I still do not get it.....
HMG can do a U turn on forests and the NHS, and yet in direct contradiction to what the Prime Minister said during the SDSR (paraphased as 'the UK should reduce its commitments around the world and live within its means) then how can we continue with these cuts with our Prime Minister still getting involved in world events (in real terms I see UK Defence commitments and contingency planning increasing post SDSR - not reducing).
It did not take the brains of an Arch Bishop to forecast that global NEOs, civil unrest, disaster relief etc etc were all going to happen in the next 5 years.
Although I have always agreed that our leadership is by far superior to the other 2 services (they have conducted some extremely clever staff work in the last 5 years) I still am not slapping CAS on the back for a job well done.
We either live with in our (military) means and put into real practice the 8% budget cut and due to this funding/resource reduction make a compensatory reduction in commitments, or we continuing funding of British defence in line with our political masters (voted by the public) aspirations.
HMG and the British public cannot have it all - either cut defence and step off the world stage or resource and fund it properly.
I would like CAS (and all of the other service chiefs) to unite and get the SDSR reviewed akin to forests and NHS - Force 2020 looks a long way off from where I am sitting in this unstable world.
If it is too politically embarrassing to admit that the SDSR was rushed, then at least get HMT to cough up enough funding to see us through to the next SDSR - and lets start now to conduct a proper job that is not rushed through purely to satisfy the HMT myopic focus on rapidly reducing the national debt at all costs.
Last edited by MaroonMan4; 6th Apr 2011 at 05:28.