ForcesWatch » military in society

Pinkwashing War: Pride and Militarism

With June's Pride events underway we look at their sponsorship by the armed forces and defence industry and how activists have challenged this.

Warrior Nation podcast – War & memory: Statues

June 2021

In the wake of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, and the Conservative Government's attempt to impose a maximum sentence of 10-years for vandalising statues, we speak with academics Natasha Danilova and Adam Elliot-Cooper on the national histories constructed through memorials and statues, and the spaces of reconstruction opened up by their removal.

The Integrated Review: enmeshing and strengthening the military

The government’s new defence and foreign policy review prioritises military thinking and interests at the expense of other international approaches and vital human security goals. Here we look at some of the Review's key elements and the implications of this new vision.

A tough year but business as usual

‘Tough year’ doesn't quite capture the extent to which our lives have been shaped by crises in 2020. Militarism, however, has not been locked down. Here is some of what we have been keeping an eye on this year as we look towards 2021.

Warrior Nation podcast – Filling the void in defence journalism: Phil Miller in conversation with Joe Glenton

December 2020

Joe Glenton is joined by Phil Miller, staff reporter at Declassified UK and author of 'Keenie Meenie: The British mercenaries who got away with war crimes', for a wide ranging discussion on defence journalism and coverage of the UK military in the media.

The UK military admits it has a racism problem, but can it be decolonised?

Without the political will to face our colonial past and abandon the violent obligations of a junior partnership with the US, decolonising our military seems unlikely, writes Joe Glenton for Ceasefire magazine.

Warrior Nation podcast – What’s wrong with Armed Forces Day?

June 2020

In the first episode of our second series, we talk about Armed Forces Day with Symon Hill of the Peace Pledge Union, the pacifist campaigning organisation.

High ideals: VE Day, Covid and an anti-militarist future

On the 75th anniversary of VE Day, we reflect on what happened to the ideas and hopes that flourished after the Second World War, and what we can learn from this for a post-COVID world. This article was first published in Peace News.

Militarising the crisis?

We need to tackle coronavirus with a strategy for health, care and solidarity. While military support is useful, there is little place for its approaches and culture during the UK’s Covid-19 response. Yet echoes of the military are starting to sound quite loudly as it seeks to maintain relevance.

Covid-19 and the UK Military

What is the UK military's involvement in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic so far?