Defence/Security Journalist. Co-host of The Security Podcast. Editor of National Security News. Books: Bomb Hunters; Tales from the Special Forces Club.
London/Kent
Joined November 2010
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A piece I wrote for the Mail on Sunday on the disgraceful and inexplicable decision by the Army and the MoD to destroy over 800 First and Second World War gravestones belonging to British and Commonwealth war dead. Tragically, the bodies of those who died remain buried in what is now effectively an unmarked grave. dailymail.com/news/article-1…
What happens when a superpower starts a war it can’t easily finish?
In the latest episode of The Security Podcast, Professor Paul Cornish and I examine why the US now appears trapped in the Iran conflict, the strategic mistakes that got it there, the role of drones, regional escalation, and what happens next.
Listen now on Apple podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcas… or Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/63n…
Sean Rayment retweeted
It’s clear that Western militaries, including the US, believe drone technology is the future. Pentagon officials have requested almost $75 billion in funding to rapidly expand drone capabilities. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has told the Army that every division should have drone capabilities by the end of the year. This is perfectly reasonable, given the changing realities of war. The problem comes in taking this logic to its dangerous conclusion.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a DC thinktank, has gone so far as to suggest substituting US troops for drones. “Imagine that instead of a 1,000-person battalion, there was a 250-person rotational battalion that had a mix of 500 [first-person view] drones and octocopters,” Benjamin Jensen, a director at the thinktank, told Defense News. Jensen suggests that the United States could free up thousands of troops stationed in Europe by replacing them with unmanned aerial vehicles. Such a strategy would be a mistake.
✍️ Sean Rayment
Article: spectator.com/article/the-dr…
Are the SAS victims of a legal witch-hunt? In the latest edition of The Security Podcast, here lnkd.in/e-edKEnm, I discuss the controversial subject of Lawfare and its implications for members of the special forces, including those who took part in intelligence-led operations during the Troubles, with Brigadier(Retd) Phil McEvoy. Phil was the former head of Army Operational Law and served as deputy head of the Service Prosecuting Authority. During his 30-year career, he worked closely with the UK Special Forces as legal advisor on many counter-terrorist operations. Recently, the coroner who presided over the inquest into the 1992 Clonoe Ambush, which resulted in four IRA terrorists being shot dead by the SAS, ruled that the killings were unjustified. He has since submitted his findings to the Director of Public Prosecutions. This effectively means that the four SAS veterans who took part in the operation could face criminal charges. So, are these inquests into legacy killings an SAS witch-hunt or the correct application of the law? The Security Podcast is available on Spotify here: lnkd.in/e-edKEnm or on Apple Podcasts.
Are SAS soldiers who served in Northern Ireland the victims of a witch hunt?
nationalsecuritynews.com/202…
President Putin has issued an arrest warrant against British journalist Jerome Starkey. His crime? Having the audacity to cross into the Kursk region of Russia from Ukraine and report on the war.
Jerome, who is the The Sun's highly experienced Defence Editor, has been reporting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine since the start of the war. He has spoken to The Security Podcast about his life as a war correspondent and the challenges of war reporting in Ukraine. You can listen to both episodes featuring Jerome on Apple of Spotify here: lnkd.in/eMu8EZhu
Ever wondered why the British Army is in the state it is in today? Then read Harry Fullerton's piece in the link below. Harry, a former Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry Regiment, explains what went wrong and why.
nationalsecuritynews.com/202…
Sean Rayment retweeted
Here's a new podcast where I talk about my time in #Russia, harassment by the FSB spy agency and being deported from the country in 2011. Also, why Putin launched his bloody full-scale war in #Ukraine and the latest from the frontline. Thanks @SeanRayment open.spotify.com/episode/1v4…
The Security Podcast: Was Britain's bloody intervention in Afghanistan worth the cost with 457 service personnel killed in action, over 2,000 wounded, hundreds of whom lost limbs? Major General Charlie Herbert, who completed three tours of duty in the war torn country, gives his views on The Security Podcast. Listen on Spotify or Apple here and please leave your comments: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcas…
The Security Podcast's latest episode features best selling author and award winning journalist @lukeharding1968.
Luke was The Guardian's Moscow Bureau Chief from 2007 until 2011, when he was expelled by Putin.
His books include the highly acclaimed "Mafia State", and "Invasion - Russia's Bloody War and Ukraine's Fight for Survival". Podcast available next week. open.spotify.com/show/4mEXwS…
Sean Rayment retweeted
The full interview:
“Moral, Ethical Failure”: Holocaust Scholar Omer Bartov on Israel’s Genocide in Gaza democracynow.org/2024/12/30/… via @democracynow @nermeendn @democracynow
Sean Rayment retweeted
Another expert report finds Israel is committing genocide. The West yawns middleeasteye.net/opinion/ga…
A piece I wrote for the Telegraph on the problem of retaining troops in the armed forces. telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/12…
Sean Rayment retweeted
People - including @elonmusk - are choosing NOT to see this..
Sean Rayment retweeted
One can see why the @netanyahu 🇮🇱 government profoundly dislikes the independent reporting of @haaretzcom, but it is a service in the long term interest of 🇮🇱. This piece is as uncomfortable as it is necessary. haaretz.com/opinion/editoria…
Want to know what it's like to be a war correspondent reporting from the frontline in Ukraine - have a listen to The Security Podcast with The Sun's @jeromestarkey Podcast available here: open.spotify.com/episode/0wq…
