The '74 list is sad reading indeed when looked at levels today.
Maybe a more intersting question and comparison would be 'When was the UK armed forces as a collective at their most capable'?..
But we did still have over 30 stations more than today - in the UK alone...
Doesn't mean that much if by cutting some stations we gained more capable aircraft... How many Tornados is one Typhoon worth, for instance?
Obviously if you can throw huge numbers at something like the Chinese do, then quality can be dropped slightly as attrition rates will not count for as much (in the eyes of the politicians), but when you're cash strapped as we are in the UK surely cutting bases is better
if (a big
if), the money is spent on superior equipment?
There must be a position somewhere in the middle of sheer numbers and quality of training (which the UK excels at) and equipment that is the optimum mix when talking about capability as a force.