Patrick Little

@thinkdefence x.com/adamemedia/sta…

Let me guess, Iran won and the USA lost, Iran lost and the USA won. Pick your opinion, plenty all round.

@Gabriel64869839 I've had the privilege of seeing at first hand some of what the Koninklijke Landmacht have been doing - & it's seriously impressive in scale, scope & urgency. Frankly - it's embarrassing for 🇬🇧 & the notion they have more at stake as a European land power is a pretty odd notion.

The contemporary British Army can hardly imagine a world in which a force structure with N battalions of one type result in actual plans for outfitting them with the necessary vehicle type. It's like, so radical, man. No 3 decades going in pointless circles...? Mad.

@thinkdefence I don't know either of them so 🤷‍♂️. But if we accept they are honourable men of conscience then you/we might have to accept that they can & do reconcile it because they see some of it differently. I struggle to believe they see it as acceptable collateral in their pol careers🤷‍♂️.

@patricklittle19 Thats why I asked a question about how do they reconcile it

How do Labour Party voters, supporters, members, MPs and ministers, especially those with a service background or connection, reconcile their party affiliation with the Northern Ireland veterans prosecutions. Am genuinely interested

@thinkdefence They may have reservations, & lobby internally, & I'm prepared to consider that it's just not as binary as is often made out. I don't like the hounding of elderly NI vets in a way that seems quite unfair to me - but I don't like either the notion that we won't pursue crimes...🤷‍♂️

@thinkdefence Contrary to what some seem to imply about them - I'm prepared to believe that Al Carns and Dan Jarvis (to name only 2) are honourable men, are patriots, & believe that what their party and government are doing are in the country's best interests.

@nicholadrummond The Training DLOD🤷‍♂️

20 UK DEFENCE INVESTMENT PRIORITIES 1. Rebuild munition stockpiles across all three services 2. Ensure that the Dreadnought SSBN programme is delivered on schedule 3. Acquire a ballistic missile defence system 4. Get on with the Type 45 destroyer PIP 5. Acquire additional land-based SkySabre Air Defence systems (minimum of 48 launch sets) 6. Equip all three forces with a full range of UAS, UGV, USV, and UUV for surveillance and strike tasks 7. Order 4 additional Type 26 frigates 8. Ensure that all 7 Astute Class attack submarines are ready and deployable 9. Ensure that GCAP / Tempest is fully funded 10. Accelerate the Bowman replacement programme, including investment in AI and a Starlink equivalent satellite system 11. Accelerate programme to replace Crowsnest with a UAS-mounted AEW&C system 12. Continue to invest in Boxer, including artillery version, but refocus it around 1st (UK) so that we field fully deployable brigades sooner (See note below) 13. Invest in land-based SHORAD including Stormer HVM replacement and 35 mm cannon system. 14. Invest in a wheeled GMLRS system like HIMARS 15. Fund development of a UK equivalent of GMLRS ER and PrSM 16. Loan or lease 5 additional C-17A transport aircraft from wherever we can (or buy 10 additional A400M) 17. Ensure that at least 4 Multi-Role Strike Ships are funded for the Commando Force 18. Acquire 24 additional F-35B to provide a surge capacity for the carriers and to reduce attrition risk 19. Increase Army headcount to 80,000, and Navy headcount to 35,000 20. ……(What have I missed?) (Note: I’m an advisor to KNDS so my Boxer recommendation (No. 12) is not impartial - but I still think it is the right thing to do!)

@thinkdefence What are you complaining about ? There are no London bus "units of measure" here so we are making progress !!!!🤷‍♂️😉

No no no, we must stop, completely redesign it so it can use French missiles, and withdraw from AUKUS because of mean tweets. We famously have a massively generous defence budget and nothing but time.

@thinkdefence "Fight with and fight against" in free play force on force without "referees".....

@thinkdefence I'm less optimistic even on FPVs. Show me an FTX /TESEX where RED & BLUE have broadly matching FPV capabilities, EW, C-UAS...and consequently lethality metrics comparing FPV with Mortars, ATGW, & grenade launchers and I will "believe". Till then - it's not institutional 🫣🤷‍♂️

FPVs, a lot of trials are going on, getting kit into soldiers hands, supplier ecosystems being built, and even drone racing teams. The Brirish Army is doing stuff. But are we doing the same for UGVs?

@thinkdefence x.com/kofmanmichael/…

@rbradbrown @archer_rs I don't know🤷‍♂️Turning up for two 🇺🇸 wars of choice ? Does n't that count ?

@archer_rs It is always interesting to hear Euros say they are "re-arming" after declaring that "the US is no longer a reliable defense partner" It raises the question of what they think the term "partner" implied for the past 80 years.

Astonishing statement from General Carsten Breuer, chief of the German defence staff. "Germany no longer regards the USA as a reliable defence partner. We are assuming conflict with Russia in the next few years is inevitable, we are re-arming.

@bttr01438851 They might have been mythical capabilities 10 years ago - they are n't any longer. Digital backbones, wide area surveillance, acoustic sensors (yes it's more than just that..) are not unique....🤷‍♂️

"The CV90 is a very capable vehicle, but it is not a recce strike vehicle. It doesn't have the same capabilities as Ajax, and I think people are slightly losing the point or understanding. [...]" And those mythical capabilities that only Ajax can offer but no other AFV are?

@clear_winner @BO3673 @michaeldweiss I suspect 🇺🇸 ends up paying Europe to pay a toll - because if you don't pump prices in the US will destroy this US government. US oil prices are set on a global market so how anyone can think this is somehow a European problem is plain madness🤷‍♂️

@BO3673 @michaeldweiss I suspect you guys might end up paying a toll to IRGC to get your gas and oil ships if Trump cuts and run.😉

Seems to suggest the ground op is all but inevitable.

@Jeff21461 How much for an extra couple of hundred unmodified from this standard for the 🇬🇧British Army ? Asking for a friend....

🇳🇱 The Dutch variant of the Schakal (Jackel) infantry fighting vehicle will not be delivered in the same configuration as those ordered by the Bundeswehr. The Dutch variant will not be equipped with the MUSS passive protection system and instead come with a 360-degree radar for drone detection. Additionally, the fire control system will be adapted to be able to target the UAS detected by the radar. hartpunkt.de/niederlaendisc…

@thinkdefence Something ironic (to me at least) about being taught the power of cold, objective performance measurement, by the 🇺🇦 given how long we've had 💷, quality instrumented training systems. People will knock the gamification, question how generalisable this all is. But ...

@thinkdefence Perfectly do-able right now for all of our training to look like this and better. And yet it does n't, because the existence of downsides (which there are) are allowed to completely overshadow the far bigger upside.

This a fascinating thread, management practices like performance metrics, dashboards, and cold hard data.

Hope you were watching this @warmatters !!!

@crashmat89 @benmoores2 @warmatters Oh ok - so you know him then? And we'd be better off with someone thick, conceited, & because of "operational credibility " means they will be better at advice, influence & understanding our capabilities. Righto.

@patricklittle19 @benmoores2 @warmatters These are all wonderful qualities for someone working in the social care sector. However, in times of international crisis we need an actual military leader with operational credibility, who can advise & influence government & our allies & ensure our capabilities are understood.

People need to wind their necks in when taking ad hominem cracks at CDS.

🤩 Esto es demasiado 😍 #StradeBianche 🇮🇹

@benmoores2 @warmatters FWIW ....I was on the same staff college with him many moons ago. Widely admired for being (a) smarter than pretty much everyone else, (b) lacking conceit (unlike plenty of others), and (c) being personable and easy going. I did n't know him well - but he did stand out🤷‍♂️

@warmatters Its remarkable; 100s of bitter, nasty posts from panicking alt right armchair generals nsulting a man who has remarkable emotional intelligence, a master of technicals & finance, and was loved by the people who worked with him and hilarious under pressure.