You chaps who have pointed out that it’s senior Service wallahs that pick the cuts are, of course, right. More precisely, they put forward prioritised “savings” proposals that are supported by “pain and grief” statements. Those “pain and grief” Impact Statements can never be strong or severe enough to deter Ministers from actually taking the savings. The head sheds are in an invidious position; rather like having their breeding gear trapped in a vice and being given a saw for when the workshop is set alight.
Another great Government ploy is to get the Services to squabble amongst themselves. The former CGS is more than qualified to explain that to us. I’m very pleased that the words spoken yesterday by 1SL in Iraq make an important Strategic point without resorting to low cunning. We, on this Site (including me, regrettably) are often guilty of that. Even more regrettably is that outside observers perceive it as that, even when it’s standard banter.
The short line is that the vote gluttons in Westminster took an ill conceived “peace dividend” and nothing on this Earth will make them give any of it back. I lie; there is one thing that could and it’s the voting British Public. They won’t, though, for all the reasons many of you have already said. They support “our boys”, so long as it doesn’t mean digging deeper in their pockets or giving up some “social” benefit.
I do find it interesting that certain Naval mechanical palm tree types find the loss of a functioning MPA so trivial.