibly busy time with tugboats going backwards and forwards, filled with troops and cargo. In his book, Simon Weston remembers shop staff throwing cigarettes into his tugboat as the Welsh Guards disembarked.' QE2 took on board 632 survivors of three sunken warships – Antelope, Coventry and Ardent. 'Every single one of those men had had a ship blown out from under them and lost dear friends, and the mood back was very different,' says David. 'Again, there was a non-fraternisation rule, but stewards visited the injured, mended their clothes, talked with them and washed their hair.' 'We sailed quickly from South Georgia because we still faced dangers – from the ice and aerial attack, and the Argentinian submarine Santa Fe, which if it had not been scuttled by HSM Antrim would have been waiting for us.' This time, QE2 sailed for home at a more sedate pace, arriving into Southampton on June 11, 1982. 'It was a bright sunny day and one I will never forget,' remembers David. 'We were greeted with a 21-gun salute from HMS Londonderry, and we lined up on deck as we sailed past the Royal Yacht Britannia and the Queen Mother waved at us. 'Then we then turned to port, and we were greeted by the sight of small craft everywhere, a Harrier aircraft twisted above us in a victory role, fire tugs spurting water into the air, a Marine band playing, school children waving, and families everywhere. My mum was there on the quayside waiting for me.' QE2 was officially retired in 2008, but her most important service to her country helped shorten the 72-day conflict and saved many lives. • The QE2 in the Falklands War: Troopship to the South Atlanticby Commodore Ronald Warwick and Professor David Humphreys is published by History Press, price £25.
Wales Online
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Man makes unearthly music from household objects with hilarious results
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A wacky musician who wowed Britain's Got Talent (BGT) judges had pensioners in stitches. Dennis Frere-Smith moved from the sublime to the ridiculous when performing in Caernarfon, Gwynedd. After a rousing rendition of When the Saints Go Marching In, the veteran entertainer put aside his trumpet to produce some unearthly but hilarious tunes on a teapot, a garden hose and even a shower head. The routine, which also included a sink plunger and watering can, was similar to the one that won him acclaim on BGT last year. After initially rolling his eyes, judge Simon Cowell gave him a standing ovation. At the time, Amanda noted: 'It just reminded me of good old fashioned entertainment. There is no other show on earth where you'd be able to play a hosepipe – perfect for Britain's Got Talent.' There was also a thumbs-up from fellow judge Alesha Dixon but Bruno Tonioli described Dennis's performance as a 'waste of wind'. Dennis advanced onto the following round and performed his routine on the famous London Palladium stage - but he failed to reach the show's semi-finals. Despite this, his crowd-pleasing performance at Pendine Park's Bryn Seiont care home in Caernarfon was definitely a Golden Buzzer moment. Sign up now for the latest news on the North Wales Live Whatsapp community Among those to get out of her seat was Betty Driver, 87, a former professional dancer who often performed at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. 'That was a great show, I really enjoyed it,' she enthused. 'I couldn't help but get up and dance to some of the songs.' (Image: Mandy Jones) Dennis sang and played a selection of hits ranging from Frank Sinatra to Bobby Darin and Cliff Richard. He also performed a medley of wartime songs in preparation for VE Day in May. 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary' had a special meaning for Ethna Williams, originally from County Dublin, Ireland, who latterly lived near Holyhead. She said: 'It was lovely to hear him sing and especially when he came up to me (during the song) and held my hand.' Former police officer David Edwards, from Dolwyddelan, near Blaenau Ffestiniog, correctly identified the opening bars of 'Bring Me Sunshine', a song regularly sung by comic duo Morecambe and Wise on their TV shows. He then joined Dennis to recreate the dance Eric and Ernie did as they left the stage. 'I enjoyed Dennis' singing very much,' he said. 'He's got a very fine voice and he's a very talented musician.' (Image: Mandy Jones) Dennis, from Norfolk, rounded off his hour-long session with a stirring version of You'll Never Walk Alone. Now in his late-60s, Dennis joined the Scots Guards as a musician on leaving school and later became a teacher before becoming a full-time musician and entertainer. He said: 'I was teaching music at a school in Buckinghamshire and was asked to take a group to entertain at a care home. There was no one available so I went along and did it myself – and I've been visiting care homes ever since. 'My mother is now in her 90s and I know how much pleasure elderly people get from music. I enjoyed performing for the residents here in Caernarfon very much, they were a great audience.' (Image: Mandy Jones) Dennis said his BGT appearance last year had since given him new ideas for his act. 'Amanda Holden challenged me to play When the Saints Go Marching In and go faster and faster – and with other instruments,' he said. 'So I've prepared a backing track with the help of my son and added a watering can and a funnel to the others that I play. I'm hoping to develop a new show for the theatre and cruise ships market.' Nia Davies Williams is Bryn Seiont Newydd's musician in residence. She was blown away by the performance, saying it evoked happy musical memories for the residents. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox 'The effect of music is well known,' she said. 'It seems to linger longer even among those for whom a simple conversation seems to be very difficult. Having Dennis her to sing those old familiar songs from their earlier years does the residents the power of good.' Look for places near you
North Wales Live
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Live
Man makes unearthly music from household objects with hilarious results
A wacky musician who wowed Britain's Got Talent (BGT) judges had pensioners in stitches. Dennis Frere-Smith moved from the sublime to the ridiculous when performing in Caernarfon, Gwynedd. After a rousing rendition of When the Saints Go Marching In, the veteran entertainer put aside his trumpet to produce some unearthly but hilarious tunes on a teapot, a garden hose and even a shower head. The routine, which also included a sink plunger and watering can, was similar to the one that won him acclaim on BGT last year. After initially rolling his eyes, judge Simon Cowell gave him a standing ovation. At the time, Amanda noted: 'It just reminded me of good old fashioned entertainment. There is no other show on earth where you'd be able to play a hosepipe – perfect for Britain's Got Talent.' There was also a thumbs-up from fellow judge Alesha Dixon but Bruno Tonioli described Dennis's performance as a 'waste of wind'. Dennis advanced onto the following round and performed his routine on the famous London Palladium stage - but he failed to reach the show's semi-finals. Despite this, his crowd-pleasing performance at Pendine Park's Bryn Seiont care home in Caernarfon was definitely a Golden Buzzer moment. Among those to get out of her seat was Betty Driver, 87, a former professional dancer who often performed at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. 'That was a great show, I really enjoyed it,' she enthused. 'I couldn't help but get up and dance to some of the songs.' Dennis sang and played a selection of hits ranging from Frank Sinatra to Bobby Darin and Cliff Richard. He also performed a medley of wartime songs in preparation for VE Day in May. 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary' had a special meaning for Ethna Williams, originally from County Dublin, Ireland, who latterly lived near Holyhead. She said: 'It was lovely to hear him sing and especially when he came up to me (during the song) and held my hand.' Former police officer David Edwards, from Dolwyddelan, near Blaenau Ffestiniog, correctly identified the opening bars of 'Bring Me Sunshine', a song regularly sung by comic duo Morecambe and Wise on their TV shows. He then joined Dennis to recreate the dance Eric and Ernie did as they left the stage. 'I enjoyed Dennis' singing very much,' he said. 'He's got a very fine voice and he's a very talented musician.' Dennis, from Norfolk, rounded off his hour-long session with a stirring version of You'll Never Walk Alone. Now in his late-60s, Dennis joined the Scots Guards as a musician on leaving school and later became a teacher before becoming a full-time musician and entertainer. He said: 'I was teaching music at a school in Buckinghamshire and was asked to take a group to entertain at a care home. There was no one available so I went along and did it myself – and I've been visiting care homes ever since. 'My mother is now in her 90s and I know how much pleasure elderly people get from music. I enjoyed performing for the residents here in Caernarfon very much, they were a great audience.' Dennis said his BGT appearance last year had since given him new ideas for his act. 'Amanda Holden challenged me to play When the Saints Go Marching In and go faster and faster – and with other instruments,' he said. 'So I've prepared a backing track with the help of my son and added a watering can and a funnel to the others that I play. I'm hoping to develop a new show for the theatre and cruise ships market.' Nia Davies Williams is Bryn Seiont Newydd's musician in residence. She was blown away by the performance, saying it evoked happy musical memories for the residents. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox 'The effect of music is well known,' she said. 'It seems to linger longer even among those for whom a simple conversation seems to be very difficult. Having Dennis her to sing those old familiar songs from their earlier years does the residents the power of good.'
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘We can't sit back and watch': Former MI6 boss says Britain must get ready for war as Putin threatens Europe
Britain needs to re-arm and build reserves through a form of national service to defend against Vladimir Putin's hopes to dominate eastern Europe and undermine the west, the former head of MI6 has warned. Sir Alex Younger said people in the UK must realise that the threat from Russia - and its closeness to the US - is real, adding: 'Putin and Trump together have done their best to persuade us that the rules have changed'. Reflecting on whether Britain has the mettle for a full-scale war, he told Independent TV: 'I worry - we have disarmed militarily, self-evidently. We've largely dismantled our military and industrial base, which is a big problem. 'We have, for many years, been completely free of any form of existential threat. 'We've unforgivably… launched a set of wars of choice, which have imposed sacrifice needlessly on young people and there's great cynicism about this idea of collective effort to defend your country. 'I think we're more comfortable thinking about the army as like the England football team; they go and do their thing over there and we watch it on telly - and that can't happen anymore.'Discussing what need to be done to prepare, Sir Alex, known as 'C' during his time as spy chief, added: 'You'd have to ask a soldier about the actual efficacy of things like conscription. I have no idea… I know that it just needs to be a more integrated feature of everyday life. 'I think that will bring broader benefits. So I think this is probably more about a more creative and broader conception of what the reserves is.' Sir Alex, a computer science graduate and former officer in the Scots Guards, gave a distinctly British establishment response to the question of whether or not, after backing Putin so publicly, Trump could be working for Russia, an allegation which has been made against the US president in the past, without any evidence. 'I mean, who knows? I personally don't think he's a Russian agent. I went out of my way not to find out because why would you want to know? So I don't know. 'In a sense, that's not the point. The point is he agrees with Vladimir Putin. He agrees that big countries get additional rights over small countries, particularly in their own backyard.' There can never have been a time before this when asked, in public, whether the president of the USA could conceivably be a Russian agent that the former head of MI6 would have replied with a political shrug. Speaking on the first episode of The Conversation, new expert-led discussion series on Independent TV, alongside the US defence secretary's former envoy to Nato, Dr Rachel Ellehuus, Sir Alex said Britain had fallen behind other European nations in its ability, and willingness, to defend itself. 'It really depends on how close to Moscow you are. I think in Finland it's well understood and there's a properly integrated resilient culture where everyone is accustomed to playing their part. I think we go to Portugal at the other end that's just not true - and in a sense that's understandable. 'I think the UK is quite conflicted as well. We've got this astonishing history, which makes people readier to conceive of Britain playing a much more active role, but I think here too, there's real concern about being asked to actually do stuff.' By that he means contribute large numbers of people to fight but also to comprehend that a hybrid war with Russia - where disinformation, cyberattacks and economic pressure are equally important - is already underway. Dr Ellehuus, now director general of the Royal United Services Institute, Britain's leading security thinktank, laid out the threat that European nations are urgently trying to cope with. This threat has intensified following the sudden change in strategic ideology in Washington under Trump. Since his inauguration, Trump has signalled that Europe must pay for its own security. He has also said that he no longer sees the Nato alliance that has underpinned western security for 80s years, as useful. He has threatened to colonise both Canada and Greenland. He has also supported most of Putin's claims on at least a fifth of Ukraine and agreed that it may 'not be a country'. Dr Ellehuus, an American, said that while the threat posed by the Kremlin had been persistent, it has been the dramatic shift in Washington that has been the greatest strategic shock. 'The galvanizing moment for Europe? Yes. Take a look at the Trump-Putin relationship or the Trump/MAGA-Putin relationship,' she said. 'President Putin is trying to redraw the map. Some of the changes that were made at the end of the Cold War that left Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova as not part of the Soviet Union but neither part of Nato or the European Union, left them in a kind of limbo. '[It] created an opportunity for him to chip away at the margins of those countries and create pockets of instability or insecurity that would prevent them from fully integrating into Nato or the EU. 'Am I saying he's going to invade the Baltic states or Poland tomorrow? I'm not. But he is going to test the boundaries of what we call Article 5, which is the commitment that an attack against one Nato ally is an attack against all of them. 'He's already been pushing the boundaries of that through below-the-threshold activities that aren't conventional attacks.' According to the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies, there was a 300 per cent increase in unconventional attacks on Europe by Russia last year, 2023-2024. 'Roughly 27 percent of the attacks were against transportation targets (such as trains, vehicles, and airplanes), another 27 per cent were against government targets (such as military bases and officials), 21 percent were against critical infrastructure targets (such as pipelines, undersea fiber-optic cables, and the electricity grid), and 21 percent were against industry (such as defense companies),' the CSIS said in a report last month. Sir Alex said Trump, Putin and China's Xi Jinping, appear to be carving the world up into spheres of influence which sweep aside notions of national sovereignty in places like Europe. On top of that, the long-standing issue of trust is now being undermined by the US. Both in terms of military doctrine, as shown by Nato's article 5, and in the Five Eyes intelligence sharing system between the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Trust between the US and its allies under Trump was strained when Sir Alex was in charge at MI6, after Trump blurted secret intelligence of an Isis bomb-plot to Sergei Lavrov the Russian foreign minister. It also has been badly damaged by the recent Signal messaging group scandal. The mess flowed from the US president's decision to put inexperienced leaders in the top intelligence jobs, Sir Alex suggested. 'Whatever you think about that, it comes at a cost just in terms of a basic understanding of the environment in which we all operate and the threats that exist. 'On the face of it, using a phone, an iPhone or whatever it is, to plan an attack you don't want your enemy to know about, is not sensible.' The use of personal mobile phones for top secret communications was unforgivable, Dr Ellehuus said. These communications were usually held over secure video link because they involved not only US (or UK) personnel, but forces and intelligence agents who could be at risk on the ground. Whatever the strains, and new risks, that the Trump administration has now brought to western intelligence agencies, Sir Alex said CIA officers would 'die in a ditch' to protect their human sources. 'It is a very unusual time. But all I am saying when it comes to the defence of the integrity of our capabilities as five [eyes], there will be a very, very strong machine in operation to retain the integrity, even if I can't belittle the idea that it's more at risk than it was.'
