This is fascinating. An Axis of Arrogance gets us into a serious scrap with n mega tribesmen and, in seemingly no time at all, people stop noticing what Ivan and Charley Chan's doing. At the same time we, or those that ever knew, forget the labyrinthine process that is Defence procurement. Boring stuff like translating a Service requirement into an equipment specification, bidding for funds to cover it, fending off malicious interference from a permanently hostile Treasury, binding contracts and evolving technology requiring "all the running you can do to keep in the same place".
Once we destroy the means of creating the capability and stop training crews to employ it effectively, it will be a very long time before we ever get it back. Are the lessons of the 1920's and the 1970s so easily forgotten? or are we banking on always having our big cousin to provide whatever we need on the big day?
Last year, this week, next month; we do probably have the wrong balance of kit to do the current day-job. Well s**t happens and we need to cover the gap. Not by knocking big holes in the future but by grasping the nettle and putting our collective money and commitment where our politicians' mouths are.
Last edited by GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU; 26th May 2007 at 19:39.
Reason: Echo Suppression