N_a_B,
Your questions are spot on - what are the capabilities that we want to have worldwide post-HERRICK? The problem is that I've not seen anyone suggesting an answer including the cash to fund it - and until they do, it's all posturing.
However, this isn't exclusively a political problem ! The MoD - civil service and military - need to accept that SDR wasn't funded (as was said at the time if anyone read the small print), and that we're fighting a sizeable conflict in Afghanistan (so much for Dr Reid's "no bullets to be fired" speech) and that winning there at supporting those doing the fighting is the only game in town at the moment - and that without extra cash, some big toys will have to go - reprofiling is expensive and only puts things off.
Not easy. Not nice. But essential.
S41