Jacko,
You obviously didn't see/attend the press conference with Buff and Sir Michael Walker - He said that the cuts were made in other areas so that they COULD react autoniously if required.
- initial theatre entry and shaping operations;
- intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance;
- precision attack of strategic targets;
- joint land and air offensive operations; and
Agree with all of this but your aircraft are damn all use sitting on the tarmac in the UK for the want of Host nation support or a carrier. Arguably some of these capabilities can be met by Tomahawk/ UAV etc but they are not as flexible as a carrier. Which BTW if the Naval Architects on CVF get it right, could also have these ships operating as LPH/Hospital/troop ships they do not have to be consigned to one job.