Originally Posted by
Not_a_boffin
There is a huge difference between a dozen cabs hopping aboard for a couple of weeks scripted exercise off the US coast and a similar number and all their associated support embarking for a six month deployment to the other side of the world. Where they have to be prepared for anything and are a fully integrated part of the CSG.
That should be obvious to anyone and is partly why it's difficult to take your views on FF and SSN seriously.
it’s akin to the difference between a US Cavalry unit joining elements of the British Army for a scripted training exercise at BATUS and the same unit being assigned to UK OPCOM for operations in Afghanistan (and, as happened in 2010, vice-versa).
This is not as outlandish as some might choose to think and it happens at individual level too. RN officers have been embedded in the US CENTCOM Fifth Fleet’s CTF 52 command structure in the Gulf for several years.
Joint Fact Sheet: U.S. and UK Defense Cooperation
British and American exchange personnel routinely deploy on operations with their host units. For example, British air transport pilots flew with the U.S Air Force in Haiti earthquake relief operations, and British F-18 pilots are currently flying operational missions from the USS Stennis. U.S. Marine Corp exchange officers have deployed on operational tours to Afghanistan with their host British units, in some cases in a command position, and the U.S. Air Force has a long tradition of exchanging pilots on transport, aerial refueling, and combat aircraft with Royal Air Force units...