Phil
@BO3673
Followers
3,155
Following
768
Media
2,967
Statuses
62,627
Personal interest in defence, risk & military history. Views strictly my own: likes & RT ≠ endorsement. I occasionally write blogs on defence issues.
Wales, United Kingdom
Joined June 2017
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
#บางกอกคณิกาep4
• 205477 Tweets
高橋一生
• 162627 Tweets
岸辺露伴
• 81179 Tweets
#BRIDGERTON
• 79779 Tweets
WE MUV ML
• 73013 Tweets
Colin
• 61524 Tweets
Apolinho
• 54051 Tweets
ジョジョ婚
• 45706 Tweets
Silvio Luiz
• 28693 Tweets
SPELL MV IS RIGHT HERE
• 26138 Tweets
Blake
• 20839 Tweets
Boebert
• 17027 Tweets
新シーズン
• 10247 Tweets
This is terrible.
No battering ram visible.
Vulnerable to hot oil being poured on them as they cross the drawbridge.
No saps or undermining in evidence.
Siege engines also not visible.
If this is how the Army teaches how to storms castles, then we're in trouble.
Close to 1,000 Ukrainian marines have spent more than six months being trained by the British military.
Aimed at assisting Ukraine in establishing its own unique marine force, it was the first training initiative of its kind delivered by the UK with the help of partner nations.
10
54
452
65
245
3K
@CrowtherSim
@missmcqu
Top brand peas mate?! Didn't think you could afford TOP BRAND peas did you? You dreamer.
11
15
2K
The Armed Forces. Where you join up one day and a few months later, at the lowest rank, you’re front and centre at an event of national importance with an incredible duty to perform and to get completely correct in every tiny respect.
9
14
548
Please be carefully retweeting videos. Bare in mind please that Ukrainian and Russian kit often identical particularly to lay people. Please be mindful. Photos and videos of T series tanks deep in Ukraine likely to be Ukrainians. Russian tanks can’t fly.
9
151
467
The biggest lesson by far from Ukraine - war stocks and latent production capacity.
The first lesson that will be forgotten from Ukraine - war stocks and latent production capacity.
14
80
436
Basket: 1 US Army WW2 Infantry Division.
Estimate Delivery Time: 457 days.
A thread on activating and raising US Army infantry divisions in WW2. (Niche I know...). It all takes longer than you probably think to raise a division in a war at maximum national effort. 1/20
18
97
403
The hard facts are UKR is getting battered in the Donbas & won’t be able to win this war with hand to mouth economic and military aid. There has to be a comprehensive and indefinite military and economic aid pipleline that includes manufacturing for UKR the full range of land kit
11
60
295
Missed the Coronation today to attend a different crowning.
Hello Mali Wyn.
8Ib 10 oz.
Mother and baby doing well.
Daddy feeling fatigued but bearing up well, still able to make top Dad jokes.
38
5
299
Fundamentally the British Army will now need to restructure itself to defend against conventional attack on NATO territory. It is what the politics of the alliance demands, & it is sensible risk management. Im sure there will be debate over what that looks like - but must happen
43
20
291
I used to argue that the Harrier dispersal in the Cold War would have been pointless and useless. Another example of me talking out of my arse. State leaders, if you’re facing invasion from a bastard, buy F35B.
24
17
258
Fascinating. Potentially almost all Ukraine Leopard losses repairable. I’m not surprised personally even in WW2 we managed to repair an awful lot of tanks as long as they didn’t burn. H/T to
@TotherChris
for the article
13
31
242
Some very initial thoughts on lessons learned so far from Ukraine.
1. You can’t divorce a military and its campaign opening from the political context it existed in pre war. Analysis has to include this aspect, it’s not a nice-to-have. This means multidisciplinary approach…
4
41
223
People who keep dangerous dogs and allow them to be out of control deserve everything they get. If he cared about them he’d have kept them under control.
25
6
219
For reasons I’m not sure why I’ve taken this war very personally and have felt bereft and full of rage over it. After a friendly tap on the shoulder via DM, went outside & got some fresh air. If you’re feeling like me, take a break from Twitter & the news and look after yourself
16
3
204
I wouldn’t do this normally but I’m too much of a proud new Dad.
This is Betsan Fflur and she’s pleased to meet you all.
Arrived 1320 today.
Like her Dad an enthusiastic starter but then got bored and distracted - so had to be forcepped out!
53
0
198
Defence revenue spending falling from £35bn this year to £32.8bn next year.
Capital spending to drop from £19.2 to £18.9bn.
A cut in real **AND** cash terms.
With a war on.
🚨The Defence Secretary says we are in a pre-war world.
🚨NATO allies and rivals/adversaries like China/Russia announce plans to increase defence spending & bolster weapons production
🔕Then (while welcome) this is the only budget announcement for UK Defence from
@hmtreasury
38
53
205
8
52
204
I’ve been thinking about this all day. If they feel this is okay to do publicly, what on earth is going on when there’s no cameras? The IDF is beginning to reek of unprofessionalism and being out of control. Is there any discipline being maintained? Is the IDF a rabble force now?
25
26
202
So far the Senior Service seems to be having a better time of it than other Euro navies. Maybe that’s where a lot of the money goes? Making sure the fleet can fight? Bravo to the crew.
HMS Diamond engaging a ballistic missile while protecting MV Maersk Yorktown seen in the background.
9
22
214
11
4
194
Years of training and being alert - then your moment comes and you completely nail it
2
10
183
Money well spent and it died doing what it loved, and saved its crew.
5
9
183
That is not an AFV. Neither is it well-armed. Send that in deep and it's not coming back.
The Jackal Armoured Fighting Vehicle is crewed by the Light Cavalry regiments of the RAC. It is an agile, well-armed, highly mobile fighting vehicle allowing for deep battlespace reconnaissance, rapid assault and fire support.
24
9
161
32
2
179
Finnish Army Commander is more British Army than the British Army 👍
Commander Finnish Army and Commander Field Army UK met today to discuss more cooperation and training. Stronger together!
150
863
9K
12
9
172
I'd love to be able to ask
@ArmyCGS
what he believes will make us more 'lethal' than Poland which is on its shopping spree at the moment. Genuine question. What is going to give a smaller army this edge of which he speaks?
"The
@BritishArmy
will be the most modern and most lethal army in Europe by the end of this decade".
In an exclusive interview with Forces News, General Sir Patrick Sanders said within the next 6 to 7 years the Army will look "radically different".
👉
191
53
338
40
12
168
Israeli company commander easing himself into a lovely bubble bath after a hard week, glass of chilled wine and candles...OHMYGODTHETANKS!!!!
Family goes on a hiking trip in the Golan and finds abandoned and open tanks full of ammunition. The tanks, which were there as part of an
#IDF
drill were left with no one watching them. No Beuno.
92
645
2K
16
23
168
Wife and I both working from home now.
I’ve emailed her the clear desk policy and open plan office etiquette guidance, but she’s not too thrilled with the fire alarm tests. Or the note I’ve had to place over her dirty mug in the sink.
6
20
175
If we were really learning lessons from Ukraine we’d see what in the British Army?
My starter for ten - emergency entrenching tools on belt kit; cope cages on AFVs; drones in every infantry platoon.
58
11
163
@BO3673
Hi Phil, thanks for reaching out. Could you please elaborate on what seems to be going on with your Google Maps? Keep us posted.
17
39
192
2
29
159
We’ve seen almost no videos of conventional Ukrainian Army units on operations. Don’t think I’ve seen a single video of a non-MANPAD SAM, no artillery in action, maybe one video with a tank in action. No Javelin. This all seems good and well disciplined to me?
18
6
159
I understand these are Russians on the attack. Bunched and now coming under artillery fire. Not a good start to your attack. Showing poor command and control and individual tank craft (whatever you armoured lot call it!)
26
10
155
Quiet, private remembrance and a few pints with old Army friends tomorrow in a cosy pub. The whole thing has become a pantomime and I’m not interested.
7
3
158
We have a Global Reaction Force with 22 A400Ms; whilst Germany that doesn’t, will have 53 A400Ms.
Luftwaffe has received their 42nd A400M from Airbus. Another 11 aircraft to be delivered over the next three years.
3
4
28
21
13
154
Some people are drawing some very big conclusions from a few videos and photos of less than one company group of damaged / destroyed AFVs… as predicted. Ukraine should just throw in the towel now right.
14
7
149
Every deliberate capability gap. Every war stock & spares run down. Every delay in procurement. All these chickens are coming home to roost for our armed forces personnel in the next weeks. As a state we have to do better for them & our own security. The world comes at you fast
6
8
143
@Red_Pill_Dad
Why can’t people keep this sort of stuff in their own head instead of broadcasting it?
11
2
128
I didn’t think Russia would invade and I didn’t think Ukraine would be able to hold out long then I didn’t think there’d be a coup against Putin. Don’t hire me for any analyst jobs.
12
3
136
I still can’t get my head around 3 aircraft. It seems absurd. We’ll have more ballistic missile subs than AEW aircraft.
Really pleased to see the first two of our Wedgetails coming together. Great team
@STSAviation
with
@BoeingDefense
that will give us a World-leading Air command & control capability.
13
28
120
14
7
129
Amazed and saddened to see so many in my timeline choosing the name of a dog, which was offensive and dickish even for the times, as a hill they want to very much loudly and publicly die on.
15
8
128
The Russians must be very bad at counter battery. Not sure this lot are making maximum use of the “light” attribute of this piece…
US/UK-supplied L119 105mm light gun in Ukrainian service.
211
383
5K
12
3
122
Get a feeling the next big push is on its way. General Melchetski no doubt believes there’s no way the UKR forces will anticipate them driving down the same roads for the tenth time, and they’ll all be taken by surprise. Last thing they’ll expect.
12
5
119
Been reading lots of mental gymnastics about why the Russians didn’t further yesterday. It’s possible they’re just not as good as we’ve convinced ourselves they are. And/or this sort of thing is much harder than exercises when a smaller but determined enemy has a vote.
11
2
119
10. You can’t hide your armies anymore. You can hide units. But you can’t hide your army. Deception will need to be structured to not rely on location.
3
8
112
If I can point out the obvious - military effectiveness in war is relative. We may have overstated RU effectiveness but we need to make sure we haven’t over-stated our own in NATO. You don’t have to be the most efficient army, you just need to be more efficient than the enemy
8
8
112
Will the Army ever be caught with its pants around its ankles by not having a Ranger regiment? Or might it be caught with its pants around its ankles by not having, say, a truly global & sustainable rapid response force, or a heavy deterrent force to stare down a near-peer?
11
3
115
I'll disagree with Nicholas here. It's showing its age now but I think in its A2 and A3 versions with current optics they're perfectly acceptable general purpose assault rifles for line infantry. Spending on this means spending less on the systemic capabilities we need.
10 reasons why the L85 needs to be replaced:
1. Too heavy - weighs 5.1 kg versus 3.5 kg for most competitive products
2. Terrible ergonomics - positioning of controls, weight distribution, awkwardness of bullpup configuration
3. Stoppage drills are faster with conventional
176
63
879
23
2
114
Not so sure about the mutiny vs coup. Mutinies don’t drive tanks toward the capital. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck I think it was a duck.
Some early thoughts:
-More questions than answers
-Short-term compromise ≠ long-term solution
-This was a mutiny not a coup
-Too soon to say Putin will fall anytime soon
-Not clear this will affect Ukraine's offensive
-The previous Kremlin-Wagner relationship is over
210
2K
10K
4
6
111
Very impressive indeed. And shows how unwise it is to dispose of surplus equipment too readily.
We purchased 101 armored tracked vehicles of 8 types: FV103 Spartan; Samaritan; Sultan; Stormer; Shielder; Samson; FV432; FV434.
Used by the British Army, now out of service.
Upon arrival we pass vehicles to the Ground Forces Command of the Armed Forces of UA for distribution.
40
250
3K
11
6
114
Trident paying for itself now
Judging by the actions of Great Britain, this country decided to directly enter the war with Russia. Are the bomb shelters in London ready?
British Defense Secretary confirms that London will transfer Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine
1K
748
2K
5
5
114
@_HenryBolton
Why would you question the appropriateness of a peaceful group doing something joyous and peaceful in a public space, in this realm?
3
1
109
@IslingtonChap
Look my kids in the eye and tell them their less important than a dog bred to fight. Every single one has to go.
4
1
105
And so the FH70 finally fulfils its cold war destiny firing at Russians.
#Ukraine
: The Italian FH70 155mm howitzers are already being used by the Ukrainian Army- an unknown quantity of them was recently donated by Italy.
183
1K
12K
2
7
105
They’ll be popping back to train us once they’ve won.
Widely shared for its flag echo.. but purported to be a downed Ruski heli…Brought down by special forces trained by you know who… Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦
43
87
656
2
8
101
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
2
8
100
On winning & losing. UKR likely won’t “lose” this war, but it’s not going to “win” it either. & Russia will never “lose”as it sets its own criteria for “winning”. The end is going to be messy & unsatisfying for everyone as neither has the strength to force a decisive conclusion
NEW: A western official says Russia's Vladimir Putin has "clearly failed in his initial pre-war objectives but he is still in a position to win" in Ukraine.
34
28
216
11
20
99
The British Army is less than 100,000 strong and has a single manoeuver division yet I struggle to understand all its vehicle programmes. It's bewildering all the variants, roles, blocks, types. Does this tell us something? It seems enormously complex - or am I simple?
14
2
101
A time in Afghan. ISAF triple amputee. He was going to sleep. I started flapping.
Got my pipette out.
3 drops of Bergamot and 1 of Sandalwood.
He stabilised rapidly.
Limbs grew back, and we cracked on with the patrol.
12
5
99
Astonishing what winds up some people. I simply cannot fathom why any reasonable person would get upset about the military supplying sanitary products for females.
9
1
98
I hear those that say platform numbers and capabilities / effects whatever aren't synonymous, but this graphic from
@TomSharpe134
excellent Telegraph article is rather stark...
Highly recommend the article
24
16
99
@Trollstoy88
The Tsars Russia? Russian Empire? White Russia? Soviet Union? Russian Federation? Which timeless Russia are we talking about?
1
0
93
Nobody can defeat an Army that wears such tashes in the field. Morale seems solid amongst the blokes.
11
5
93
It blows my mind that the MoD has consistently failed to demonstrate, clearly, succinctly, & insightfully, the answer to the question why do we spend so much to operate fewer platforms than spending peers. There's many good reasons why we might do that but I don't see answers
“Something is rotten in British defence. The UK is the sixth-largest military spender in the world and the largest in Europe, but it is not always clear where the money goes. The navy’s fleet operates fewer FF/DDs than Japan, South Korea or France”
26
16
176
9
7
95
How many times now have we deployed a platform we’d decided only months before to retire?
British Armoured vehicles departing Germany for Estonia, video looks to include:
Warrior
Challenger 2
FV430
Also what appeared to be the back of a AS-90 in the final clip
9
85
282
18
7
88
Why are recruits expected to turn up with anything other than whats on their backs? Shouldn’t we issue everything they need from day one?
21
2
87
The source of this information is the official US Army history (aka the Green Books). None of this is new knowledge, but sometimes its fun to take a deep dive on a logistical aspect of preparing an Army to fight in a war of national survival. END
5
1
89
This is one of the emergency rapid manufacture ventilators being installed in St Thomas. It’s called the ESO2. Named after the WW2 airborne vapouriser ventilator made in 1943 by Penlon. Interesting fact for you.
7
27
87
6. UAVs are as crucial as we thought. Even simple UAVs can have a tremendous local effect…
2
8
87
12. The morale component of fighting power is fundamental. As if this needs learning again.
4
7
89
I see the RAF managed to get their Ministerial briefing in before the Navy did. Congratulations to the RAF on gaining two aircraft carriers - next, the planes.
New Defence Secretary
@grantshapps
speaking on LBC this morning says:
"...those aircraft carriers are the biggest the RAF have ever had"
#facepalm
324
323
2K
9
2
92
One thing this war has taught me is that my Soviet / Russian AFV recognition is a shadow of what it was when I was 12.
7
1
91
5. You can’t argue the AT light infantry approach is the future whilst simultaneously explaining that Russian casualties are due to a failure of combined arms. Combined arms works because weaknesses and strengths collectively overlap…
2
9
87
See. We can deploy a brigade
It is the largest movement of military personnel via the railway network since Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral in 1965.
5000 troops have arrived in London and marched over Westminster Bridge as they assemble ahead of the coronation. 🚂
More here 👉
51
466
4K
3
1
90
Never get bored of the door bit.
Slightly Pythonesque, nevertheless a wonderful insight into the traditions of
@BritishArmy
. Have you come across some
@militaryhistori
?
#leftright
#shouty
#magicdoor
27
38
228
6
3
88
Ask yourself: what could the British military have done differently to have made Afghanistan a success. When I think about that question the conclusion becomes pretty obvious to me. Nothing.
52
2
88
9. If you’re a state that feels it may feel attract the gaze of Putin - a top priority is to rearm with western weapons of a particular type - medium SAM being a critical one. Otherwise you risk a valley of death in replacing losses. NATO states should pool resources to assist…
3
7
83
Didn’t polish the gong (singular) and go to the service today. Spent the morning with my little sis, and my little girl and niece. Playing and trampolining. This year that’s how I remember them - by living well.
2
1
85
Challenger 2 and her Ukrainian crews will now meet their destiny. I sincerely hope the kit serves them well and that this is just the start of bolder support.
4
5
84
*A small number of our soldiers will get these whilst the units going to the Baltics, and who are training to fight an enemy engaged in a peer war of conquest will continue with their 40 year old SA80s.
Our soldiers are getting a new, high-precision rifle that will make them more lethal on the global battlefield 🇬🇧 🌍
A new £90m
@DefenceHQ
contract will deliver 10,000 L403A1 rifles over the next decade as part of Project Hunter.
Read more ⬇️
102
225
1K
18
3
82
Holy shit those brave bastards.
#Ukraine
: The Ukrainian Air force is still alive- seen here are two Ukrainian Su-27 striking Russian facilities on the famous Snake Island in the Black Sea, in remarkable footage filmed by a TB-2 drone.
As we can observe, there is serious damage.
997
6K
34K
5
5
81
7. It’s not the number of guns but what you can do with them. Swift, accurate fire appears more effective than sheer weight of fire in many circumstances. This would in turn ease artillery ammo logistics. Ukraine shows you’ll run out of ammo before targets…
1
6
78
I feel such despair that the final act in our Afghan failure is being dominated by one silly man. Children who were alive at the start of the week are now dead; US servicemen and women who were alive at the start of the week are now dead. He’s made a mockery of all of it.
4
2
84