As has been said before, Uk Armed Forces plc has enough enemies as it is. There are enough people outside the services against us getting these carriers (the bean counters!) without the service men arguing about it as well!
Wouldn't you all like to see a big ass carrier sailing down the channel with the navy ensign/union jack etc flying from her masts?!
It would give us an increase in our expeditionary capability - which we all know is the name of the game nowadays - and if the government are thinking about giving us them, then lets all get on the band wagon and dam well support it!
I would love to see 2 CV with CTOL F35 and Hawkeye 2000 - but I doubt very much that the bean counters will give us the (comparitively) extra little cash to realise that pipe dream. But a CV with STOVL F35, realistically speaking a Merlin solution for MASC, and regular embarkation of apaches/chinooks/junglies etc - brilliant!
The navy deserve them, and RN will never be the same if the govt let em down and cancel CVF - too many sacrifices made already!
Although I agree with those of us who would like to see more C17 and/or a bigger fleet of tankers, acquiring these aren't an alternative to CVF thats on the table! On the contrary, if CVF is cancelled, we won't have the savings made to pump back into the defence budget. The cash will disappear (probably to education or the Olympics!) and we will all be worse off.
As for the earlier comment: 'who do you think we will be fighting against in the future'...... are you being serious?! If we knew that then life would be alot easier! However, the world being completely unpredictable as it is, and until you can tell me which station's stores are issueing crystal balls, getting two extremely flexible, mobile, powerful and capable power projecting assets is probably the best way to equip ourselves in order to deal with whoever we will be fighting against in the future!
Cheers