Dave Angel post, like it.
Two significant comments from Def Sec posted in the Telegraph that I think should be held up to scrutiny so we can establish where the truth ends and the spin starts.
“The single MRA4 aircraft that had been delivered to the RAF was so riddled with flaws it could not pass its flight tests, it was simply unsafe to fly. I am not prepared to put our service personnel into any plane that isn’t safe.”
Clearly nobody would put an aircraft into service that is unsafe to fly, but that is somewhat different than the situation we actually had. The MRA4 was in a phase of the program designed to secure a RTS; a process that it was near to completing. So let’s not spin it in an attempt to make it look like it would never pass and the Govt was simply protecting us from danger.
“We are mitigating the risk incurred by using other capabilities, such as Frigates, Merlin helicopters and Hercules aircraft.”
As Def Sec I sincerely hope he improves his briefing team if he believes the Frigates, Merlins and Hercules will fill this capability gap……..oh of course that is not what he is saying.“Mitigating the risk” is of course the spin in an attempt to hide the fact that the capability gap the Govt has created is the real danger.
And finally; the capability gap in Dr Fox’s own words in Sept 10:
“The deletion of the Nimrod MR4 will limit our ability to deploy maritime forces rapidly into high-threat areas, increase the risk to the Deterrent, compromise maritime CT (counter terrorism), remove long range search and rescue, and delete one element of our Falklands reinforcement plan....Even at this stage we should be looking at the strategic and security implications of our decisions. It would be a great pity if, having championed the cause of our Armed Forces and set up the innovation of the NSC, we simply produced a cuts package. Cuts there will have to be. Coherence, we cannot do without, if there is to be any chance of a credible narrative."
Lets sincerely hope the Telegraph follow his comments (past and present) up with some incisive journalism and dig a little deeper.
MoD Media report on visit to Kinloss by Min AF and minders last week:
SPIN- Min AF and co were really convincing in the defence of the capability gap they are not responsible for.
UNSPUN- Min AF and co lacked any credibility due to the fact that they were clearly pedalling a party line that they either didn’t believe or didn’t understand.
I will let the readers decide which element of the visiting group was responsible for the lack of belief in the spin and an understanding of the capability gap they have created. 
DFM over & out