Originally Posted by cazatou
JAJ is correct - WEBF hijacked the Thread!!
Did I? I thought this thread was about the Harrier, the SDSR decision to withdraw it from service, and the consequences (both in terms of capabilities and skills being lost). How can talking about the original thread subject be considered hijacking? Perhaps I was mistaken?
Perhaps the First Sea Lord was mistaken when he spoke to the Defence Committee in the House of Commons, and told them that the loss of the CVS/Harrier capability was his top concern regarding the SDSR? Or perhaps not?
Defence community rejects UK strategy
The defence and security thinktank's 2011 survey showed that 59 per cent of respondents felt the UK's strategy was "not appropriate" to deal with the geopolitical challenges the UK faces. Less than a third of respondents agreed that the strategy was suitable.
The government has hailed the success of operations in Libya as proof that the strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) were working, but 74 per cent of respondents to the RUSI survey disagreed, with just 12 per cent of those asked supporting the government's argument.
Also, more than two thirds of respondents, 68 per cent, said that the need for carrier strike capability had become "more apparent" since last year's Strategic Defence and Security Review.
Of the 1,543 members of the defence community questioned in late October, 58 per cent said the UK should invest more in the ability to conduct operations independently, even if this meant a reduction in the size of deployable forces.