The London-based group Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) examined<\/a> a decade of UK media appearances by former British senior military figures.\u00a0<\/p>\n It found 33 retired officers currently or recently working in defence, security, intelligence<\/a> or military technology who had also been cited in the British press.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nineteen of these \u2013 or 58 percent \u2013 were quoted on matters of defence based on their military experience alone, without their paid-for military-industrial roles being disclosed to audiences.<\/p>\n The findings raise questions about transparency in reporting on defence and national security, particularly at a time when UK military spending is rapidly rising under the justification Britain is on a \u201cwar footing<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n Retired military officers are a regular feature of British news coverage. Their experience in the armed forces often makes them sought-after commentators on issues ranging from the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East to defence procurement and military readiness.<\/p>\n Some of them include the most senior figures in modern British military leadership, including former Chiefs of the Defence Staff, Chiefs of the General Staff, First Sea Lords, Air Chief Marshals and NATO commanders.<\/p>\n Among those highlighted is General Sir Nick Carter, the former Chief of the Defence Staff. Carter has held advisory roles with the German defence technology company Helsing<\/a> and worked as a strategic adviser to Exigent Capital<\/a>, which helps defence firms develop growth strategies.\u00a0<\/p>\n Yet media reports often identified him simply as a former military chief. In a Telegraph article<\/a> from February 2025, for instance, Carter argued that \u201cdefence spending had to increase now\u201d, while being described only as a former head of the British armed forces.<\/p>\n General Sir Chris Deverell receives similar treatment, with his consultancy work with defence and military technology firms including Helsing<\/a> and Babcock<\/a> going unreported.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a November 2025 Telegraph article where he advocated<\/a> for higher British defence spending, readers were told only that he had been \u201cthe four-star head of Joint Forces Command and a senior officer in the British Army\u201d, with no mention of his commercial work.<\/p>\n Lord Houghton, another former Chief of the Defence Staff, currently advises defence contractor Thales UK<\/a> and chairs Defence Holdings PLC<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n But this would not be clear to readers of his Daily Mail article<\/a> in April 2024 in which he backed increased defence spending while his industry positions went unmentioned.<\/p>\n RELATED<\/p>\n Journalism captured by industry\u00a0<\/p>\n Perhaps the most striking example is Colonel Richard Kemp, a frequent commentator on Israel and Gaza.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kemp is a trustee of UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel\u2019s Soldiers<\/a>, an organisation linked to the Israeli military.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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