CatpainCaveman,
Just for the record, the detail of the cuts isn't being decided by civil servants or beancounters, in the main it is serving personnel at OF5/1* who are making the suggestions as to the shape of future forces, particularly the platform mix required.
It's true that there are some massive cost overuns driving the need for this, largely due to a couple of big programmes going massively over budget, plus the compounding, but unforeseen (by the Treasury), effect of RAB on real year on year cash flow. Given that the Government are not prepared to put more cash into defence to compensate, the DMB has little choice but to force some savage "efficiency" measures through.
If we end up with an unbalanced capability that is inadequate for the conflicts we find ourselves in, then it's worth remembering that the blame may well lie with a handful of career minded senior officers who see the opportunity here to curry favour. Unfortunately, common sense often seems to go out of the window when this happens, as we will no doubt find out officially in mid-July.