Future Carrier (Including Costs)

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

Originally Posted by petit plateau

Slowly we are creating a federal Europe that is a little more coherent than a loose association of nation states and a little less than a full blown union. Think Southern Confederacy rather than USA. Whilst I'm an Atlantacist I'm also a European and I am perfectly aware that the USA has always had a very clear view of national self-interest (e.g. it wasn't fated that we had to give up Empire - but it was a strategic objective of the Cousins that they successfully pursued over five decades).

That is very true and seldom is it appreciated.

Originally Posted by petit plateau

But thinking about things that we went into as a pan-EU operation then pretty soon you realise that only two countries are going to provide SSN, SSBN, CVF, and MARS and the satellite & comms cover but plenty can provide the lighter naval forces (DD/FF) or a wide range of land air and army capabilities.

That should give us some reassurance and tempt the Government (current or future) to scale down UK force levels in the “hope” that the other Members will fill the gaps. On that basis, the QE Class should be safe but the DD/FFs, OSPs and MCMV/MHs an endangered species. That argument might hold good for any conflict/threat common to the EU States but what if it’s UK only? I really can’t imagine the other States committing money and lives to a UK only interest.

So what are UK only interests? Well, there are the UK Overseas Territories & Crown Dependencies. We have a continuing duty toward those and they aren’t just the convenient, “safe” ones like the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Gib and the Cyprus Sovereign Base. There are also lucrative UK mineral rights, particularly in the South Atlantic. It should be pretty obvious that NATO, say, would be no more use to us in that respect than they were in ’82. Such a commitment would be near impossible without Naval (OK, Maritime in new MoD speak) aviation and totally impossible without a credible balance of other UK Naval capabilities. That is the danger and it shouldn’t be underestimated.