BRITAIN'S MILITARY CRISIS
The trident test failure is the latest humiliation to hit the UK Armed Forces, with service chiefs and ministers facing major questions over Britain's ability to fight a major conflict.

AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
Earlier this month the Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth was pulled out of a Nato exercise due to a faulty propeller shaft. She was due to set sail from Portsmouth to help lead the western military alliance's biggest exercise since the Cold War. But the £3.5billion, 65,000-ton ship was pulled out at the 11th hour after rust was discovered on the affected part – leaving it at risk of it breaking down at sea. The Queen Elizabeth's sister carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, took its place. But it also faced similar problems, breaking down near the Isle of Wight after setting sail for America just 18 months ago – also due to a faulty propeller shaft. There was also an embarrassment in 2021 when an F35 jet fell off the end of QE during an aborted take-off.

DESTROYERS
In 2016 it was revealed Britain's cutting-edge £1billion air defence warships broke down in the Persian Gulf because they were not designed for the heat. The six 8,000-ton Daring Class Type 45 Destroyers were built with engines which kept cutting out in the middle of the warm sea, leaving servicemen stranded for hours in total darkness. They underwent expensive refits which solved the problem, but in the intervening period they spent a lot of time tied up in Portsmouth. Two of the cutting-edge warships, HMS Dauntless and HMS Defender, did not go to sea at all during 2017 – which was hailed by officials and ministers as 'the year of the Navy'.

SOLDIERS
Last month the outgoing head of the British Army said a ‘citizens army’ might be needed in future because of cuts to full-time strength.‘General Sir Patrick Sanders, the outgoing Chief of the General Staff, said even that would be 'not enough' as he pointed to allies in eastern and northern Europe 'laying the foundations for national mobilisation'. In a speech today, the general - who has been openly critical of staff shortages in the military - said boosting Army numbers in preparation for a potential conflict would need to be a 'whole-of-nation undertaking'. But Downing Street later hit back at the suggestion, insisting there were no plans for conscription.

SAILORS
Last month it was reported that a drastic shortage of sailors had forced the Royal Navy to decommission two of its warships early. Frigates HMS Westminster and HMS Argyll were allegedly retired so their crews could transfer to the service's new Type 26 ships. The news came as UK sailors were sent to the Red Sea to protect merchant vessels from Houthi rebels. The retirement of HMS Westminster would be controversial as it underwent expensive repairs in 2017 and only recently returned to service.

AJAX
A disastrous defence procurement programme has seen just 44 of an ordered 589 armoured fighting vehicles delivered to the MoD - a decade after bosses signed the £5.5bn contract. Over £4bn has so far been spent on the ill-fated Ajax project - 70 per cent of the contract cost - but just seven per cent of the vehicles have been accepted by the Army. The Mail has revealed a litany of errors with the 38-tonne machines, being built by defence contractor General Dynamics, with trials paused three years ago after troops suffered hearing loss due to excess noise and vibration. The machines also struggled to fire on the move and left troops feeling sick. Hundreds of personnel required medical assessment after taking part in trials of the vehicle, which was due to enter service in 2020.