That was a long read to get to here.
I wonder what the forums would have looked like when the RNZAF decided to get rid of any fast jets at all, had the internet existed in its current form then! At least the UK still has air defence and ground attack fast jets. If a large power decided they needed a convenient small staging post with lots of fertile land on the way to mythical mineral reserves near Antarctica, then NZ would be looking very nervous.
As many have said, in an ideal world none of this year's cuts would have been made. The reality is that the UK has overspent and if we have any hope of surviving as a relatively wealthy, secure nation in the Asian century, then the budget has to be tackled now. With any luck, the middle-eastern campaigns of the last ten years will be our last major overseas efforts.
I only hope we are left with a military at the end which can defend the UK as required, on land, sea and in the air and which is known as one of the finest in the world. The empire has gone and with it the need for large, expeditionary forces. I believe the future plans of the military should relate only to the defence of Britain, its shores and the immediate sea lanes, i.e. the Atlantic in partnership with the USA.