Given the fighting a real war argument the British armed forces should be equipped from the 1970's-2000's soley for Northern Ireland.
But then we thought and planned long term in all govt departments as the civil service tried to look 15-20 years down the line for capital investments and returns not 1-5 year political cycle and the moving of the civil services cycles to meet political demands will stop effective long term planning and procurment.
sir Humphery in yes prime minister put it beautifuly "Politics is about surviving till Friday afternoon....diplomacy (And defence) is about surviving till the next centuary"