Nevermind the spelling/font/colour - why did you dismiss all of Vice Admiral Blackham's comments as rhetoric? Do you not think that when retired RN bods speak of the process of getting CVF into service as being made much harder by a ten year gap. they might have a point (along
these lines)?
As for Libya: is NATO blinking first? The author of
this article from Reuters seems to think so:
"The elephant in the room is the imminent departure of the French carrier, given it has been flying 30-40 percent of all NATO strike sorties," said Tim Ripley, of Jane's Defense Weekly.
"It's a looming problem, so sustaining this operation, particularly if it's going to grind past September or October, is going to be a problem."
In the absence of other allies coming forward with strike aircraft that could be flown from land bases -- which would necessitate a fleet of refueling tankers only the United States could provide -- one radical solution would be for Britain to redeploy decommissioned Harrier aircraft to its carrier HMS Illustrious, which was designated for conversion into a helicopter ship in Britain's defense review.
However, even if such a tricky political decision were taken by British Prime Minister David Cameron, it would be up to four months before the ship was ready for action, Ripley said.
A senior NATO commander conceded the extent of the worry on Tuesday. French General Stephane Abrial said the Libyan crisis had come as "a surprise" and if it were to last a long time "the resources issue will become critical."
Even the
Guardian gets it:
Defence review: a foresight saga
Consider Libya. The evacuation of UK citizens relied on a frigate that was due to be scrapped. The government was forced to extend the life of two Nimrods despite repeated assurances that such surveillance capability was unnecessary. Operations have involved Tornado jets, whose numbers are set to be reduced. France has a carrier off the coast of Libya, ours is on sale online. Contradicting the defence secretary, the head of the navy has said that deploying a carrier in Libya would have made the operation more reactive and cheaper.
The defence review did not plan for two missions exceeding six months. As service chiefs have warned, if Libya lasts beyond September, capabilities may have to be redeployed from standing commitments. All this as we prepare for another, perhaps sharper, round of cuts.
And...
A full assessment of the impact of the Arab spring on UK security, the resultant threats we face, our response at home and abroad and the capabilities required should form a new chapter to the defence review. This is not about looking backwards, but about turning hindsight into foresight.
If the crisis in Libya had happened before the SDSR, would the outcomes have been the same? Is the refusal to look at SDSR again compatible with the desire to make MOD more responsive? Ever heard of the OODA cycle?
On a more positive note, HMS
Liverpool has once again
used her 4.5 inch gun sucessfully.