Listen to our latest “The High Ground” podcast where @BellusUK and I discuss what it means to be truly war-fighting ready, and whether the UK has ticked all the boxes in terms of preparation, weapons and stockpiles. Watch here now!

RT @RasmusJarlov: It would not be shameful to let Russia win if they were stronger than the West. But letting them win despite being such a….

Did I Just hear the US Ambassador to NATO suggest that land taken through an illegal invasion can be justly held?.

RT @GabiAMitchell: Fantastic piece on reorganization of the Indo-Pacific’s security and diplomatic architecture in @WarOnTheRocks . https://….

These attacks are both spectacular and a feat of ingenuity, but this is a great example of the limitations of a small explosive payload delivered at the slower speed of a prop driven drone.

RT @atrupar: NATO Ambassador Matthew Whitaker on Ukraine's territorial concessions: "No big chunks or sections are going to be just given t….

The challenge with seeking soft power & influence through staged photo opportunities is the un-staged ones.

This really shouldn’t be newsworthy, but an emergency landing at an International Airport that caused some delays, with an aircraft type that your own Nation has literally just taken delivery of, is bound to raise a few eyebrows. (English translation of article below).

RT @TheStudyofWar: NEW: The Trump Administration has described Putin's reported demands for a ceasefire in Ukraine in four different ways s….

And they have already started…

Trump may hold all the cards, but he’s not the only one playing them…

Trump’s handling of this is unraveling. His tough (albeit inconsistent) talk of more sanctions is now sounding more hollow by the day. Holding this summit without an immediate ceasefire is a big mistake. A ceasefire that should have been forced through those increased sanctions.

As the Putin-Trump Alaska meeting draws near, it’s not entirely clear what Russia’s red lines are. And by avoiding an immediate cease fire & more US sanctions, whilst securing a bi-lateral meeting in the US, Putin appears to be the one pulling the strings.

Signs are not looking good for next week’s summit between Putin and Trump. Russian demands are wholly unacceptable & Ukraine is not going to be present. And I can’t help feeling that Putin is going to use the opportunity to give America a little geography and history lesson.

RT @ZelenskyyUa: Ukraine is ready for real decisions that can bring peace. Any decisions that are against us, any decisions that are withou….

RT @GaryMarcus: Was the first sentence here (from Altman’s blog in January) simply a lie? A bluff? . It is now obvious that OpenAI does not….

Generate videos in just a few seconds. Try Grok Imagine, free for a limited time.

14/ It can go wrong, and if it does you may have to divert to the nearest airfield. A broken or just a damaged basket can send plenty of debris down the adjacent engine. Such incidents are almost always caused by poor technique (too fast, off line or last minute lunges). ENDS

13/ There may be new receivers joining and other tankers around with aircraft joining them so the departure needs to be controlled and safe, but a cheery wave to the tanker as you depart is always a way to say thank you. Procedures are common across NATO so this works everywhere.

12/ To break contact, you take power off to retreat down the line of the hose - again a fast walking pace will easily break contact as the hose reaches the end of its travel. Once astern you will be cleared to move to the right of the tanker and await your wingman to finish.

11/ If you make a good contact, fuel will flow and you will get a green light on the pod to show it. At that point the next aircraft will be cleared to make contact. Keep the hose relaxed and then either fill to full, the planned off-take or until the lights turn red.

10/ If you miss (and you will) then take power off and retreat back down the line you came in on. Do not be tempted to start jousting with what is now a flailing basket after you disturb it. Go back to where you started, let the hose settle, take a deep breath and try again.