The FI, just as all other UK assets, need to be protected within the umbrella of UK Defence. The islands also support the UK claim to the large chunk of the Antarctic that we hold. The UK defence of it's territories requires a wide range of capabilities in depth. However, funding is not a bottomless pit of cash and so, to avoid the hollowing out of the core Defence of the realm capabilities, we should not have wasted ££Billions on the ridiculous QEc Expeditionary war capability. TBH, the whole Expeditionary warfare concept is a corruption of UK Defence. UK foreign policy is not one of Crusading
AFAIK. The UK is not declared as a nation bent on subjugation of other nations. However, defence can require attack and, the ability to attack and claim territory should be a part of UK Defence core ability. That is the crux. The Expeditionary capability should be drawn from the fully formed, equipped and capable core Defence forces, if required, not the other way around!
The question of how large and capable the core UK Defence forces need to be is simply answered by assessment of the threats and our methods needed to counter them successfully. Some additional elements of capability for limited Expeditionary warfare might be added but, the basic principle must be, core first! Beyond that, unless the UK is considering mounting Crusading warfare against other nations, there is no reason for cutting core Defence capabilities to support Expeditionary pie in the sky and to the great detriment of UK National security.
OAP