Soldiers of the Future?

The British Army calls the Future Soldier programme its most “radical transformation in two decades”. We take a look at key documents announcing the plans and ask crucial questions of the proposals.
Britain’s dystopian (and less accountable) military future

With more troops being placed beyond scrutiny, and army units reportedly deployed to stop refugee flows across the Polish border and English Channel, the UK military is becoming even less accountable to democratic institutions.
Day One, Week One: Veteranhood

Excerpt from Joe Glenton's new book outlines the violence inherent in the British Army's basic training and explores what impacts this can have on mental health.
Beyond Emissions: the military and climate change

The military has a role to play in reducing emissions and environmental degradation but we should beware securitising, and militarising, the response to the climate crisis.
What lies behind Parliament’s military cosplay scheme?

The Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme raises serious questions about the relationship between politicians, the military and defence companies.
Scuppering access to justice for women in the armed forces

The government is intent on sinking an important reform which would support women who have experienced sexual violence in the military.
Insights from the arms fair

DSEI shows the military, government and death merchants are as entangled as ever.
At particular risk: women and girls in the military

The Women in the Armed Forces report evidences abuse and harassment on a systemic scale. Can the gap between good intentions and bad practice ever be bridged in a military culture? As the army launches its recruitment advert aimed at women, what are the particular implications for girl recruits under 18.
Checking in with the neocons

The recent visit to the US by the Secretary of State for Defence provided the opportunity for a speech to the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute, laying out the UK's new strategy for defence and foreign policy.
Embedding the Covenant

Over the last decade, local authorities and thousands of private and public organisations across the UK have pledged to promote the military through events such as Armed Forces Day. We explore how the Armed Forces Covenant enables this and how plans to further embed it in law are more widely problematic.