The Torch
Illuminating Security and Defence Issues
5 Eyes Partners
A Decade-Long Struggle to Thwart Iran’s Drones Carries Warnings for the UK
11 May, 2026
Iran’s lethal drone capability has again been on display in this latest conflict, killing six American soldiers and one French soldier, and damaging sites with British personnel, including an RAF base. Millions of dollars’ worth of US equipment losses, including& radars and satellite communications, underline the threat of the roughly $50-70,000-drones. RAF personnel have already shot down a significant number of them, but the next challenge is ensuring the whole force is adequately protected. Recent history shows this is easier said than done....
Lessons from the French Army’s Transformation Towards a Modern ‘Fighting Army’
11 May, 2026
The transformation of France’s land forces to a Fighting Army, a response to the 2014 invasion of Ukraine by Russia, has lessons for the British Army....
Mobilisation and Training for War: Preparing to Break Glass
11 May, 2026
The UK must overhaul mobilisation and training to meet rising security threats, ensuring rapid force expansion, effective integration and Alliance resilience....
‘We’re f***ed!’ British Army brigade ‘destroyed by Ukraine’ in Nato wargame
8 April, 2026
A team of just 10 Ukrainians counter-attacked the Nato forces 'destroying' 17 armoured vehicles and overwhelming their opponents....
Several trends are shifting defense tech toward Europe
8 April, 2026
War, regulation, and distrust of the United States are tilting a big market homeward....
Measuring Lethality: Army Combat Power and Force Design
8 April, 2026
This Research Paper addresses the utility of measuring lethality as a focal point in force design....
The Decline and Fall of the British Army
10 March, 2026
Writing in the Spectator last month, the military historian Allan Mallinson wondered “how many people appreciate what a remarkably capable army we had — and how incapable that Army has become?”...
British and German military chiefs press ‘moral’ case for rearmament
10 March, 2026
Defence leaders write joint appeal urging public on need to be prepared for war with Russia and resulting costs....
China is our region’s great power. We need to make the best of that
10 March, 2026
A nightmare that has haunted generations of strategic thinkers and policymakers in Australia has come true: we live in a region increasingly dominated by an Asian great power....
Editors’ picks for 2025: ‘Sharks for filling the moat: what Anduril’s autonomous submarines can do for Australia’
2 February, 2026
Autonomous submarines that Australia has launched into production are likely to relieve operational pressure on the country’s crewed submarines, undertake the most dangerous undersea missions, and present an enemy with greater risk of detection and attack....