Militarily at this level we are a busted flush.
Its going to get worse and worse. Next year, regardless of who gets the keys to numbers 10 and 11, more hard facts/hurdles have to be faced....likely the defence budget will be squeezed more, sighted as it is on my tax summary between National debt interest and Criminal justice (whatever that is), I mean it spells it our clearly. No money for it.
The carriers seemed to have been hatched out a very long time ago now. Probably wasn't a good idea at the time and seems even less and less now.
To me, it shows just how far away from practical reality the politicians, planners and senior officers who don't effectively manage these projects actually are. No effective scoping for it.
I'm trying to now imagine what the average person looks like, from the air teams I worked with in the 80's 90's and noughties. We are all middle aged/old/dead/gone....no longer in service.
That hard core that hung on and on for this are now gone. Have to start from scratch, and the facilities haven't kept up either. No manpower or training scoped for it.
And no aircraft either.
You cant do this sort of operation on the cheap. The country cant afford it anyway. Looks increasingly now like a vanity mirror.