Free Republic

Britain has now suffered the ultimate humiliation. A Russian warship in the English Channel has felt free to fire warning shots at a peaceful British-flagged yacht, and not only have we chosen to do nothing about it, we actually cannot do anything about it – thanks to the long, long running-down of our defences. The Government must now surely realise that it is time for a major increase in defence funding, as if the recent resignation of defence ministers John Healey and Al Carns had not been proof enough. So what has happened? A British-flagged yacht, so far unidentified, apparently...

The Royal Navy’s mission to intercept Iranian drone threats has stalled in port because the Portsmouth repair yard now operates on a “nine-to-five” schedule. The high-stakes mission to protect a British airbase from Iranian drone strikes remains on hold while maintenance crews finish welding and system overhauls during standard business hours, according to union officials, The Telegraph reported. The deployment of HMS Dragon, a Type 45 air-defense destroyer designed to intercept high-speed missile and drone threats, to Cyprus has been delayed because the Ministry of Defence and private contractor Serco reportedly introduced these restricted shifts as a “cost-cutting” measure that...