Perhaps Gen Richards is on to something. How about instead of buying Tucanos the UK buys ex Argentinian Air Force FMA IA 58 Pucaras which seem to be of similiar calibre in the COIN/CAS role as the Tucano? That way we get some nice cheap propeller aircraft to send to Southern Asia while Argentina can spend the money on updating its airforce with modern Russian built jets just as their friend Hugo Chavez has done in Venezuela
Mischief aside, I think the UK should retain a balanced military force and not simply become a Division of the US Army. That will entail either increasing the defence budget or reducing commitiment in Afghanistan so that we can properly equip the troops that are in the theatre. Halving the number of deployed soldiers would still leave us with more troops on the ground than the next largest contributor Germany.