More to come or deja-vu?
News of a career path denied by a change in circumstances is shattering, but it was the inevitable consequence of the “Autumn Review”. Red Line Entry’s contribution reflected the facts: the cost of hardware has escalated in real terms, so the Nation had either to opt to do less with fewer assets, or prioritise military hardware over, say, healthcare and social security. Decisions as those as hard as those faced, and those which have yet to be faced – of more, anon – may have been ameliorated if HMG had not got embroiled in Iraq and Afghanistan. WWII demonstrated that a country cannot fight a war and re-arm, and also have a decent standard of living. MoD have tried to fight and re-arm whilst the man on the Clapham omnibus was more interested in economic well-being. The assumption was that money grew on trees, which we all know to untrue, and it is an indictment on successive Defence Secretaries and military leaders, that they did not recognize and address the issues of funding.
Watch out over the coming months for a “Spring Review” which results in the rationalization and re-organization of Command structures, of cancellation of more hardware (long-range and rotary), and the closure of bases, and the realization dawns that the Army is only a home-based defence force, and the Navy a coastal defence flotilla. My crystal ball is cloudy but I think I can make out the word “The Best Flying Club in the World”, Squadron Leaders commanding Squadrons, Wing Commanders commanding the Defence and Training Wings, reporting to a Group Captain, and the CAS ranked as a Air Commodore. It’s clouding over, but I think I see military aircraft using only three airfields in a flat fertile area ….