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Thousands of retired soldiers descended on Parliament on motorbikes to protest at the decision to charge Soldier F over Bloody Sunday. Around 8,000 riders snaked through central London in an organised go-slow protest. Park Lane, one of the busiest roads in the capital, was closed to allow the bikers to form up. Traffic was brought to a halt around Parliament Square and on Westminster and Vauxhall Bridges as the protesters, engines revving constantly, slowly made their way through the city.

Bikers are holding a protest in London in response to the prosecution of a British soldier over Bloody Sunday. Organisers of the Rolling Thunder event expect thousands of motorcyclists to take part in the protest on Friday. A similar demonstration has taken place in Belfast with around 80 riders arriving at Stormont on Friday afternoon.

Gavin Williamson has launched a crusade to stop women, children and men being used as weapons of war in conflicts. The Ministry of Defence has allocated £2 million a year to run courses in training troops from around the world to recognise the complexities of gender in conflict. The training will focus on areas such as women and children in armed conflict, human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

A watchdog said the MOD has now accepted it will not meet its target of saving £310 million from civilian staff costs by next year. The Ministry of Defence is making "little progress" towards a target to cut 30% of its civilian workforce and save £310 million by 2020, Whitehall's spending watchdog has warned.

Military charities say they are not coping with the increased demand for mental health support. Campaigners estimate that last year, at least 58 veterans took their own lives. The Ministry of Defence spends £22 million pounds a year on mental health for veterans, while the NHS has dedicated around £6m annually since 2016.

An inquest, which is due to begin today, will examine whether there was a lack of support for two soldiers who died in suspected suicides at Ballykinler in County Down. Lance Corporal James Ross and Rifleman Darren Mitchell, who both served in Afghanistan, died within three months of each other in 2012 and 2013. Both were found hanged. Their families claim that they had nobody to turn to with their problems and did not provide a conducive environment for soldiers who might be struggling on their return from operations overseas.

The Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park was splashed in white paint. The clean up of a Royal Air Force memorial in central London is underway after it was among a number vandalised with paint. The Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park was splashed in white paint between 7:45pm and 9pm on Sunday, according to police. The RAF Benevolent Fund said it was the fourth time in six years the monument has been attacked.

All of the Armed Forces have been named by charity Stonewall in the top 100 UK employers for their commitment to lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender staff. The Royal Marines and Royal Navy are in 15th place, the Army is joint 51st and the RAF is in 68th place on the list. That's an improvement from last year when the Royal Navy and Royal Marines were 32nd and the British Army at 84th. The RAF hasn't featured in the list since 2015.

The new study will examine the support available to the different members of military families, including spouses and partners, and children. The report’s findings, which will be completed by summer 2019, will consider the diverse needs of service families and assess whether the current support on offer is meeting these needs. The study will also allow the MOD to further enhance the delivery of vital support for military families.

Scotland's new Veterans Commissioner has called on more to be done to ensure those leaving the Armed Forces do not suffer from social isolation. Colonel Charlie Wallace visited the military charity Scottish War Blinded to see how they help their members who may be struggling with loneliness. Speaking to Forces News, Colonel Wallace said: "I think we need to better connect all of the services that are being provided across the country.