Your most-read stories of 2020
By: Ministry Of Defence
Tags: Listicles, 2020, Military, Top 10, UK

Your most-read stories of 2020

While we look forward to putting 2020 behind us, take a look at our 10 most-read stories of the year, from a look inside UK Strat Com to shadowing Russian activity near UK waters Ministry of Defence Follow Dec 22, 2020 · 5 min read

In the last year, the UK Armed Forces have been all over the world, tackling terrorism, maintaining peace and ensuring the safety of the UK.

We’ve been telling you these stories from the men and women deployed.

Here are the 10 most-read stories from 2020:👇

1. Military Aid to Civil Authorities: The COVID Support Force

To support the UK’s response to the coronavirus outbreak back in March, up to 20,000 troops were on standby ready to help.

Military planners from the Royal Navy, British Army and the Royal Air Force were embedded within Government departments offering their expert advice.

The military also assisted with bringing British citizens home from affected areas around the world such as China and Japan and supporting the testing effort.

To read more about the work of the COVID Support Force click below:

2. “I’m the Royal Engineer’s first female Squadron Sergeant Major and a single mum.”

Squadron Sergeant Major Read, deployed to Liverpool to help with COVID-19 testing. As the Squadron Sergeant Major, she has been overseeing the work her squadron been doing in Liverpool.

“The pandemic has dampened a lot of our deployments, so we’re grateful to still be able to team together and do something important.”

21 years ago, Lucy Read was only the fifth woman to join the Royal Engineers, but she has since become their first female Squadron Sergeant Major.

To read more about Lucy’s amazing career click below:

3. Better to die than be a coward: The Gurkha Brigade

For over 200 years now, individuals from Nepal have been recruited into the British Army. They are known for being as fearless in combat as they are good-natured in their day-to-day life.

The Gurkhas have served the British Crown in over 30 major conflicts.

There are currently Gurkhas deployed worldwide on operations and exercises, from operations in Afghanistan to Short Term Training Teams (STTT) in Kenya.

To learn more about the Gurkhas including their history, read on here:

4. Poseidon protects UK waters against Russian warship

The new Royal Air Force submarine-hunting aircraft completed its first mission by shadowing a Russian warship in the North Sea.

As the Poseidon aircraft kept watch of the Russian vessel it was supported by Typhoon fighter jets and the Voyager refuelling aircraft. The mission shows that together, both the RAF, Royal Navy and our NATO allies will secure the seas and skies.

To read more click the link below:

5. Military Aid to Civil Authorities (MACA): A force for good

From helping with flood relief in West Yorkshire to supporting the London Olympics in 2012, the military has always played a key role in the nation’s collective response to major events at home.

Find out all you need to know about MACA below:

6. Wedded to the cause: a couple on the frontline

Major Chantelle Miller and her wife Staff Sergeant Tara Miller stepped up to help their country fight coronavirus.

Regulars in the army, the Millers are no strangers to a fast-paced schedule but when the opportunity came to volunteer, they jumped at the chance to help.

“I am incredibly proud of Tara working as a military first responder helping people in their time of need, with her compassion and empathy.” — Chantelle

Read more about this selfless couple here:

7. 5 things to know about the Poseidon

The RAF’s P-8A Poseidon is designed for anti-submarine warfare. This aircraft is state of the art and plays a key role in the safety of the UK.

In addition to being able to carry enormous weight, fire torpedoes, and conduct complex surveillance missions, it can reach high speeds.

Read more here:

8. Apache pilot: what’s in my kit?

ver wonder what an Apache helicopter pilot takes along during a mission?

Warrant Officer 2 Jonny gives us a tour of the kit bag he takes on flights while deployed to Estonia. His kit includes a modified carbine rifle, flares and a heliograph.

Find out what a heliograph is and other strange items here:

9. In pictures: Airborne soldiers make history

For the first time, in an exercise over Salisbury Plain, British Paratroopers jumped under British parachutes from a US Air Force aircraft.

The whole event was captured by a British Army Photographer:

10. You’ve probably never heard of us before: Inside Strategic Command

Within the Ministry of Defence there are some organisations you likely haven’t heard of. If you have, you probably don’t know a great deal about.

One of those organisations is Strategic Command or UK Strat Com as it’s known as in the MOD. Often taking a low profile it’s one of the most important parts of Defence.

Find out more about UK Strat Com here:

Find out where else the UK Armed Forces are deployed here 👇