Thanks to Tom for the link!
via Daily Telegraph
Sir Nick told MPs: "There are already paper exercises going on in looking at what an Army of just 60,000 would look like because of the financial crunch that the department is going to be facing."When Tom sent this to me he added this missive...More people are signing up for ISIS than they are for the British Army!
Last year the Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen Sir Nick Houghton, said he would “fix my bayonet and fight to the last," to prevent further Army cuts.
More cuts to the Army were last night attacked as “foolhardy in the extreme”.
Military leaders fear a defence review scheduled for after the election will see a repeat of 2010’s biting austerity cuts to the military budget.
The Office for Budget Responsibility has predicted the Chancellor's tax and spending policies will require an austerity programme in the next Parliament much bigger that the one implemented by the current Coalition. The defence budget, unlike overseas aid, is not ring-fenced for protection.
But this leads to a bigger question.
What happens when the country that says that it has a special relationship with us is no longer to "punch above its weight"?
They're buying F-35's but are having trouble maintaining the Typhoon fighters they already have in service...and speaking of the F-35...if they're having to cut their Army this much then how will they be able to sell the idea of buying the super expensive US jets while they kick people out of their Army?
We've seen the F-35 destroy the Air Force of the Netherlands...instead of 85 they're buying 35. We know whats happening with the rest of our allies (and I'm still waiting to see how many the Italians buy).
Is it not time to kill this project before it totally eviscerates the defense forces of our allies? Wouldn't it be better to sell affordable airplanes like the F-18 and Gripen so that they can still deploy ground forces to deal with issues that seem to pop up on an almost daily basis?
The MoD issued a statement denying these cuts to personnel, we will just have to wait and see.
ReplyDeleteThe MOD has been going for quality over quantity for ages but now its just stupid. They type-45 destroyer is one of the best destroyers in the world, but we only have 6 and thus 5 operational. We need to slow down on R&D we are already 5-10 years ahead of any major adversary.
ReplyDeleteThe 2010 SDSR already cut the British Military to a degree that has ruled out the UK as a world power anymore. A 100,000 army, barely 50 tanks, no Maritime patrol air craft, a few frigates, a few destroyers and not much else. Are they truly worthy of a permeant place at the UNSC? I think not.
ReplyDeleteHow many of the "upcoming" powers could decimate the UK's armed forces? Japan? India? Brazil (not so much)?It won't be long (at most 10 years) before the power balance of the above nations is so far in their favour that the permeant seat is just untenable.
As for the F-35 the UK can't go for the F-18 as the main role of the F-35 will be to operate from the QE Class carriers in the SRVL method with the F-35B so the F-18 or Gripen is a no go as there are no arrestor wires. There had been talk of converting them to CATOBAR with EMALS but after a study and flip flops this was ruled out. The UK has made its bed with the F-35B and will have to live with it. Following your blog it seems the F-35B (the most troubled variant) is going to rip the RN and RAF to shreds yet further.
The US needs to cut the apron strings with Europe but particularly the UK, let them stop pretending to be a world player on the back of the US's manpower and assets. It is sink or swim time, why should the US taxpayers be subsidising the UK's dreams of relevance on the global stage?
On the UNSC seat for Britain, the US taxpayer is not subsidizing Britain the way we all view subsidies.
DeleteI've said it before on this blog as well.....the UNSC is about voting clout. The US-UK-France combo is always a 3-2 advantage to all issues near and dear to the Anglo-Saxons over the China-Russia combo. Also when the US-UK-France combo votes in the general assembly, they ensure that their allies and dependents also vote the same way. We Indians as part of the "Commonwealth" know how this deal making takes place.
The UNSC was never about hardcore firepower. It was just marketed that way. It was always about "Voting Power". In this scenario even if UK and France decide to further reduce their militaries, it wont matter.
Thats the reason why India, Germany and Japan also want to be part of the UNSC. All 3 of us combined do not have a single aircraft carrier in service "right at this very moment". Our carriers are docked for refitting and training. Germany and Japan have none. And we all know General VK Singh's revelations about our War Stocks.
Ksingh
ReplyDeleteReally?
Only the US, Russia and France could even take a shot at the UK, let alone 'win'.
China, India, German and in the somewhat near future Brazil would savage the British military all things being equal maybe even Japan if they start to get more aggressive on the military front. The number of 4/4.5 generation fighters China and India posses alone would almost ensure air supremacy over the RAF within a few days. Then there is the navy, the RN has some pretty advanced vessels but they are far too few in number.
DeleteLook at the spending figures the UK government has put out, by 2020 the UK will only have the 6th/7th largest defence budget in the world, China, Japan, India and Brazil will all be spending more on defence. By 2045 the gap between China, India and to an extent, Brazil in defence terms will be colossal.
By what measure could 60-100,000 troops, 50 tanks, just about 100 4.5 gen fighters and about 10 or so truly capable naval vessels hold out to the militaries of China, India or Germany (yes they are facing their own issues right now)?
The only thing the UK has going for it that equates to "great power" status is the nuclear weapons but then Israel and India have those too.
As always, the UK's best defence is its location- tucked up in the North of Europe where no one is going to touch her there but the days of the UK have a long reach are over, its status has gone for good. They should be done with it and label the British military as a defence force. And god God's sake get rid of those 2 Carriers that are far too costly and ambitious for a country of the UK's status. 1 of them will be mothballed immediately on completion but does the UK really need even 1 65,000 ton carrier when they have barely enough sailors to man it? Is power projection really something the UK will ever be engaging again? To save this prestige project (have no doubts that's all this project is about) the UK (AN ISLAND NATION) scrapped their fleet of maritime patrol aircraft!
Talk about misplaced priorities and an absence of realism.
They do need a carrier for any forseable Argentina action.
DeleteHow would China attack the UK?
DeleteHow would Brazil?
Any attempt to send a fleet to our waters would be a disaster.
Brazil and China might be able to lock their doors at night, but don't kid yourself that they can come out to play in the Indian or Atlantic Oceans.
The problem the army has, is its unable to create a compelling case for numbers.
ReplyDeleteIt went in to Afghanistan with 3600 men, to dig wells and build schools.
It left with nearly 10,000 combat troops, and left in defeat.
But it doesn't recognise that defeat, nor its defeat in Iraq.
So is 82k enough? Will it demand 250k in a few years? Will it win when it gets them?
@Ksingh
ReplyDeleteFew points:
The British Army has 227 MBTs and 100 more in reserve.
RN has 19 high-end escorts not 10, also it's confirmed the Type 26 will have 24 strike length cells and 48 Sea Ceptor canisters, so more heavily armed than FREMM.
Also confirmed both QEC carriers to enter service.
Six areas the RN is still superior to the Indian Navy: SSBNs, SSNs (TLAM capable), ASW Type 23 & superb Merlin Mk2 combo, MCMVs, the ability to land a brigade from the sea, and Replenishment eg Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Note the Indian Navy has a very limited ASW capability eg no ATAS on it's escorts and no modern ASW helo, just a dozen clapped out Sea Kings & four operational Ka-28s with 1980s tech, India's carriers would be defenceless against Chinese or Pakistani SSKs.