FDR – Wading into the Maritime Debate
We have probably done the air component to death in the last few months so its time to have a look at the maritime component.
Some of the themes I intend to cast my usual ill informed eye over are
* We are an island you know!
* The great CVF can of worms
* Building a multi tier force
* Forward basing
* Inter service rivalry and its corrosive effect
* Piracy, arrghhh
* Coastguard functions
Anyone got any other themes for discussion, no jokes about seamen or salty old sea dogs please :D
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Ahh! The RFA excellent discussion topic i would agree.
How about a discussion about maritime logistics, the RFA and the Merchant Navy? Particularly timely given the current review of the RFA and the threat of privatisation
Well as a descendant of Portsmouth I should know a bit about this subject. I don’t, but I should.
By multi tier force I presume you mean the surface fleet? Frigates, destroyers, amphibious ships etc, Which I think probably merit their own discussion.
There’s the replacement for the type 22 and inevitably the type 23. The 6/8/12 type 45′s is a discussion in itself let alone talk of the ship and it’s capabilities, and while we now have a modern amphibious capability, this should still be reviewed.
And then on top of that we probably need to have a think about what sort of missions we want the navy to do which should bring the whole discussion to an open/close depending on it’s placement in the list.
Well, that’s a few starter points. I’m of to go read the entirety of navy matters
Ooooh goody, can’t wait ;-) Was going to do a big pre-emptive comment, but speaking o’pirates, the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie has just come on telly, and as I have not seen it, I am off to watch that instead, arrgghhh !
ADMIN said “We are an island you know!” Well I never I always wondered what all that blue stuff around that UK is on my large wall map, I thought some joker painted it blue. All we have to do is convince the politicians and public of this fact.
Erm! A good discussion topic would be shipbuilding, what should we build here, what should be build abroad.
I definitely agree with inter-service rivalries as a theme. It staggers me how much they seem to brief against each other and try to undermine each other. Is it a cultural thing? I suspect so… loyalties seem to be to a senior officers service rather than UK defence as a whole.
sorry, I’ll stop now so as to not pre-empt!
Perhaps a good time to cover the Vanguards and the nuclear deterrent?
As always I look forward to seeing what you have to say.