Stunning photographs captured by Armed Forces photographers offer a compelling glimpse into the vital work of the UK military at home and abroad in 2025, presenting a clear and factual record of service, readiness and global commitment.
The collection features breath taking images of UK Armed Forces personnel deployed around the world, including the Carrier Strike Group led by HMS Prince of Wales, extreme cold weather training in Norway and operations in Poland to protect NATO’s eastern flank.
HMS Prince of Wales deployed on an eight month global mission through the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Indo Pacific. The deployment focused on major allied exercises such as Talisman Sabre and demonstrated the UK’s global reach, its ability to deter threats and its commitment to bolstering international security alongside partners including the United States, Japan, India and NATO allies.
Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton said:
“The Best of Defence Imagery 2025 reflects the contribution our armed forces make to society and our presence across the world. These images show our Armed Forces ready for a new era of threat, combining conventional strength with innovation, operating with allies and putting people at the heart of Defence. They provide an essential visual account of how we are keeping the UK secure at home and strong abroad.”
The photographs also record landmark national events in which the Armed Forces played a central role, including The King’s Birthday Parade and a number of state visits, underlining the close connection between the military and national life.
Armed Forces photographers play a crucial role in documenting the reality of service. Behind every image is an individual who is first and foremost a soldier, sailor or aviator and second a highly trained photographer. They deploy not only with their cameras but also with their rifles, sharing the same risks and responsibilities as the personnel they portray.
That commitment was evident over the Christmas period. A total of 19,000 British service personnel were on duty or on standby on Christmas Day. In the UK alone, 11,700 personnel were held at readiness, poised for action, to counter cyberattacks and respond to threats to the nation’s peace and prosperity.
LAPhot Jennifer Cox Copyright: UK MOD © Crown copyright 2025
Overseas, 7,400 sailors, soldiers and aviators were deployed on 58 live military operations in 49 countries, as well as on British Overseas Bases in Cyprus, the Falklands and Gibraltar. Their duties ranged from supporting hurricane recovery operations in Jamaica, to guarding NATO’s eastern border in Estonia, protecting shipping lanes in the Gulf and facilitating peacekeeping activity in Somalia.
At home, the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy remained ready to monitor any hostile aircraft or vessel approaching the UK. Soldiers from the Household Division of the British Army continued to guard royal palaces in the capital throughout the Christmas period.
Copyright: UK MOD © Crown copyright 2025. OGL (Open Government License).
More than 60 images have been selected for Best of Defence Imagery 2025 and are available to download at https://www.defenceimagery.mod.uk/fotoweb/albums/aU5XHdTvTboLn3z5/. Thousands of additional images and videos are also freely available on the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Imagery website at www.defenceimagery.mod.uk, offering the public an open and enduring record of the work carried out by the UK Armed Forces.
Images: MOD Crown Copyright News / Editorial Licence.
