10 October 1969. Ulster's B Specials to be disbanded.

The British Government has accepted the recommendations of the Hunt committee on policing in Northern Ireland which include the abolition of the Ulster Special Constabulary, known as the 'B Specials'.

The Home Secretary, Jim Callaghan, ordered a commission, headed by Lord Hunt, in response to this summer's violence in the Bogside area of Londonderry.

The subsequent report recommends a complete reorganisation and disarming of ...

A former soldier has run into the record books by smashing a world treadmill record. Mike Buss now has the record for the longest distance covered on a treadmill in seven days - 517.25 miles - breaking the previous record of 468 miles. Mr Buss, 35, ran the equivalent of three marathons a day at Swindon's Brunel Shopping Centre, with only two hours' sleep a day and brief food and massage breaks. The former Army physical training instructor burned 11,000 calories a day and lost 8lb during the week, as well as two toenails. ...

When paratrooper Alistair Hodgson was blown up by terrorists he begged a friend to put him out of his misery.

“One leg was gone, the other was just mashed up bone held together with nerves and veins,” he says.

“When the first guy got to me I said, ‘Just shoot me. You can’t leave me like this’.

“He told me to f*** off and thank God he did. He fetched a paramedic for me, put on tourniquets and saved my life.”That was 17 years ago on the streets of Northern Ireland. Today Alistair is the British National Freestyle ...

The British armed forces could be forced to shrink by up to a fifth because of a lack of money, a military think tank has predicted.

The Royal United Services Institute said the number of trained military personnel could fall from 175,000 to little more than 140,000 by 2016.
Its report said the cost of troops and equipment was rising, and major cuts were "inevitable".
The Ministry of Defence said budgets would not be cut at all next year.
...

Three soldiers returning from Afghanistan were ordered off a train and threatened with arrest by a 'jobsworth' ticket inspector. The men from the Intelligence Corps were on their way home from Helmand for a fortnight's rest and recuperation when he challenged them, claiming their rail warrants were not valid. ...

The British Government has sent troops into Northern Ireland in what it says is a "limited operation" to restore law and order.

The British Government has sent troops into Northern Ireland in what it says is a "limited operation" to restore law and order.
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From all the NIVA Administrators, welcome. Well, it's finally happened and we've taken the plunge to update the site with new software which will be more secure, easier to administer and better supported. So I thought I'd take this opportunity to take you through a few things you might find useful, we've tried to keep the overall experience familiar and recognisable, whilst offering new and improved features for our members. The first thing you'll notice of course is this new CMS (or Community Management System) that takes over these ...

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NIVA Op Banner 50^th Anniversary Parade


August 2019 will be the 50^th anniversary of British military forces