Originally Posted by
Asturias56
Trouble is Vice is that you are then giving up any chance of taking any independent decisions. The UK is supposed to be leaving the EU because it doesn't want to be dictated to and organised by foreigners but your scheme would see the US having total control over UK military equipment etc.
Secondly can you afford it? The US spends a lot more on kit (item by item) than the UK does.......................
In answer to a couple of your points:
1) The UK is leaving the EU yet is getting involved in Tempest with Italy and Sweden. Both nations who have no interest in the sort of expeditionary warfare we have been carrying out for decades. How will you develop and expand the platform to suit your needs when the partner nations share no interest in spending money to increase the capability? This is often seen in the Eurofighter Program.
2) I would be interested to see your figures on how the US spend a lot more 'item by item' than the UK does. I am pretty sure that given scales of economy the Australian procurement of US Hornets works out cheaper than the Typhoon purchase for the UK.
The US would not have total control over your kit and equipment and where you use it, that is nonsense. What it would give you is access to spares and combined development. As I mentioned before, UK industry could benefit from integrating great UK weapons on to US platforms and offering the US the benefit of our weapons if they did decide to purchase.
Finally, on what planet do you think we would ever get involved in an independent war. Look at the state of our current government and national appetite for overseas Operations. Get real, we are no longer a global super power. Lets move forward and integrate with the US, they have been involved in every single conflict we have been in for the past 30 years and we could not have done without them, the sooner we get over the notion of the UK as an independent Global Military Power the better.
Lets accept where we are, channel our funding to buy the best capability we can in order to seamlessly integrate with our preferred partner for the greatest combined effect.
Mr Vice.