Overview
- Reports from multiple outlets say significant numbers in the Special Air Service have sought early release, with D and G squadrons affected and several senior warrant officers among those leaving.
- Insiders link the departures to anger and fear over war‑crime inquiries into operations in Afghanistan and Syria, along with renewed Northern Ireland cases after immunity for veterans was removed.
- Former 22 SAS commander Lt Col Richard Williams calls the losses a national security risk and warns shrinking UK special‑forces capacity could strain joint missions with US counterparts.
- Britain’s Ministry of Defence says it will protect those who served within a legal framework that reflects combat realities and insists upholding the law does not block effective operations.
- Pressure is mounting as an internal memo cited in coverage lists 242 special‑forces personnel under inquiry costing about £1 million each month, a scale veterans say has left them fearing a “knock on the door” from lawyers.