Action on Armed Violence (AOAV)

Global arms giants see record profits as civilians count the cost - AOAV Record arms industry revenues have surged to $679 billion on the back of wars in Ukraine, Gaza and elsewhere, enriching shareholders while civilians bear the overwhelming burden of explosive violence ...

Global arms giants see record profits as civilians count the cost

aoav.org.uk/2025/global-...

Inside the Afghanistan inquiry: four UKSF insiders warn of implausible kill ratios, flawed reports and potential abuse - AOAV Testimony from four UK Special Forces witnesses to the Afghanistan Inquiry reveals a pattern of detainee deaths, implausible battlefield accounts and ignored internal warnings that together suggest sy...

"We didn't join UKSF for this sort of behaviour, you know, toddlers to get shot in their beds or random killing."

Inside the Afghanistan inquiry: four UKSF insiders warn of implausible kill ratios, flawed reports and potential abuse

aoav.org.uk/2025/inside-...

British Forces cleared of criminal liability but criticised over three Iraqi civilian deaths, new inquiry finds - AOAV An official inquiry into the deaths of three Iraqi civilians in British custody in 2003 has confirmed grave failures in training, supervision and detainee handling, yet its refusal to issue recommenda...

British Forces cleared of criminal liability but criticised over three Iraqi civilian deaths, new inquiry finds

aoav.org.uk/2025/british...

Assessing the nature of the US-UK Military partnership under Trump's second term - AOAV Is the US-UK special relationship becoming increasingly untenable as Washington under Trump abandons multilateralism and embraces volatile unilateral action, leaving Britain dangerously dependent on a...

Assessing the nature of the US-UK Military partnership under Trump’s second term

Report here for @aoav.bsky.social by Cole McCartney

aoav.org.uk/2025/assessi...

Does Music Fuel Gun Violence? A comparative synthesis across five genres and settings - AOAV This comparative review finds that gun violence across Punjab, Chicago, Rio, Lesotho and Mexico tracks poverty, policing failures, criminal-market shifts and weapon flows rather than musical genres, s...

Does music fuel gun violence? A comparative analysis across five genres and settings

Should we try to ban or blame music for gun violence? Our study suggests not.

aoav.org.uk/2025/does-mu...

Sun 14 Dec 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM:

Voice Notes from Palestine Fundraiser Dinner www.tickettailor.com/events/voice...

UK MoD spent £110m on travel in 170 countries in just one year – including to states beset by coups and repressive regimes - AOAV Britain’s armed forces spent £110 million flying to 170 countries in 2023, a globe-spanning itinerary that reached coup-hit and rights-abusing states while generating a significant and largely unaccou...

UK MoD spent £110m on travel in 170 countries in just one year – including to states beset by coups and repressive regimes

aoav.org.uk/2025/uk-mod-...

Suspensions of Dannatt and Evans Reveal Persistent Vulnerabilities in Defence-Linked Lobbying - AOAV The Lords watchdog found both men repeatedly used their parliamentary positions to assist companies with defence-sector ties

Suspensions of Dannatt and Evans reveal persistent vulnerabilities in Britains' defence-linked Parliamentary lobbying

aoav.org.uk/2025/suspens...

Gaza 'Humanitarian' Hub to Function More as US Military Command Centre, Leaked Papers Suggest The leaked documents suggest Trump's plans for a 'humanitarian relief' centre for Gaza more closely resemble those for a US Army-run command post

Here @iainoverton.bsky.social reports for @bylinetimes.bsky.social on leaked documents that suggest Trump’s plans for a ‘humanitarian relief’ centre for Gaza more closely resemble those for a US Army-run command post

bylinetimes.com/2025/11/20/g...

Britain’s military and the inequalities it cannot shake: class, gender and race in the UK's armed forces examined - AOAV AOAV’s report finds that Britain’s Armed Forces remain marked by class, gender and racial inequalities, with recruitment drawn from deprived youth, officer ranks dominated by the elite, and women and ...

Britain’s military still reflects deep class, gender and racial fault-lines. @aoav.bsky.social's new report uncovers recruitment loads drawn from deprived communities, the officer corps dominated by the elite and persistent barriers for women and ethnic minorities.

aoav.org.uk/2025/britain...

Human rights are not optional: why the SAS cannot be above the law - AOAV Britain’s row over Troubles legacy reform exposes a stark hypocrisy in which the government and senior officers demand accountability from others while resisting it for the state’s own use of lethal f...

Human rights are not optional: why the SAS cannot be above the law

@iainoverton.bsky.social's thoughts for @aoav.bsky.social

aoav.org.uk/2025/human-r...

Britain’s military and the inequalities it cannot shake: class, gender and race in the UK's armed forces examined - AOAV AOAV’s report finds that Britain’s Armed Forces remain marked by class, gender and racial inequalities, with recruitment drawn from deprived youth, officer ranks dominated by the elite, and women and ...

Britain’s military still reflects deep class, gender and racial fault-lines. Our new report uncovers recruitment loads drawn from deprived communities, the officer corps dominated by the elite and persistent barriers for women and ethnic minorities.

aoav.org.uk/2025/britain...

FCDO flouted own rules designed to stop MoD spy plane intelligence harming Palestinian civilians - AOAV The revelation raises questions over whether the UK applied safeguards designed to prevent information from 600 RAF intelligence flights being used to harm civilians in Gaza

FCDO flouted own rules designed to stop MoD spy plane intelligence harming Palestinian civilians

aoav.org.uk/2025/fcdo-fl...

Latest British Armed Forces survey reveals the scale of sexualised misconduct

aoav.org.uk/2025/latest-...

Court of Appeal rejects Al-Haq’s challenge over UK arms exports to Israel - AOAV comments - AOAV The Court of Appeal’s refusal to hear Al-Haq’s challenge upholding the UK’s continued supply of F-35 components to Israel has been condemned by critics, with AOAV’s Iain Overton calling it “an appalli...

The Court of Appeal’s refusal to hear Al-Haq’s challenge of the UK’s supply of F-35 components to Israel has is an appalling judgment that shields government arms export decisions from legal scrutiny despite their humanitarian consequences.

aoav.org.uk/2025/court-o...

Gun safety unites America: survey finds Republicans, Democrats and gun owners agree on key reforms - AOAV A new Johns Hopkins survey finds broad bipartisan support among Americans—including most gun owners—for stronger gun safety measures such as licensing, safe storage, and red flag laws, reflecting a gr...

Gun safety unites America: survey finds Republicans, Democrats and gun owners agree on key reforms

aoav.org.uk/2025/gun-saf...

Defence firms gave £178,500 to Westminster APPGs over three years - AOAV Britain’s defence industry has quietly embedded itself in Westminster’s political circles, donating nearly £180,000 to military-linked All-Party Parliamentary Groups between 2023 and 2025, reinforcing...

Defence firms gave £178,500 to Westminster APPGs over three years

New by me for @aoav.bsky.social

aoav.org.uk/2025/defence...

Radicalised masculinity: Incel ideology and the British Armed Forces examined - AOAV The modern military remains a breeding ground for toxic masculinity. Here researcher Myriam Correa examines where institutional misogyny, weak accountability, and the infiltration of online incel ideo...

Radicalised masculinity: Incel ideology and the British Armed Forces examined

aoav.org.uk/2025/radical...

Trump’s border wars at sea: how the US is turning the Caribbean into a killing zone - AOAV Donald Trump’s boast of striking a “drug boat” off Venezuela exposes how America’s border has become a theatre of lethal sovereignty, where the state redefines law through violence and turns open seas...

Trump’s border wars at sea: how the US is turning the Caribbean into a killing zone

aoav.org.uk/2025/trumps-...

Defence firms gave £178,500 to Westminster APPGs over three years - AOAV Britain’s defence industry has quietly embedded itself in Westminster’s political circles, donating nearly £180,000 to military-linked All-Party Parliamentary Groups between 2023 and 2025, reinforcing...

Defence firms gave £178,500 to Westminster APPGs over three years

aoav.org.uk/2025/defence...

MoD's annual accounts for 2024/5 receive a 'qualified audit'. What basis is this for public spending assurances as defence budgets reach new highs? - AOAV The Ministry of Defence has received a qualified audit opinion after auditors found £6.13 billion in unverifiable assets (mostly linked to the Atomic Weapons Establishment) an overspend of £2.56 billi...

MoD’s annual accounts for 2024/5 receive a ‘qualified audit’. What basis is this for public spending assurances as defence budgets reach new highs?

aoav.org.uk/2025/mods-an...

Russia’s nuclear march: the Burevestnik and the return of the doomsday age - AOAV In October 2025, Vladimir Putin announced the successful test of the Burevestnik—an alleged nuclear-powered cruise missile of “unlimited range”—a symbolic act of defiance that revived Cold War spectac...

Russia’s nuclear march: the Burevestnik and the return of the doomsday age

aoav.org.uk/2025/russias...

The Lavender precedent: automated kill lists and the limits of International Humanitarian Law - AOAV Israel’s AI-driven bombing of Gaza has produced unprecedented civilian death rates and raised grave accusations of genocide and war crimes.

The Lavender precedent: automated kill lists and the limits of International Humanitarian Law

aoav.org.uk/2025/the-lav...

British Army ends controversial use of white phosphorus in Kenya. Questions of accountability and compensation linger - AOAV The British Army has halted the use of white phosphorus munitions in Kenya following a 2022 Declassified UK exposé revealing their deployment on communal lands, but with the underlying licence still a...

British Army ends controversial use of white phosphorus in Kenya. Questions of accountability and compensation linger

aoav.org.uk/2025/british...

Inquiry examines recovered UK Special Forces server data in Afghanistan killings probe after 'cover-up' deletion - AOAV Britain’s inquiry into alleged Special Forces war crimes has recovered terabytes of data from a deleted military server once thought lost—contradicting Ministry of Defence claims, reviving the Operati...

Inquiry examines recovered UK Special Forces server data in Afghanistan killings probe after ‘cover-up’ deletion

aoav.org.uk/2025/inquiry...

High Court sides with secrecy: how Britain’s Afghanistan Inquiry has been predictably dragged further into the shadows in the name of ‘National Security’ - AOAV The High Court’s decision to let the Afghanistan Inquiry proceed under a dual closed-material procedure marks a victory for secrecy over scrutiny, ensuring that key evidence about alleged Special Forc...

High Court sides with secrecy: how Britain’s Afghanistan Inquiry has been predictably dragged further into the shadows in the name of ‘National Security’

aoav.org.uk/2025/high-co...

“Do Not Join”: the British Army’s misogyny problem is a risk to national-security - AOAV After her daughter, Gunner Jaysley Beck, died in barracks months after a mishandled sexual-assault complaint, Leighann McCready said the armed forces still fail to protect recruits and she would not a...

“Do Not Join”: the British Army’s misogyny problem is a risk to national-security

aoav.org.uk/2025/do-not-...

Leaving the ECHR won’t stop the boats, 300 organisations warn in rallying cry Prime minister Keir Starmer urged to make positive case for ECHR after Kemi Badenoch pledged a Tory government would leave the treaty

Leaving the ECHR won’t stop the boats, 300 organisations warn in rallying cry to defend human rights

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Trump’s nuclear confusion risks lighting a fuse the world cannot control - AOAV Donald Trump’s call to resume US nuclear weapons testing shatters decades of restraint, risks triggering a new global arms race, and exposes a perilous ignorance of nuclear policy and deterrence.

Trump’s nuclear confusion risks lighting a fuse the world cannot control.

Nuclear thoughts for @aoav.bsky.social

aoav.org.uk/2025/trumps-...