By James Cowan, CEO of The HALO Trust. Last week, I went back to Helmand. It’s a place I’ve been to before: in 2009 I commanded British forces there, at a time of considerable violence. 64 of my soldiers were killed and several hundred wounded. Nobody knows how many Afghans died in that timeframe, but it will run into the thousands. For most British soldiers the Helmand campaign is the cause of mixed emotions. We went there to defend the Afghan people and not to kill, and yet the killing was prolific. I am proud of the fact that during our time a corner…

By Sean Rayment A leading US tech company is developing AI-driven software to accelerate the construction of nuclear power reactors. Palantir and The Nuclear Company, also US-based, will jointly create the nuclear operating system, which will simplify construction, allowing nuclear plants to be built faster and at lower cost. Palantir said the AI software will help build plants more cheaply, safely, and quickly, with the goal of outpacing China. The US has not built a new nuclear plant in 30 years, but The Nuclear Company, with Palantir’s software, aims to deliver electricity by the 2030s and meet President Donald Trump’s…

By Sean Rayment A religious fatwa has been issued by one of Iran’s most senior Shia clerics, targeting former US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the decree, Trump and anyone else who threatens to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader are “waging war against God” and should be punished by death. Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi said “any person or regime that threatens the leadership and religious authority” is considered a mohareb – one who wages war against God – under Islamic law. The cleric, speaking in Iran, declared that any co-operation with such individuals or regimes by…

By Sean Rayment A plot to assassinate Volodymyr Zelensky at an airport in Poland last year involved a Polish pensioner who had been a Russian sleeper agent for decades, it can be revealed. The foiled assassination is among what is believed to be dozens of attempts on the Ukrainian president’s life since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. In a closed briefing with local media, Ukrainian security services revealed that the retired Polish military officer had been recruited to assassinate Zelensky at Rzeszów Airport in Poland. Polish media reported that the attack was thwarted in April 2024 by Poland’s internal…

By Staff Writer In November 2024, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) exposed an Iranian plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump — a scheme ordered by Iran’s notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as revenge for the killing of their commander, General Qassem Soleimani, on 03 January 2020 during a visit to Baghdad. Previously, Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei and IRGC commanders had repeatedly promised that “those who ordered and carried out” Soleimani’s killing — namely President Trump and his top national security officials — “should be punished”. Over the following years, Iranian media and officials issued graphic reminders of…

By Sean Rayment US officials will hold talks with Iran on its nuclear programme next week amid conflicting reports over the damage it sustained during a bombing campaign. The White House and the CIA have both pushed back against suggestions that the US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites did less damage than initially thought, based on claims from a leaked US intelligence report. Speaking on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Trump insisted that the programme had been fully destroyed, despite doubts cast by the document. “We’re going to talk to them next week, with…

By Sean Rayment Sensitive information belonging to Swiss politicians has surfaced on the darknet, according to the newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. An investigation by Swiss technology company Proton and US firm Constella Intelligence, a leading cybersecurity company, reveals that around 16 per cent of members of the Federal Council, National Council, and Council of States are affected. A total of 44 email accounts and 78 passwords were discovered. According to Proton, many politicians had used their official email addresses to register on platforms such as LinkedIn, Dropbox, or Adobe—services that were later hacked. Embarrassingly, three politicians reportedly used their parliamentary email addresses to…

By Sean Rayment Britain must “actively prepare” for a “direct” attack on the country in a “wartime scenario”, a government review of threats to the nation’s security has concluded. In a stark assessment, the national security review stated that “for the first time in many years” the likelihood of a state attack on British soil was growing. It added that Britain’s adversaries were already “laying the foundations for future conflict” by positioning themselves to “cause major disruption to our energy and/or supply chains” to “deter us from standing up to their aggression”. In particular, the report highlighted threats to Britain’s…

By Tali Feinberg Just two days before Israel’s pre-emptive strike on Iran, a United States (US) congresswoman, Senator Elise Stefanik, wrote a letter claiming that “South Africa’s increasing alignment with Iran, an avowed sponsor of terrorism and antisemitism, poses profound ethical and geopolitical questions.” In her letter to Robin Vince, the chief executive of the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, known as BNY, she said, “The country’s diplomatic, ideological, and financial ties to Iran exacerbate these concerns.” Soon after the strike, the South African government condemned Israel’s attack on Iran. Michael Walsh, visiting scholar at the Center for Middle…

By Isabella Egerton United States President Donald Trump is considering direct military action against the Islamic Republic of Iran as Israeli forces continue airstrikes on Tehran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that any US intervention would cause “irreparable damage” and insisted the Iranian nation will not surrender. President Trump has not ruled out airstrikes to destroy Tehran’s nuclear programme if Iran’s leadership refuses to comply with his demands. So far, the United States has provided defensive support to Israel but has not authorised strikes on Iranian targets. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) reported that…

By Adam Treger Energy is a national security domain of increasingly critical importance. Every facet of our modern defence and economic capabilities relies on a stable, abundant, and secure energy supply. Our future is inextricably linked to AI, which is unprecedented in its energy demand. The Russia–Ukraine conflict saw Russia cut its supply of oil and gas to Western Europe while simultaneously targeting key Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, the West is falling behind China in energy generation: between now and 2040, US generation capacity is projected to grow from 1 to 2 TW, while China’s will increase from 3 to 6…

By Isabella Egerton A career spy will be the first woman to lead Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6. Blaise Metreweli has been appointed as ‘C’ — the codename for the head of the organisation — by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who announced that she will take over from Sir Richard Moore this autumn. Her appointment marks a historic milestone for an agency traditionally led by men, coming at a critical time when the UK faces an “unprecedented” level of national security threats. These include foreign spy vessels operating near British waters and increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks targeting…

By Isabella Egerton United States President Donald Trump has signed three executive orders designed to accelerate domestic drone innovation, enhance airspace security, and expand commercial drone operations. The orders seek to ease regulatory barriers, authorise beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights, and strengthen defences against criminal, terrorist, and foreign misuse of drones within United States airspace. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios said: “Decades of regulatory gridlock have grounded advancements in drones, flying cars, and supersonic flight in the US. With today’s executive orders, the Trump Administration is giving America’s innovators greater ability…

By Sean Rayment Israel has launched a large-scale attack against Iran, assassinating the head of the Islamic regime’s armed forces in what it described as a “pre-emptive strike” on Tehran’s nuclear programme. General Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s chief of the military staff, was killed along with several top commanders and nuclear scientists as Israel launched waves of attacks, including a strike on Natanz, Tehran’s uranium enrichment facility. Israel stated that more than 200 combat jets were deployed in the operation, and 100 targets were struck. The attacks came amid growing concerns in Israel that Iran was just weeks away from developing…

By Sean Rayment The UK has agreed to take a £17.8 billion stake in the Sizewell C nuclear power plant in a move that the government claims will reduce carbon emissions and even make money for the taxpayer. Ministers also said that the project could create up to 3,000 jobs and power the equivalent of three million homes. The war in Ukraine has brought renewed focus on the UK’s energy security and Britain’s and Europe’s hitherto reliance on Russian oil and gas. Ministers also set out proposals to kick-start a generation of small modular reactors (SMRs) that supporters claim can…

China has claimed to have developed a new nuclear weapon 200 times more powerful than the bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The DF-5B missile is said to have a range of 7,500 miles, meaning it is capable of reaching Europe and the United States from launch sites in China. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV recently shared details of the upgraded intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), with information previously having been closely guarded. The Chinese-made DF-5B ICBM represents significant progress in the country’s missile technology from the earlier DF-5 model developed during the Cold War, according to Global Defence News. The weapon’s Multiple…

By Sean Rayment China is attempting to become the global leader in artificial intelligence by building hundreds of highly specialised data centres, experts have warned. A new report titled China’s AI Infrastructure Surge, by the Special Competitive Studies Project and the intelligence firm Strider Technologies, has revealed a Chinese state-led plan to create more than 250 AI data centres across the country. The data centres will be equipped with high-performance processors with immense power capacity, capable of handling the heavy computing loads required to support economic, military and space projects. “The People’s Republic of China is executing a state-directed campaign to…

By Sean Rayment Britain faces a “new era of threat”, including dangers posed by novel weapons of mass destruction, and must rebuild its military to prepare for war, a major defence review has warned. The UK’s strategic defence review warns that the increasing likelihood of full-scale conflict means Britain “must pivot to a new way of war”. With defence spending rising significantly, the army’s size will also increase by almost five per cent to 76,000 soldiers, the navy will receive 12 new hunter-killer submarines, six new armament factories will be built, and a missile defence shield constructed. Artificial intelligence and…

By Isabella Egerton Up to 41 Russian strategic bombers have been destroyed in a long-range Ukrainian drone attack – in what Kyiv has described as its most successful attack in the war so far. The operation, codenamed Pavutyna, or Spider’s Web, was conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and struck military airfields at Belaya, Dyagilevo, Olenya and Ivanovo. According to SSU chief Lieutenant General Vasyl Maliuk, the targets included Tu-95, Tu-160 and Tu-22M3 bombers, as well as A-50 airborne early warning aircraft. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky personally supervised the planning and execution of the strike, which had been in preparation…

By Sean Rayment Japan is rapidly increasing its cybersecurity capabilities through new legislation, international partnerships, and training schemes, following an escalation of threats from hostile states and criminal groups. The initiative has prompted a meeting in Tokyo between the country’s Defence Minister, Gen Nakatani, and his Lithuanian counterpart, Dovile Sakaliene, during which both sides agreed to deepen cooperation on cybersecurity. As part of the agreement, a Japanese defence ministry expert will be dispatched to Lithuania in June to learn from the Baltic nation’s cybersecurity specialists, who are widely regarded as among the best in the world due to their experience…

By Ben Farmer Russia welcomed African military and security officials to Moscow this week, amid fears it is expanding its footprint on the continent by exploiting the West’s failure to counter jihadists. The Kremlin showcased its security expertise and arms industry to representatives from over 100 countries at the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues in Moscow. Attendees, including Iran and China, discussed security challenges ranging from counter-insurgency and financial crime to artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and cyber attacks. Offering security expertise has become a potent selling point in the Kremlin’s efforts to engage with governments and gain…

Russia will deploy its latest fibre-optic drones when its anticipated summer offensive in Ukraine begins, military analysts have said. Fibre-optic drones are controlled via a cable, making them immune to electronic jamming. The drones are operated through a 15km-long fibre-optic line — similar to fishing wire — which transmits images to the pilot instantaneously. These weapons have already been used to fly along forest tracks, attack Ukrainian supply lorries, and penetrate bunkers to kill soldiers. According to a new report by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the British defence and security think tank, Russia has developed a tactic using…

Russia has proposed holding a second round of peace talks with Ukraine on June 02 in Istanbul, as tensions rise over Germany’s decision to support the joint production of long-range missiles on Ukrainian soil. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Kremlin has offered both a date and location for further negotiations and is awaiting Kyiv’s response. Vladimir Putin’s chief envoy, Vladimir Medinsky, confirmed direct contact with Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and said Moscow’s delegation is ready to meet “in the coming days” to exchange memoranda on a potential settlement. Lavrov’s comments came just hours after newly appointed German…

Defence chiefs are being accused of attempting to prevent the Army from supporting SAS veterans facing murder charges for shooting dead IRA terrorists during The Troubles. The revelation follows the disclosure that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has ordered all regimental headquarters and serving military personnel not to support a petition calling for protection of Northern Ireland military veterans against prosecution. This move by the MoD comes after it emerged that up to 20 SAS veterans could face murder charges for shooting dead armed IRA terrorists more than 30 years ago. The MoD has instructed all Army headquarters not to…