SAS Identities Exposed in Grenadier Guards Magazine Blunder

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A grave security breach has sparked outrage after the identities of SAS troops from one of its elite regiments were published online. The blunder, originating from a Grenadier Guards’ in-house magazine, has prompted an urgent investigation ordered by General Sir Roly Walker, head of the British Army.

Last year, the publication listed ten senior officers alongside the codename “MAB”, shorthand for MoD A Block, the well-known headquarters of UK Special Forces. This codename, widely circulated online, could allow terrorist groups or hostile states to identify the troops as SAS members, putting their lives at risk. The document was produced by the Grenadier Guards Regimental Association, a charitable organisation of former service members that routinely receives sensitive data about active personnel.

Defence Secretary John Healey, leading the Labour government’s Ministry of Defence, is reportedly incensed by the lapse, which follows closely on the heels of another high-profile data scandal involving Afghan operations. General Walker, addressing the issue, told The Sunday Times: “The security of our people is of the utmost importance and we take any breach extremely seriously. As a result of this incident, I have directed an immediate review into our data-sharing arrangements with our regimental and corps associations to ensure appropriate guidance and safeguards are in place to support the vital work they do.”

SAS veteran and acclaimed author Chris Ryan expressed alarm at the breach in an interview with MailOnline: “There are serious questions to be answered here. Why is this data readily available, and to whom? This is an information management issue. Whether malicious or accidental, a breach has consequences. What classification does the in-house magazine have, and who signed it off? When these breaches happen, there needs to be accountability, or they will keep happening.” Ryan, known for his no-nonsense perspective, added with a wry jab: “This is a ‘MABulous’ blunder by the Guards, that’s why they have their squadron.”

This incident follows another alarming revelation reported by The Mail this week, exposing a secret dataset that compromised over 100 Britons, including special forces personnel, MI6 operatives, and government officials. The dataset stemmed from a botched military operation in Afghanistan, which left 100,000 individuals vulnerable to Taliban reprisals. Ministers, under the Labour government, secured a super-injunction to suppress media coverage of the blunder for two years, citing risks to Afghan lives. However, The Mail’s analysis of the dataset revealed that senior British military figures, including a brigadier, were also exposed, intensifying concerns about systemic failures in data security.

The exposure has ignited fury among security-cleared parliamentarians, who were kept in the dark about the Afghan data breach. Lord Beamish, chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee, told The Mail: “I am astounded at this. The idea that members of MI6 are on this list… We get quarterly reports from the security agencies, and we have heard nothing at all. Why?” His remarks underscore a perceived lack of transparency from the Labour-led Ministry of Defence, raising questions about accountability.

The Ministry of Defence issued a statement: “It’s a longstanding policy of successive governments not to comment on Special Forces. We take the security of our personnel very seriously, and personnel, particularly those in sensitive positions, always have appropriate measures in place to protect their security.” A spokesperson added: “The government strongly welcomes the Intelligence and Security Committee’s scrutiny of the Afghan data incident. Defence Intelligence and the wider department have been instructed by the Defence Secretary to give their full support to the ISC and all parliamentary committees. If ministers and officials are asked to account and give evidence, they will.”

The repeated mishandling of sensitive data has fuelled distrust in the Labour government’s ability to safeguard critical military information. With investigations underway, the nation awaits answers on how such breaches were allowed to occur and what measures will prevent future lapses.