Hmm. All sounds strangely like the rumoured September cuts, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. There was a dining-in night at a secret base in Northumberland earlier this year (I think SirToppamHat was there too) where AOC 3 Gp was warning us to be prepared for "hard times ahead". It's not the last time people have heard this line from Their Airships. I do get the feeling we're going to feel the axe again soon.
Our problem is a weak-minded PM beholden to someone who he may or may not have made a promise to, and not having the guts to do what is right instead of what is easy. Right - tell the Chancellor to pi$$ off, since he should not dictate Defence Policy. Easy - let the Treasury steamroller over the MoD, cutting jobs, ac, ships, tanks, bases, support, infrastructure, training areas, catering, capability, budgets, etc etc etc, willy nilly so that it can shovel piles of money into the Health Budget Vortex. What a sick betrayal of the taxpayer.