With David Cameron refusing to ‘un ring fence’ the development budget it will fall to the MoD, Social Protection and other spending departments to bear the brunt of future cuts in public spending, which we all know are going to hit hard.
Part of that development fund has, does and will go to India. India no doubt has a great deal of poverty but it has a vibrant economy, a burgeoning military and even an active space programme. In the last 5 years DFiD has spent over £1,000 million and plans to spend over the next three years, approximately £285 million per year. This is on top of trade between the two nations.
Whilst the Defence Chiefs are squabbling about who gets the biggest slice of a rapidly diminishing cake, almost everyone (including us) is agonising over whether we can afford CVF and having to resort to off balance sheet ‘buy now pay later’ PFI’s for air to air refueling aircraft, the Indian Armed Forces have been doing a spot of shopping.
On top of the $50 billion of equipment purchased in the last 5 years they have plans for another $80 billion over the next 5 years.
On the shopping list is over 120 fighters, ISR systems, artillery, air to air refueling aircraft, 3 AWACS aircraft and in an ironic twist, 29 Mig 29K naval fighters and aircraft carrier or two.
David Cameron talks of an integrated approach to development aid, security and defence.
Go on then Dave, join them dots up.
“With David Cameron refusing to ‘un ring fence’ the development budget it will fall to the MoD,”
Hmmm, does counter narcotics or afghan occupation count as international development???
Hmmm! Buy some C-17’s and paint them nicely and say they are for international development and humanitarian assistance. Or we could buy that Hospital ship we were told we would get so many years ago it would be dual-use but naturally busier with helping folk than being used during conflict. One thing I would look into is setting up that reconstruction force the green paper talked about funded via international development budget. All the personnel could then be reservists maybe sponsored if we would have to do that to make it viable or just reservists which could be called up when needed.
On a more realistic point as in less militarily focused, I would rather use the entire international development budget and spend it within the United Kingdom’s overseas territories. An example would be getting St Helena that airport that was promised to them by the Government to improve transport links as well as improving port facilities etc.
The Italian model is similar to what Euan is talking about below. Some of their civilian ministries, probably their equivalent of DfID, pay for ships such as their LSL’s, while the Financial Police (? – I think – similar to Customs and Excise ?) pay for patrol aircraft and even corvettes !!
In an article I provided to Admin some time ago on the RN fleet / RFA Flotilla, I suggested we do the same thing, DfID would pay for a couple of Amphibs that might have bigger sick bay / hospitals than the assault ships – so they would be immediately available for disaster relief (unless already in use in a war !)