The British army's weapons missing scandal

According to information provided to the Liberal Democrats, two deactivated weapons from the Second World War and a Glock 19 pistol were stolen in 2023. An SA80 rifle, which has been in use in the British armed forces since the 1980s, and a deactivated machine gun from the First World War were also missing.

In 2024, 447 devices, including computers, laptops, phones and USBs, went missing from the British Ministry of Defense; a figure that represents an increase of more than 50% compared to 297 devices the previous year. In particular, the number of missing USBs jumped from 20 in 2023 to 125 this year.

According to the Ministry of Defense, every theft and loss case is being thoroughly examined. It further stated that proper precautions are being taken and that employees receive regular training on their duties regarding equipment safety.

Nonetheless, the incidents have sparked widespread worries about the national security of Britain. According to experts, these incidents could have detrimental effects on both domestic and international security in addition to demonstrating flaws in the supervision and management of sensitive military equipment.

The Liberal Democrat defense spokesperson, Helen Maguire, demanded an immediate investigation into the issue and charged that the British government was not doing enough to safeguard national security. She cautioned that the loss of weapons was a major national security concern and that private information could end up in the wrong hands.

The report is released at a time when the British army is in a critical state in a number of areas, including troop psychological and physical issues, budget cuts, and economic difficulties. In a recent report, a British parliamentary committee cautioned that the nation's "hollow" army is not equipped to handle new threats, particularly those posed by Russia.

An estimated 10,000 military personnel have experienced psychological issues as a result of British troops' involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past 20 years, which has had a detrimental impact on these forces' ability to operate and their defense readiness.

In 2012, Sky News reported, citing defense sources in the country, that a senior American general had privately told the British defense secretary that the country’s army was no longer considered a high-level fighting force.

According to the findings, if war broke out, the British armed forces would run out of ammunition “within days”; the country would not be able to defend its skies against the missile and drone attacks that Ukraine is enduring, and it would take five to 10 years for the army to be able to field a combat force of 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers, supported by tanks, artillery and helicopters.

About 30% of the UK's highly-trained military, the report claims, are reservists who cannot mobilize in time for NATO. There are no plans to completely replace the armored vehicles in the UK, most of which were constructed between 30 and 60 years ago.