Jasper King

UK specialist paratroopers and military clinicians have carried out a daring parachute operation to deliver critical medical support to Tristan da Cunha – Britain’s most remote inhabited Overseas Territory – after a suspected case of Hantavirus was identified on the island.

Skyhammer is the UK’s answer to Shahed-style drone threats. This week I joined live trials in Jordan of the Skyhammer interceptor missile, following a multi-million-pound contract with veteran-led start-up Cambridge Aerospace. We're delivering for defence and British industry

Our Armed Forces and their families give so much in service to this country. When they return from deployment, they deserve to come home to a home they can be proud of. That's what we're delivering, including here in Woolwich for personnel returning from deployment in Cyprus.

Big news for Northern Ireland's defence and tech sector. Today at @bfastmet, @LukePollard & @Matthew_Patrick, joined deputy First Minister @little_pengelly to announce the £50 million Northern Ireland Defence Growth Deal, supporting SMEs, student skills and tech to keep us safe.

✅ 1,200 skilled jobs ✅ £879 million ✅ One mission: keep the UK's most advanced military helicopters in the air @LukePollard visited @BoeingUK yesterday as we announced a landmark contract to maintain @britisharmy Apache and @royalairforce Chinooks under one efficient arrangement.

🇺🇦🤝🇬🇧 Grateful to @JohnHealey_MP and the United Kingdom for the largest-ever drone package for Ukraine. 120,000 drones this year—strike, ISR, logistics, maritime—already arriving and strengthening our frontline. This is what real leadership looks like.

As we ask more of our Forces, a decent home has never mattered more. The first new MoD development in almost a decade shows how Labour is renewing forces family housing. Because Britain’s military families deserve homes they can be proud of. mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/d…

An update on UK operations in the Middle East, 09 March 2026.

Yeovil has long been the home of British helicopters. That proud tradition received a major vote of confidence with a new £1 billion contract to build more medium-lift helicopters for the UK Armed Forces. @LukePollard visited the @Leonardo_UK team today to see them in action. 👇

As the situation in the Middle East remains volatile, we are deploying our Type-45 Destroyer, HMS Dragon, to the Eastern Mediterranean. We are also sending two Wildcat helicopters to Cyprus to bolster drone defence for our Cypriot partners. Working alongside our allies, our Armed Forces are committed to protecting regional stability and keeping people safe.

“The increasingly indiscriminate attacks from Iran… are putting British people at risk” Defence Secretary John Healey says the UK will do “all it can” to prevent regional escalation in the Middle East #BBCLauraK bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00…

This morning, I visited the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Central London to remember the enormous sacrifices made by so many brave military personnel and civilians in Ukraine. President @ZelenskyyUa and the Ukrainian people have the UK’s full support for as long as it takes.

Four years on from Russia’s illegal invasion, we are stepping up our support for Ukraine. Britain’s commitment to Ukraine’s defence does not waver. #StandWithUkraine🇺🇦

UK agrees drone defence plan with four EU allies bbc.in/46VzC2r

Today I represented the United Kingdom at the E5 meeting in Poland of Europe’s five largest defence powers. We announced a new joint low cost effector we will develop jointly to take out drones and air threats. We also reinforced our collective support for Ukraine.

The future of defence is being built in Wales🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Proud to sign a £50 million Defence Growth Deal alongside @PrifWeinidog and @JoStevensLabour which will deliver thousands of skilled jobs, new contracts for Welsh SMEs, and a new Defence Technical Excellence College.

Thank you to the people of the United Kingdom, @Keir_Starmer and @JohnHealey_MP for the new and timely air defense package worth over £500 million. I am also grateful that the UK has joined the PURL program with a substantial contribution of £150 million, which will allow us to purchase additional American-made weapons, primarily air defenses. Russian attacks on our people, energy, and other life-sustaining infrastructure continue unabated, and each strike can inflict significant damage. Therefore, such leadership and support are especially vital now, amid the winter cold. Thank you!

Britain is providing an extra half a billion pounds in urgent air defence to Ukraine and will play a central part in NATO’s Arctic security mission. This is how we are stepping up in this new era of threat and hard power 👇

For many years, defence procurement has been slow, complex, and difficult for small businesses to navigate. We're doing something about that. @LukePollard has established the Defence Office for Small Business Growth to help SMEs win more defence contracts. Read more 👇 ow.ly/Wunp50Y4i18

John Healey launches new fund to accelerate contracts for UK military start-ups, as MoD seeks to diversify away from primes Def sec says govt must ‘reward risk-takers’ & ‘jump start’ entrepreneurialism in the home defence tech sector W/ @sylviapfeifer as.ft.com/r/3dd3fb02-f93…