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3 weeks ago | 
ukdefencejournal.org.uk | SeaBy Lisa West |Lisa West
The incident, which took place last week, shows the Russian aircraft – NATO reporting name “May” – skimming past the U.S. Navy supercarrier at close range. It was shadowed by a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet and an F-35C Lightning II, both assigned to Carrier Air Wing Two aboard the Vinson.
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4 weeks ago | 
ukdefencejournal.org.uk | SeaBy Lisa West |Lisa West
In a written question submitted on Thursday 27 March, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP (Labour – Slough) asked the Defence Secretary whether any action was being taken to shorten the length of Royal Navy submarine patrols.
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1 month ago | 
ukdefencejournal.org.uk | SeaBy Lisa West |Lisa West
The UK has taken a major step in the renewal of its nuclear deterrent with the ceremonial keel-laying of HMS Dreadnought, the first of four next-generation ballistic missile submarines, at BAE Systems’ Barrow-in-Furness shipyard.
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1 month ago | 
ukdefencejournal.org.uk | SeaBy Lisa West |Lisa West
In response to a parliamentary question from Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Slough), the Minister of State for Defence, Maria Eagle, confirmed that steel procurement data for MOD shipbuilding projects is included in the Department for Business and Trade’s (DBT) steel public procurement return, published annually. The latest available data covers the 2022-23 financial year.
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1 month ago | 
ukdefencejournal.org.uk | SeaBy Lisa West |Lisa West
The deployment, involving over 2,000 UK personnel, saw 45 Commando operate alongside 10,000 allied troops from nine nations in Norway’s extreme cold conditions. The exercise marked the culmination of months of preparation, during which the UK Commando Force refined its extreme cold-weather warfare tactics.
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1 month ago | 
ukdefencejournal.org.uk | SeaBy Lisa West |Lisa West
Lord Oates, a Liberal Democrat peer, had asked the government what consideration it was giving to securing the full independence of the UK’s nuclear deterrent. In a response published on 12 March 2025, Lord Coaker stated:“I can assure the noble Lord that the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrent is completely operationally independent.
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1 month ago | 
ukdefencejournal.org.uk | SeaBy Lisa West |Lisa West
This marks the Royal Navy’s first drug bust of 2025, carried out under the Combined Task Force 150, an international initiative to combat illegal maritime activity in the Middle East. The Portsmouth-based frigate’s crew—comprising Royal Marines, sailors, and drone operators—played a key role in tracking and stopping the smugglers.
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1 month ago | 
ukdefencejournal.org.uk | SeaBy Lisa West |Lisa West
The UK’s Dreadnought-class submarine programme remains on track, with the Ministry of Defence confirming that the manufacture of four new ballistic missile submarines is progressing within the original cost estimate of £41 billion.
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1 month ago | 
ukdefencejournal.org.uk | SeaBy Lisa West |Lisa West
U.S. Marines and Navy personnel conducted a large-scale amphibious landing in Pohang, South Korea, offloading tactical vehicles and equipment from USNS Dahl as part of Exercise Freedom Banner 25, according to a press release from Marine Corps Blount Island Command.
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1 month ago | 
ukdefencejournal.org.uk | SeaBy Lisa West |Lisa West
The exercise, which ran from 10–17 February, saw participation from Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2). It marked the first large-scale deployment of the ARF, testing NATO’s new operational doctrine aimed at enhancing collective defence capabilities and bolstering interoperability among Allied naval forces.
