IRA

The IRA plotted to bomb a ferry full of people on Brexit night

An offshoot of the infamous Irish Republican Army (IRA) plotted to blow up a ferry full of people on Brexit night. The Continuity IRA (CIRA) admitted that it had loaded a bomb on a lorry and was intending to put the vehicle on a ferry that was bound for Scotland the night that the United […]

This isn’t the SAS: Britain’s most secretive SOF unit in Northern Ireland

Editor’s note: This is the fourth part of a series. Captured by the IRA or a blown cover. These were the ultimate sins. In case an operator was compromised, he would either be sent to a different Detachment and location or to the conventional army. So, the three-week Induction Phase, when fresh operators were paired […]

Bloody Sunday controversy: British Army prosecutes paratrooper for murder of civilians

Almost half a century after the event, the British Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has decided to prosecute a former British paratrooper for the murders of two people during the infamous Bloody Sunday incident in Derry, Northern Ireland. More specifically, Soldier F – for obvious security reasons, the authorities are withholding his full name – is […]

Cyber warfare: US Cyber Command strikes back at Russia

“The fact that the 2018 election process moved forward without successful Russian intervention was not a coincidence,” according to U.S. Senator Mike Rounds. The Republican from South Dakota refused to elaborate on specific mission details targeting the Internet Research Agency (IRA) in the Washington Post. Rounds added, without the aid of United States Cyber Command […]

Op-Ed: UK military opens combat roles to women, and they’re doing it right

London, United Kingdom — The British government announced that women will be allowed to apply for all jobs in the military, including combat roles. The decision had been suggested by the former British Prime Minister David Cameron. In 2016, Cameron had announced that gradually all military occupational specialities would be open to both genders. Female military […]

The Military Reaction Force in Northern Ireland

Imagine an urban counterinsurgency in a sectarian setting.  Probably your bottom pick of conflict, as the Iraq adventure continues to show. Now imagine an army on the ropes and devoid of actionable intelligence. The ancient Sun Tzu might have been the first to wed intel and victory, but his concept still rang true in Northern […]

The 14 Intelligence Company Part IV (Operations)

Captured by the IRA or a blown cover. These were the ultimate sins. In case an operator was compromised, it was either a different Detachment and location or the conventional army. So, the three-week Induction Phase, when fresh operators were paired with seasoned ones, was crucial.  The veterans drove their new colleagues through their AO, […]

The 14 Intelligence Company Part III (Training)

Camp Two was a different pudding. Not to say that the physical or mental pressure eased.  But now it was selection by training as opposed to Camp One’s selection by torture. Nestled in rural Wales, Camp Two resembled an operational Detachment base.  There was a bar, a TV room, lecture rooms, ranges, etc. Women and […]

The 14 Intelligence Company (Part 2): Only few made it through Selection

Read Part I here. “From time to time, there is a requirement for men and women to volunteer to undertake special duties of a hazardous nature in Northern Ireland. Selection and training for the special duties is both rigorous and arduous. For further details, see defense council instructions…” Divine words for anyone stranded in a […]