daftandbarmy
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Sounds familiar 
British Military Current Events
- Thread starter daftandbarmy
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FSTO
Army.ca Fixture
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One way to test Canadians notice of the CAF is to conduct a much needed review and reorganization of the entire entity from soup to nuts. Do we want our Army to do? Do we need 3 regiments of each? What sort of Navy is required? Is the airforce there for what? If Canadians don’t give a shit about the CAF then the GoC should have free rein to do a real in depth review and reset.
Us old bastards probably would like the result through.
Us old bastards probably would like the result through.
daftandbarmy
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Royal Marine beats submariners to take charge of Navy’s global operations
Russian submarine threat no longer main focus as Red Sea and Pacific operations ‘just as relevant’
Danielle Sheridan, DEFENCE EDITOR31 January 2024 • 7:23pm
Brig Rich Cantrill take charge of the Navy’s global operations at Northwood
A Royal Marine has beaten submariners to take charge of the Navy’s global operations for the first time.
Brig Rich Cantrill will take on the role later this year, in which he will oversee the protection of home waters, as well as Navy and Marine actions and activities worldwide.
The Telegraph understands that while several submariners applied for the role, Brig Cantrill, 49, who is currently Assistant Chief of Staff overseeing operations at the Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, north-west London, was considered the best candidate.
A defence source said the role of Commander Operations had changed in recent years, with the Russian submarine threats in the North Atlantic no longer the main focus. They cited the protection of shipping in the Red Sea and the UK having a permanent presence in the Pacific as being “just as relevant”, which made the job suitable for someone without previous experience as a submariner.
Brig Cantrill has held prominent posts across defence and government, notably as deputy of the Ministry of Defence’s counter-terrorism operations, a role in the Cabinet Office’s Covid-19 taskforce and serving as Chief of Staff of the UK’s Amphibious Forces as they countered pirates off the Horn of Africa in 2016.
He has been in the Royal Marines for almost 30 years, notably commanding 3 Commando Brigade after roles in Plymouth-based 42 Commando, first leading Lima Company on operations in Afghanistan before taking over the unit as Commanding Officer in 2014.
Brig Cantrill said he was “absolutely delighted” to have been given the position.
He said: “For me it means a chance to return to my own service after a fascinating time in the joint domain, where I have learned a great deal about modern multi-domain operations, whilst working daily with the current Commander Operations and his team.
“The delivery of Royal Navy operations, and the maritime contribution to joint operations, are fundamental to protecting the nation and helping it to prosper.”
daftandbarmy
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Time to get the big boys tuned up for the main event...
Britain is primed to test a Trident nuclear missile for the first time since 2016 amid growing fears of a global conflict, according to reports.
Officials are said to have issued a warning to shipping in the region of the test as nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard sailed into the Atlantic earlier this week.
The test will be the first time the UK has test fired a Trident missile since a botched launch in 2016 on sister sub HMS Vengeance which left the navy red-faced.
www.dailymail.co.uk
Britain will test fire Trident nuclear missile for the first time since 2016 as fears of World War Three grow
- HMS Vanguard is reported to have sailed into the Atlantic earlier this week
- It is expected to test-fire a Trident missile 3,500 miles from the US
Britain is primed to test a Trident nuclear missile for the first time since 2016 amid growing fears of a global conflict, according to reports.
Officials are said to have issued a warning to shipping in the region of the test as nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard sailed into the Atlantic earlier this week.
The test will be the first time the UK has test fired a Trident missile since a botched launch in 2016 on sister sub HMS Vengeance which left the navy red-faced.
Britain will test fire Trident missile for the first time since 2016
Officials are said to have issued a warning to shipping in the region of the test as nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard sailed into the Atlantic earlier this week.
medicineman
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Given the past oopy with Vengeance, maybe a good idea to get some popcorn and bevvies as well...Time to get the big boys tuned up for the main event...
Britain will test fire Trident nuclear missile for the first time since 2016 as fears of World War Three grow
- HMS Vanguard is reported to have sailed into the Atlantic earlier this week
- It is expected to test-fire a Trident missile 3,500 miles from the US
Britain is primed to test a Trident nuclear missile for the first time since 2016 amid growing fears of a global conflict, according to reports.
Officials are said to have issued a warning to shipping in the region of the test as nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard sailed into the Atlantic earlier this week.
The test will be the first time the UK has test fired a Trident missile since a botched launch in 2016 on sister sub HMS Vengeance which left the navy red-faced.
Britain will test fire Trident missile for the first time since 2016
Officials are said to have issued a warning to shipping in the region of the test as nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard sailed into the Atlantic earlier this week.
GR66
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Yeah...two phrases you really don't want to hear together are "nuclear missile" and "botched"
medicineman
Army.ca Legend
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Nope...kind of like "Teehee, oops" while you're doing brain surgery...
daftandbarmy
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They seem to be making some familiar mistakes...
Despite an official policy to patrol the South Atlantic, a major British warship has not visited the area for almost seven years, leaving the islands’ defence to a small patrol vessel and four RAF Typhoons, the Telegraph understands.
Rishi Sunak is facing calls to review the Falklands’ security after the new Argentinian government announced plans to buy fighter jets, submarines and warships, raising fears that Argentina could launch a fresh invasion in a “repeat of 1982”.
The area around the Falklands was previously patrolled by a frigate or destroyer with anti-ship and air defence missiles, but Navy bosses have downgraded the islands’ naval protection to HMS Forth, an offshore patrol vessel with one 30mm cannon. Four Typhoon fighter jets remain on the island, but one is not operational.
Defence sources told the Telegraph that the last major warship to be deployed was the Type 23 frigate HMS Portland in 2017.
A Navy source said: “Everything only stretches so far, and we only have so many frigates and destroyers. If things were to hot up, we would look at it again.”
On Jan 15, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) revealed that four of the Navy’s 11 frigates are currently out of operational duty, including two that will be scrapped because of a staffing crisis.
New Type 31 and Type 26 frigates are not expected to enter service until at least 2027 and 2028, respectively. A new destroyer, the Type 83, is scheduled to launch in the late 2030s.
Javier Milei, the new Argentinian president, has said that his country has “non-negotiable” sovereignty over the Falklands and pledged to force the British Government to release its claim through “diplomatic channels”. The Foreign Office has rebuffed his efforts.
Since taking office last month, Mr Milei has reportedly approved a US-backed deal to acquire 24 F-16 fighter jets from Denmark, and has launched a review into plans to buy three submarines and a stock of warships from France or Germany.
Javier Milei, the new Argentinian president, has reportedly approved a US-backed deal to acquire 24 F-16 fighter jets from Denmark CREDIT:
The US Congress approved the sale of the F-16 jets in October, and has privately pushed for Mr Milei’s government to choose the American-made Lockheed Martin planes over JF-17 jets manufactured in China.
Victoria Villarruel, Mr Milei’s vice president and the daughter of a prisoner of war in the Falklands, has announced the government will triple its defence budget by 2032 to make the armed forces “fundamental institutions of the country”.
Argentina does not currently have any operational fighter jets, after decommissioning its 1970s Mirage III fleet in 2015, while its navy has operated without a submarine since the sinking of ARA San Juan on a training exercise in 2017.
However, the plans to restore Argentina’s armed forces prompted calls for Britain to resume major warship patrols.
A spokesman for the Friends of the British Overseas Territories, a charity that supports the Falklands, warned that the UK had “a reduced presence, a less capable Royal Navy and a lack of vision in defending against Argentina’s growing and modernised armed forces”.
“We urge the UK’s Ministry of Defence to rethink defences and overseas territory capabilities before security is compromised and we are forced into a larger conflict,” the spokesman told The Telegraph, adding: “We do not want to see a repeat of 1982.”
Typhoons flying in a pair over the Falklands, part of the British military deployments that remain in the Islands CREDIT: SGT ROB TRAVIS/RAF/PA
The UK has stationed around 1,200 military and civilian personnel on the Falkland Islands, and operates an RAF base at Mount Pleasant and nearby naval port for HMS Forth. The British Army has three Sky Sabre surface-to-air missile batteries there.
A 2016 plan to station two RAF Chinook helicopters at the Falklands was abandoned, with defence bosses deciding after a year to redeploy the helicopters elsewhere.
Following the Falklands War, the RAF stationed nine F-4 Phantom fighter jets on the island, reduced to four in 1988. The jets have since been replaced three times, first with the Tornado, then with two variants of the Typhoon.
The Telegraph understands one of the RAF’s four Typhoon jets stationed on the islands is currently non-operational, while civilian helicopters on the island are not equipped for combat. The Falklands are periodically visited by HMS Protector, an ice patrol ship that conducts scientific research and does not carry any weapons.
“It’s something we have to keep an eye on all the time, because no matter how we might kid ourselves, they think that the Falkland Islands are theirs, and they’re not,” he said.
John Healey, the shadow defence secretary, added that ministers must not “treat the Islands as out of sight, out of mind”.
“Our Armed Forces have a core task in defence of the Falklands, as well as a crucial role in South Atlantic environmental and fisheries protection and life critical evacuation options,” he said.
In response to a recent parliamentary question on the Falklands, James Heappey, the minister for armed forces, said: “The Ministry of Defence undertakes regular assessments of the requirements for defence support to the Falkland Islands.
“I am satisfied that the military presence in the South Atlantic is at the appropriate level to ensure the defence of the Islands.”
An MoD source said: “The Defence Secretary is adamant that the Falklands are British and that is not open to negotiation.
“The islanders have voted overwhelmingly to remain British and we will always defend their rights to self-determination.”
www.telegraph.co.uk
Royal Navy scraps major warship patrols around the Falklands
Islands’ naval protection limited to a small offshore patrol vessel as Argentina plans to buy three submarines and a stock of warshipsDespite an official policy to patrol the South Atlantic, a major British warship has not visited the area for almost seven years, leaving the islands’ defence to a small patrol vessel and four RAF Typhoons, the Telegraph understands.
Rishi Sunak is facing calls to review the Falklands’ security after the new Argentinian government announced plans to buy fighter jets, submarines and warships, raising fears that Argentina could launch a fresh invasion in a “repeat of 1982”.
The area around the Falklands was previously patrolled by a frigate or destroyer with anti-ship and air defence missiles, but Navy bosses have downgraded the islands’ naval protection to HMS Forth, an offshore patrol vessel with one 30mm cannon. Four Typhoon fighter jets remain on the island, but one is not operational.
Defence sources told the Telegraph that the last major warship to be deployed was the Type 23 frigate HMS Portland in 2017.
A Navy source said: “Everything only stretches so far, and we only have so many frigates and destroyers. If things were to hot up, we would look at it again.”
On Jan 15, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) revealed that four of the Navy’s 11 frigates are currently out of operational duty, including two that will be scrapped because of a staffing crisis.
New Type 31 and Type 26 frigates are not expected to enter service until at least 2027 and 2028, respectively. A new destroyer, the Type 83, is scheduled to launch in the late 2030s.
Javier Milei, the new Argentinian president, has said that his country has “non-negotiable” sovereignty over the Falklands and pledged to force the British Government to release its claim through “diplomatic channels”. The Foreign Office has rebuffed his efforts.
Since taking office last month, Mr Milei has reportedly approved a US-backed deal to acquire 24 F-16 fighter jets from Denmark, and has launched a review into plans to buy three submarines and a stock of warships from France or Germany.
Javier Milei, the new Argentinian president, has reportedly approved a US-backed deal to acquire 24 F-16 fighter jets from Denmark CREDIT:
The US Congress approved the sale of the F-16 jets in October, and has privately pushed for Mr Milei’s government to choose the American-made Lockheed Martin planes over JF-17 jets manufactured in China.
Victoria Villarruel, Mr Milei’s vice president and the daughter of a prisoner of war in the Falklands, has announced the government will triple its defence budget by 2032 to make the armed forces “fundamental institutions of the country”.
Argentina does not currently have any operational fighter jets, after decommissioning its 1970s Mirage III fleet in 2015, while its navy has operated without a submarine since the sinking of ARA San Juan on a training exercise in 2017.
However, the plans to restore Argentina’s armed forces prompted calls for Britain to resume major warship patrols.
A spokesman for the Friends of the British Overseas Territories, a charity that supports the Falklands, warned that the UK had “a reduced presence, a less capable Royal Navy and a lack of vision in defending against Argentina’s growing and modernised armed forces”.
“We urge the UK’s Ministry of Defence to rethink defences and overseas territory capabilities before security is compromised and we are forced into a larger conflict,” the spokesman told The Telegraph, adding: “We do not want to see a repeat of 1982.”
Typhoons flying in a pair over the Falklands, part of the British military deployments that remain in the Islands CREDIT: SGT ROB TRAVIS/RAF/PA
The UK has stationed around 1,200 military and civilian personnel on the Falkland Islands, and operates an RAF base at Mount Pleasant and nearby naval port for HMS Forth. The British Army has three Sky Sabre surface-to-air missile batteries there.
A 2016 plan to station two RAF Chinook helicopters at the Falklands was abandoned, with defence bosses deciding after a year to redeploy the helicopters elsewhere.
Following the Falklands War, the RAF stationed nine F-4 Phantom fighter jets on the island, reduced to four in 1988. The jets have since been replaced three times, first with the Tornado, then with two variants of the Typhoon.
The Telegraph understands one of the RAF’s four Typhoon jets stationed on the islands is currently non-operational, while civilian helicopters on the island are not equipped for combat. The Falklands are periodically visited by HMS Protector, an ice patrol ship that conducts scientific research and does not carry any weapons.
‘Invasion highly unlikely’
Lord West, who was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for his service in the Falklands War, said an invasion of the islands was “highly unlikely at the moment” but called for the MoD to ensure it has “sufficient defence assets in the Falklands to show that if anyone did anything stupid, that they would have some assets that they would have to overcome”.“It’s something we have to keep an eye on all the time, because no matter how we might kid ourselves, they think that the Falkland Islands are theirs, and they’re not,” he said.
John Healey, the shadow defence secretary, added that ministers must not “treat the Islands as out of sight, out of mind”.
“Our Armed Forces have a core task in defence of the Falklands, as well as a crucial role in South Atlantic environmental and fisheries protection and life critical evacuation options,” he said.
In response to a recent parliamentary question on the Falklands, James Heappey, the minister for armed forces, said: “The Ministry of Defence undertakes regular assessments of the requirements for defence support to the Falkland Islands.
“I am satisfied that the military presence in the South Atlantic is at the appropriate level to ensure the defence of the Islands.”
An MoD source said: “The Defence Secretary is adamant that the Falklands are British and that is not open to negotiation.
“The islanders have voted overwhelmingly to remain British and we will always defend their rights to self-determination.”
Royal Navy scraps major warship patrols around the Falklands
Islands’ naval protection limited to a small offshore patrol vessel as Argentina plans to buy three submarines and a stock of warships
www.telegraph.co.uk
medicineman
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What was it they say about learning from history? Are they still garrisoning them better than NP8901? Given that President Love Child of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump has a bug in his butt about this, might not be a good idea just yet.They seem to be making some familiar mistakes...
Royal Navy scraps major warship patrols around the Falklands
Islands’ naval protection limited to a small offshore patrol vessel as Argentina plans to buy three submarines and a stock of warships
Despite an official policy to patrol the South Atlantic, a major British warship has not visited the area for almost seven years, leaving the islands’ defence to a small patrol vessel and four RAF Typhoons, the Telegraph understands.
Rishi Sunak is facing calls to review the Falklands’ security after the new Argentinian government announced plans to buy fighter jets, submarines and warships, raising fears that Argentina could launch a fresh invasion in a “repeat of 1982”.
The area around the Falklands was previously patrolled by a frigate or destroyer with anti-ship and air defence missiles, but Navy bosses have downgraded the islands’ naval protection to HMS Forth, an offshore patrol vessel with one 30mm cannon. Four Typhoon fighter jets remain on the island, but one is not operational.
Defence sources told the Telegraph that the last major warship to be deployed was the Type 23 frigate HMS Portland in 2017.
A Navy source said: “Everything only stretches so far, and we only have so many frigates and destroyers. If things were to hot up, we would look at it again.”
On Jan 15, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) revealed that four of the Navy’s 11 frigates are currently out of operational duty, including two that will be scrapped because of a staffing crisis.
New Type 31 and Type 26 frigates are not expected to enter service until at least 2027 and 2028, respectively. A new destroyer, the Type 83, is scheduled to launch in the late 2030s.
Javier Milei, the new Argentinian president, has said that his country has “non-negotiable” sovereignty over the Falklands and pledged to force the British Government to release its claim through “diplomatic channels”. The Foreign Office has rebuffed his efforts.
Since taking office last month, Mr Milei has reportedly approved a US-backed deal to acquire 24 F-16 fighter jets from Denmark, and has launched a review into plans to buy three submarines and a stock of warships from France or Germany.
Javier Milei, the new Argentinian president, has reportedly approved a US-backed deal to acquire 24 F-16 fighter jets from Denmark CREDIT:
The US Congress approved the sale of the F-16 jets in October, and has privately pushed for Mr Milei’s government to choose the American-made Lockheed Martin planes over JF-17 jets manufactured in China.
Victoria Villarruel, Mr Milei’s vice president and the daughter of a prisoner of war in the Falklands, has announced the government will triple its defence budget by 2032 to make the armed forces “fundamental institutions of the country”.
Argentina does not currently have any operational fighter jets, after decommissioning its 1970s Mirage III fleet in 2015, while its navy has operated without a submarine since the sinking of ARA San Juan on a training exercise in 2017.
However, the plans to restore Argentina’s armed forces prompted calls for Britain to resume major warship patrols.
A spokesman for the Friends of the British Overseas Territories, a charity that supports the Falklands, warned that the UK had “a reduced presence, a less capable Royal Navy and a lack of vision in defending against Argentina’s growing and modernised armed forces”.
“We urge the UK’s Ministry of Defence to rethink defences and overseas territory capabilities before security is compromised and we are forced into a larger conflict,” the spokesman told The Telegraph, adding: “We do not want to see a repeat of 1982.”
Typhoons flying in a pair over the Falklands, part of the British military deployments that remain in the Islands CREDIT: SGT ROB TRAVIS/RAF/PA
The UK has stationed around 1,200 military and civilian personnel on the Falkland Islands, and operates an RAF base at Mount Pleasant and nearby naval port for HMS Forth. The British Army has three Sky Sabre surface-to-air missile batteries there.
A 2016 plan to station two RAF Chinook helicopters at the Falklands was abandoned, with defence bosses deciding after a year to redeploy the helicopters elsewhere.
Following the Falklands War, the RAF stationed nine F-4 Phantom fighter jets on the island, reduced to four in 1988. The jets have since been replaced three times, first with the Tornado, then with two variants of the Typhoon.
The Telegraph understands one of the RAF’s four Typhoon jets stationed on the islands is currently non-operational, while civilian helicopters on the island are not equipped for combat. The Falklands are periodically visited by HMS Protector, an ice patrol ship that conducts scientific research and does not carry any weapons.
‘Invasion highly unlikely’
Lord West, who was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for his service in the Falklands War, said an invasion of the islands was “highly unlikely at the moment” but called for the MoD to ensure it has “sufficient defence assets in the Falklands to show that if anyone did anything stupid, that they would have some assets that they would have to overcome”.
“It’s something we have to keep an eye on all the time, because no matter how we might kid ourselves, they think that the Falkland Islands are theirs, and they’re not,” he said.
John Healey, the shadow defence secretary, added that ministers must not “treat the Islands as out of sight, out of mind”.
“Our Armed Forces have a core task in defence of the Falklands, as well as a crucial role in South Atlantic environmental and fisheries protection and life critical evacuation options,” he said.
In response to a recent parliamentary question on the Falklands, James Heappey, the minister for armed forces, said: “The Ministry of Defence undertakes regular assessments of the requirements for defence support to the Falkland Islands.
“I am satisfied that the military presence in the South Atlantic is at the appropriate level to ensure the defence of the Islands.”
An MoD source said: “The Defence Secretary is adamant that the Falklands are British and that is not open to negotiation.
“The islanders have voted overwhelmingly to remain British and we will always defend their rights to self-determination.”
Royal Navy scraps major warship patrols around the Falklands
Islands’ naval protection limited to a small offshore patrol vessel as Argentina plans to buy three submarines and a stock of warships
GK .Dundas
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Before we get all excited you might want to take a good look at the Argentine OOB .
medicineman
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Well, we know for certain they're short at least one submarine...
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Britain’s warships have gym where land attack missiles should be
Type 45 destroyers did not procure the weapons due to lack of funds
www.telegraph.co.uk
So there is a hole where the VLS was supposed to be in the Type 45.
I can almost understand not buying Tomahawks (except the RN already has them in the arsenal). But why wouldn't they buy the VLS and drop it in the holes that are waiting for them so that the Type 45 Anti-Air Destroyer had that many more stowed kills.
It looks as if the Mk41 VLS is also qualified on the CAMM missiles.
On a related front it seems as if there are a number of bolt on launchers that could be used to increase the loadout on a variety of hulls.
CAMM completes qualification trials from 3-cell ExLS launcher | Press Release | MBDA
MBDA and Lockheed Martin have jointly completed qualification of MBDA’s CAMM from Lockheed Martin’s ExLS 3-Cell Stand Alone Launcher.
www.mbda-systems.com
Launching Systems
Lockheed Martin is a leader in providing vertical launching systems and munitions for the Navy, with products such as the MK 41, the Single Cell Launcher, the Extensible Launching System and the Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket.
daftandbarmy
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The Generals can share the blame....
Britain’s armed forces have much to be proud of. The Royal Navy is engaged in some of the most intense naval skirmishing since the Falklands war, knocking Houthi missiles out of the sky above the Red Sea. The Royal Air Force (raf) is still flying over Iraq and Syria to keep Islamic State in check. The army has trained more than 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers in the past ten years and helps guard Estonia.
Yet something is rotten in British defence. Even though the country is the sixth-largest military spender in the world and the largest in Europe, it is not always clear where the money goes. The navy’s fleet operates fewer frigates and destroyers than Japan, South Korea or France. The army, at its smallest in centuries, would struggle to deploy a single heavy division. Britain has admirably emptied its cupboard to arm Ukraine, but its meagre ammunition holdings are now a matter of grave concern. What has gone wrong?
The first problem is cash. In 2020 the government boasted of the biggest sustained increase in defence spending for 30 years. It spends just over £50bn ($64bn) on defence, a sum that crosses nato’s threshold of 2% of gdp. But a fifth of the budget goes on nuclear weapons. The conventional forces that Britain needs are being cannibalised to pay for nuclear cost-overruns. Strip out the nuclear bits and defence spending stands at around 1.75% of gdp, in the middle of the European pack.
The second problem is a lack of manpower. In 2010, when the Conservative Party entered government, the British Army was over 100,000-strong. It is now due to fall to 72,500. The government says that technology means fewer people are needed than in the past. This is casuistry. The Royal Navy is decommissioning ships for want of sailors. New technology often requires more personnel to maintain and operate it, not fewer. Even at its reduced scale, the army is struggling to recruit; beefing up the army reserve would be one way to help.
British defence cannot be fixed without more money and more people. But the country’s defence woes are also rooted in deeper problems of culture, outlook and process. Far too often, penny-pinching and short-termism have resulted in Britain buying high-end kit and then economising on the things that make it work properly.
The Treasury bears some responsibility for this state of affairs. It has incentivised services to delay expensive projects. That balances the books in the short run but causes costs to balloon overall. Its strictures can have absurd results. Reducing an order of Wedgetail airborne command aircraft from five to three means that the raf may not have one available in a crisis.
Yet the services also deserve much of the blame, having repeatedly botched major projects. That is hardly unique to the armed forces or to Britain. But if Britain is serious about re-arming, it may have to buy more foreign equipment off the shelf rather than demanding new features and insisting on domestic design and manufacturing. The ill-fated Ajax armoured vehicle—whose excessive vibration deafened crew—was supposed to be based on a pre-existing Austrian-Spanish platform. After the army unwisely added 1,200 requirements, it was essentially bespoke.
The Tories have had 13 years in office and four defence reviews. They will not, as an election approaches, solve problems that have festered for years. But with Ukraine in peril and Russia rearming fast, defence is once again too important to suffer from neglect. Like one of Britain’s ageing fleet of armoured vehicles, the country’s defence system is no longer good enough. The next government should act quickly and boldly to fix it.
How to fix British defence
It needs more money and more people, but also reform
Britain’s armed forces have much to be proud of. The Royal Navy is engaged in some of the most intense naval skirmishing since the Falklands war, knocking Houthi missiles out of the sky above the Red Sea. The Royal Air Force (raf) is still flying over Iraq and Syria to keep Islamic State in check. The army has trained more than 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers in the past ten years and helps guard Estonia.
Yet something is rotten in British defence. Even though the country is the sixth-largest military spender in the world and the largest in Europe, it is not always clear where the money goes. The navy’s fleet operates fewer frigates and destroyers than Japan, South Korea or France. The army, at its smallest in centuries, would struggle to deploy a single heavy division. Britain has admirably emptied its cupboard to arm Ukraine, but its meagre ammunition holdings are now a matter of grave concern. What has gone wrong?
The first problem is cash. In 2020 the government boasted of the biggest sustained increase in defence spending for 30 years. It spends just over £50bn ($64bn) on defence, a sum that crosses nato’s threshold of 2% of gdp. But a fifth of the budget goes on nuclear weapons. The conventional forces that Britain needs are being cannibalised to pay for nuclear cost-overruns. Strip out the nuclear bits and defence spending stands at around 1.75% of gdp, in the middle of the European pack.
The second problem is a lack of manpower. In 2010, when the Conservative Party entered government, the British Army was over 100,000-strong. It is now due to fall to 72,500. The government says that technology means fewer people are needed than in the past. This is casuistry. The Royal Navy is decommissioning ships for want of sailors. New technology often requires more personnel to maintain and operate it, not fewer. Even at its reduced scale, the army is struggling to recruit; beefing up the army reserve would be one way to help.
British defence cannot be fixed without more money and more people. But the country’s defence woes are also rooted in deeper problems of culture, outlook and process. Far too often, penny-pinching and short-termism have resulted in Britain buying high-end kit and then economising on the things that make it work properly.
The Treasury bears some responsibility for this state of affairs. It has incentivised services to delay expensive projects. That balances the books in the short run but causes costs to balloon overall. Its strictures can have absurd results. Reducing an order of Wedgetail airborne command aircraft from five to three means that the raf may not have one available in a crisis.
Yet the services also deserve much of the blame, having repeatedly botched major projects. That is hardly unique to the armed forces or to Britain. But if Britain is serious about re-arming, it may have to buy more foreign equipment off the shelf rather than demanding new features and insisting on domestic design and manufacturing. The ill-fated Ajax armoured vehicle—whose excessive vibration deafened crew—was supposed to be based on a pre-existing Austrian-Spanish platform. After the army unwisely added 1,200 requirements, it was essentially bespoke.
The Tories have had 13 years in office and four defence reviews. They will not, as an election approaches, solve problems that have festered for years. But with Ukraine in peril and Russia rearming fast, defence is once again too important to suffer from neglect. Like one of Britain’s ageing fleet of armoured vehicles, the country’s defence system is no longer good enough. The next government should act quickly and boldly to fix it.
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A Trudeau watchword.
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Britain’s warships have gym where land attack missiles should be
Type 45 destroyers did not procure the weapons due to lack of funds
View attachment 82869
So there is a hole where the VLS was supposed to be in the Type 45.
I can almost understand not buying Tomahawks (except the RN already has them in the arsenal). But why wouldn't they buy the VLS and drop it in the holes that are waiting for them so that the Type 45 Anti-Air Destroyer had that many more stowed kills.
It looks as if the Mk41 VLS is also qualified on the CAMM missiles.
On a related front it seems as if there are a number of bolt on launchers that could be used to increase the loadout on a variety of hulls.
CAMM completes qualification trials from 3-cell ExLS launcher | Press Release | MBDA
MBDA and Lockheed Martin have jointly completed qualification of MBDA’s CAMM from Lockheed Martin’s ExLS 3-Cell Stand Alone Launcher.Launching Systems
Lockheed Martin is a leader in providing vertical launching systems and munitions for the Navy, with products such as the MK 41, the Single Cell Launcher, the Extensible Launching System and the Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket.www.lockheedmartin.com
Should those ships be reclassified and designated as Cruisers? Or, seeing as how they don't take paying passengers - Yachts?
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"casuistry" - I've learned a new word. There are so many uses for it.
@Rifleman62
You are closer than you might know given the Brebeuf schooling that Trudeau and his father had.
Everything is relative.
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The Telegraph is talking up the case for rearmament.
Warfare not Welfare....
Spend money. Accommodations. Wages. Equipment. Missions.
Warfare not Welfare....
Spend money. Accommodations. Wages. Equipment. Missions.
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Too bad the media doesn't start and repeat that information to all of Canada.
The only people who the message will not reach will be the tone-deaf Liberals.
The only people who the message will not reach will be the tone-deaf Liberals.
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