British militarism examined

This category hosts investigations into militaries and militarism. From how the UK became one of the world’s leading arms exporters, to why we continue to export to nations with serious human rights concerns, to investigations into the UK’s armed forces, it seeks to challenge the contradictions and failures of British militarism, and the failure of other nations militaries, today.

5 Apr 2021
The Rise of ‘Lawfare’ in the UK examined: how Parliament turned the law into a battleground
The Conservative Party’s 2015 Manifesto stated “we will ensure our Armed Forces overseas are not subject to persistent human rights claims". This article explores this claim and its impact.
23 Mar 2021
Defence Review 2021: accountability is the first victim of UK Special Forces expansion
As Special Forces look set to become even more central to the UK’s military strategy, AOAV comments on the impact this might have on transparency and accountability.
23 Mar 2021
Similarities between UK government’s attacks on ‘lawfare’ and the Colombian experience examined
Pushing through the Overseas Operations Bill puts the UK at risk of going down the same path as Colombia, leaving victims of war crimes without justice, and the perpetrators to continue with impunity.
11 Feb 2021
Police Lethal Force and Accountability: a review
A new report that assesses four western European countries to see how often someone is killed by Police Forces, and the availability and reliability of the information on such killings, is reviewed by AOAV
26 Jan 2021
UK approves military exports to 80% of countries on own restricted list
Of the 73 destinations that the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) lists as “subject to arms embargo, trade sanctions and other trade restrictions”, 58 have had approval to receive goods that fall under ‘military use exports’ between January 2015 and June 2020.
13 Dec 2020
UK Veterans’ Affairs office failure to collect data on veteran homelessness or suicide raises concerns
The admission was made after a Freedom of Information request submitted by Action on Armed Violence asking for the figures.
3 Dec 2020
Why AOAV compared US and UK soldiers deaths in the War on Terror
The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were defined by Improvised Explosive Devices. These were the primary cause of death for both UK and US militaries, accounting for between half (UK) and two-thirds (US) of combat fatalities.
3 Dec 2020
For All Was Lost: comparing UK & US military deaths in the War on Terror
IEDs were the primary cause of death for both UK and US militaries in the ‘War on Terror’. As a proportion of total force size, a UK soldier was twenty per cent more likely to be killed by an IED than their US counterpart.
24 Nov 2020
Extent of Britain’s global military presence revealed
Britain's military is permanently based at 145 sites in 42 countries or territories around the world, new research by Declassified has revealed. It comes as the government announces an extra 10% spending on defence.
26 Oct 2020
A Force For Good? Britain’s Overseas Military Alliances Held Up to Scrutiny
Certainly, a Britain that aspires to rule the global waves is not new. Neither is the complex relationship between trade and the UK’s overseas military intervention. Sometimes the two are joined at the hip.
23 Oct 2020
One in four shot by UK police are black, yet tiny fraction of armed officers are black – AOAV study finds
A quarter of people shot by armed police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the last five years were black, whilst only 0.2% of armed officers identify as black.
21 Oct 2020
The UK’s 2019 defence and security exports – examined
Despite a £3billion drop in defence orders from 2018, the UK still sold £11billion of weapons last year (2019), constituting 16% of the global defence market. This is roughly one-third of America’s 47% market share. The annual value of UK’s defence exports is 1,375% greater compared to 25 years ago.