Originally Posted by
Jackonicko
And in an era where the air threat is negligible, and where we can rely on land based and allied assets for air cover.....
To disect above - first comment probably true for the time being as long as we stay pretty much where we are at the moment in op terms and take on no-one else (but not sure the appetite for intervention has fully gone away yet from parts of SW1A). As to the second bit, allied help 'yes' but 'land based' is a lot more problematic when people are concerned about what provision of bases does in terms of attracting the 'small but highly organised and definitely ill intentioned' into their back yard - the General's recent remarks about 'presence inciting the problem' doesn't just refer to the 'brown jobs'. Everyone conveniently forgets 2002 when the pointy end of the aviation world played no part in our ops as no-one would give us a base to play from, albeit the blunt types did a cracking job. The US did all their 'small and fast' from sea for the same reason - aided, lest we forget, by the French who did the same (funny how best mates one year turned into detestation the next - fickle lot!). Hence the utility of a mobile DOB that means we can do what we like. where we like if our chums are 'unwilling' to assist at the outset.