British Army Engineers Arrested for Joyriding Armored Vehicle, Causing £100,000 Damage

Two British Army engineers have been arrested after allegedly stealing an armored personnel carrier from a military base and driving it through a row of civilian vehicles, causing an estimated £100,000 ($135,000) in damage, according to UK media.

Footage of the alleged joyride, first published by The Sun on Friday, shows a 15-ton Bulldog armored vehicle barreling down a narrow road lined with parked cars at Swinton Barracks, part of Tidworth Garrison in the village of Perham Down, Wiltshire. The vehicle appears to struggle to go straight and squeeze between the cars, leaving a trail of destruction. At least two vehicles were reportedly heavily damaged, including a van and an SUV.

The outlet, citing military sources, reported that the soldiers had been drinking off base before returning to the barracks early on Friday morning. One allegedly took control of the tracked vehicle while another accompanied him, as the Bulldog normally requires a crew of two. According to the report, the Bulldog itself was undamaged and was later neatly parked in a designated bay. No injuries have been reported.

The soldier believed responsible for the damage was reportedly arrested in his room at dawn after fellow servicemen discovered the wreckage. His companion was also detained. An army spokesperson later confirmed that two soldiers had been arrested following an incident at Perham Down, but declined to provide further details.

“We expect the highest standards from our personnel. Two soldiers have been arrested by the Royal Military Police following an incident at Perham Down this morning... We will not comment further while an investigation is ongoing,” the spokesperson said.

The incident comes as the long-underfunded UK military grapples with a deepening operational crisis driven by personnel shortages, procurement failures, and aging logistical infrastructure. The British Army is already at its smallest size in more than two centuries, with fewer than 70,000 fully trained personnel. Media reports also claim that more trained personnel are voluntarily leaving the armed forces than new recruits are joining, due to low morale and poor pay.

Decades of underinvestment have also left the military struggling to maintain its equipment. A shortage of specialized dry docks and qualified technicians has left the Royal Navy unable to service its nuclear submarine fleet, with all five of its Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarines reportedly stuck in port due to a maintenance backlog. Years of retirements have also shrunk the surface fleet. Last week, the UK Ministry of Defense confirmed the retirement of two Type 23 frigates, leaving the Royal Navy with just five frigates and six destroyers, down from 33 surface combat vessels in the late 1990s.

Funding pressures have been a point of contention for former British Defense Secretary John Healey, who resigned last month after reportedly clashing with now-former Prime Minister Keir Starmer over financing for planned military reforms. Despite the mounting problems, Britain has continued pushing ahead with militarization as part of the broader Western buildup over what it describes as the “Russian threat” – claims Moscow has repeatedly dismissed as “nonsense.”

Last year, London unveiled its new Strategic Defense Review (SDR), setting a goal of achieving “warfighting readiness” by 2035. The new defense secretary, Wes Streeting, this week pledged to make the military a spending priority for Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government. Critics, however, argue that the current state of the armed forces shows Britain is no longer capable of acting as a global military power.