Where was I? I was at work, watched the whole thing unfold, then deployed to VERITAS with the first UK aircraft type to take part (less than 4 weeks later). Came home four months later then re-deployed to another location in the AOR in March. Where were you, Proone?
In answer to your question - no, I'm not that naive. SDR was supposed to re-focus warfighting abilities in the light of the end of the Cold War, taking into account the changed world situation, and the increased threat of international terrorism. Funny how, as SDR was supposed to be 'capability led', every single item had to be approved by the Treasury.....but that's another story.
So, by 1998 Iraq had been a problem for ourselves and the US for some eight years, we were about to launch Op Desert Fox and take some punitive action - but it was clear even then that there had to be an end-game at some point. The US were not going to walk away from that one.
Op Allied Force was on the horizon, and started some four months into 1999. I was there, too.
Terrorism i.e. Al-Qaeda? I was at Khobar Towers four weeks before it was bombed. Where were you? Yes, the scale of 9/11 was astonishing, but are you trying to tell me that there weren't predictions of an attack on such a grand scale prior to that date?
Dress up the CUTS any way you like - it's merely proving that under the current climate the desire to spin and failure to acknowledge the evidence is more important than truth, honesty and integrity.
But then I get paid to defend democracy rather than practice it.
SBG.