Army officer killed by faulty Warrior tank during Salisbury Plain exercise
Second Lieutenant Max George, a 26-year-old British Army officer, was killed during a training exercise on Salisbury Plain after a Warrior tank reversed over him. An inquest heard that he was at the vehicle’s rear retrieving his weapon, in a blind spot, when the crew reversed without knowing he was there. The case raises questions about vehicle safety and why the tank was used with known faults.
The inquest heard that the Warrior had nine faults, including problems with safety systems that meant the crew could not tell its rear door was open. A faulty alarm had first been identified three years before George’s death on 21 June 2022, but the faults were not classed as needing repair before use. George had been serving as a platoon commander in a training exercise for trainee tank commanders.
In short
- Max George was killed by a reversing Warrior tank during Army training.
- The vehicle had nine known faults, including safety system problems.
- An inquest heard a faulty alarm had been identified three years earlier.
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The case for
The Army may need to train with equipment that has faults, provided a considered risk assessment finds it safe enough for the task and effective safeguards are in place. Training on operational vehicles can prepare crews for real conditions, and not every defect necessarily makes a vehicle unsafe to use; decisions should be judged against the information and procedures available at the time.
The case against
A vehicle with known faults in safety systems should not be used where those faults could expose personnel to serious, foreseeable harm. The alarm problem had been identified years earlier, and allowing the Warrior to operate without reliable warning or clear safeguards raises questions about whether repair priorities and risk controls gave sufficient weight to soldiers’ lives.
Explained simply
The Warrior is a British Army armoured vehicle used to carry soldiers and support troops on the battlefield. During training, its crew must work with people moving around the vehicle, including near the rear, where the driver may not be able to see them.
Second Lieutenant Max George was a platoon commander taking part in an exercise for trainee tank commanders. An inquest examines the circumstances of a death; in this case, it heard evidence about the vehicle’s faults and how they were assessed before it was used. The case matters to questions about how the Army identifies and manages risks during training.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “‘Star’ Army officer was killed when a tank with nine faults reversed over him in army training exercise, inquest hears”.