Notwithstanding private contractor companies who are often characterised as being private army’s, there is actually one private army left in Europe – the Atholl Highlanders. Although essentially a private guard, the regiment is technically part of the British Army, and still carries the Queen’s Colours. In 1844, Queen Victoria presented the then Duke of Atholl… Read More
“EMPEROR AUGUSTUS came to power with the help of a private army. So he was understandably keen to ensure the loyalty of his soldiers to the Roman state. His bright idea was to offer a pension for those in the army who had served for 16 years (later 20), equivalent in cash or land to 12 times their annual salary. As Mary Beard,… Read More
“Some years before that [prior to 2007], UBI was also the first bank to set up an ATM on an Indian warship: the INS Vikrant.” (WER, 2016, p.28). Reference WER (World Eye Reports) (2016) Financial Technology Partner Reaches for the Sky. The Economist. August 13th-19th 2016.
“THE Himalayan pass of Nathu La between Sikkim in India and Tibet in China is the site of the world’s highest ATM machine. Perched at 4,359 metres, the solar-powered automatic teller was installed there by Union Bank of India (UBI) in 2007. Today, it serves tourists and military personnel at this offshoot of the ancient… Read More
Did you know that in 1999, the citizens of the island of Luzon (in the Philippines) believed a long-feared coup was underway when the power went out (Stelling, 2016). The real cause of the power going out wasn’t a military coup, it was jellyfish. A jellyfish bloom had been sucked into water intakes, taking out… Read More
Ok, so a bit slow off the mark with this one, which was first announced on 08 July 2016. Only one month slow! I’ll use the excuse of emigrating to Australia as the reason for the delay. Anyway, the Secretary of Defence (Michael Fallon) and the Chief of the Defence Staff (General Sir Nick Carter) have announced that… Read More
Title Psychological and Unconventional Warfare. 1941-1952: Origins of a “Special Warfare” Capability for the United States Army. Outline This study examines the United States Army’s activities in psychological and unconventional warfare during and after World War II to determine the impetus for, and origins of, the formal special warfare capability created in 1952 with the establishment of… Read More
