All the service chiefs have now set out their stall for the forthcoming strategic defence review at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
The transcripts are available at the links.
All the Chiefs
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9 Comments
General Sir David Richards recommendation of ‘Skyful of Lies’ and Black Swans by Nik Gowing can be found at:
http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/Publications/Skyful_of_Lies.pdf
just read on the military section of newsnow liam fox (shadow def sec) has met with unions and looked at the carrier contracts with a view to cancel them ASAP if the tories get in. Hmm can’t help feeling that money saved will go straight out the door in jobseekers to a lot of unemployed shipbuilders!
IMHO it’s the money gobbling trident (thanks Big And expensive) that should be reviewed although it’s exempt from the SDR.
Sir David Richards may make slightly fewer enemies and more progress with his cause if he slanted his argument against funding the Air Force and Navy, towards relative cost rather than numerical size. Sir Mark Stanhope could (and perhaps should) point out that he has a fleet of approximately 20 frigates and destroyers, and Sir Stephen Dalton could point out that he has 124 Typhoons to provide the air defence of Britian, and this before anyone starts swinging the cost cutting axe; both could reasonably ask how many of these ships and aircraft Sir David thinks could be given up before Britian has neither a Navy or Air Force worth mentioning?
Sir David would make a better point if he said that at a billion pounds each the Type 45 destroyers cost considerably more than they are worth and even the Navy would have been better to buy something cheaper and get more of them.
i agree with richard, however all 3 chiefs are fighting their corner due to the MoD “leaking” rumours of what the cuts might be it just gets the heads of the different forces to do the dirty work for them ie coming out with good reasons to cancel someone else’s incoming equipment!!!
As a subnote i would be interested in the navy getting the visby class corvette as carrier escorts now the swedes have spent all the money sorting out the problems, it’s faster than a greased gazelle!!! (40+ knots) and off the shelf so no development delays. it’s on wikipedia not the best reference point i know however gives a good idea of it’s capabilities
@Paul g: How exactly would the Visby’s be useful Carrier escorts? Do they provide an AAW umbrella, or perhaps have good ASW capabilities? No, neither. They go fast, great, they can outrun the carrier and it’s escorts and provide little presence because no one know’s they’re there. Great, while we’re wasting money on pointless vessels when we desperately need more sensible ones, i’ll have another dozen LPD’s with no escorts.
…See what i’m trying to say?
Does anyone else think that the Airforce and Navy called for the army to be abolished?
And the Army demanded enough men to peacekeep the world?
Maybe its just my opinions colouring what I read.
wow did i touch a nerve there? it was only a suggeston as i thought this was an open forum, where you didn’t get your head chewed off for an opinion, my main point was the way the politicians have got the chiefs of staffs to do their dirty work for them and was just agreeing with richard that the type 45′s althogh good are too bloody expensive.
by the way yes it does have good ASW and the AAW was designed but dropped due to funding, however don’t want to go tit for tat ilike it you don’t hey ho, on a plus note more LPD’s is indeed a good idea, god help us if they try and hash one of the carriers into a “sort of” amphibious assualt ship in true blue peter style
Wasn’t touching a nerve, just seemed like a wasteful idea. In the current environment why would we take money out of the overstretched budget to buy stealth corvettes that are nothing like the vessels we really need?
Oh and we don’t need more LPD’s (ala Bulwark and Albion) however we MAY need 1 or 2 more LPH’s depending on how many carriers we get, and when Ocean retires.
i agree grim, thought you meant that when you put lpd with no escort, just trying to build bridges! i’ve been on ocean cracking ship, overlooked IMO. hopefully heli/amphib will be embraced, lot cheaper and effective than a bunch of single engined not stealthy jets!!! might be hope with the trialling of the new pascat landing craft. Very good article in the telegraph today on wether we can afford NOT to build the carriers.