Fighting Spirit is an ethereal quality, which is an essential element of a combat unit. In many ways, it is the defining feature of a regiment’s fitness because it is the vital attribute that makes soldiers sacrifice themselves for their mates in the heat of battle.
After the Cold War, there was a lamentable loss of this characteristic. In the 1990s, there was an insidious mantra purported by influential officers who had not seen battle, claiming that UN Peacekeeping was not worth dying for. This idea became so widespread that the Chief of Defence Staff, Charles Guthrie, published an article stating that the British Army was losing its way due to its UN commitments (it also led to the US Government refusing to take on peacekeeping missions).
Twelve years of tough wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ensured that Fighting Spirit was back in vogue. Although the Army had lost its ability to manoeuvre at scale, it nevertheless comprised many courageous young men and women, who individually were battle-hardened and knew all about Fighting Spirit.
Now in 2025, there are increasing signs that we have lost this trait. It is rare for teachers in British schools, or celebrity media influencers in society to promote its value. A predominant policy of Do Nothing in the face of hard challenges, of individualism over team and rewriting history are insidiously weakening the Armed Forces. Our Special Forces are one of the very few places where Fighting Spirit is maintained. That is why I am not supporting the BBC’s witch-hunt into the SAS, which is based on a Royal Navy malcontent’s evidence.
Fighting Spirit at El Alamein (Kidney Ridge) depicted by Terence Cuneo
Rupert Wieloch 