WEBF,
With reference to Admiral West's point, he was being disingenuous. With the present SHAR force the Royal Navy would already be unable to conduct a major operation against an opponent with a significant air force. They would be overwhelmed in any significant attack by sheer numbers. They might inflict some losses, but it would be a Pyrrhic victory.
With regards to operations in the Adriatic and the Gulf, there were more than sufficient AD forces available both from land bases and the USN. And I hardly think Sierra Leone provided an AD threat.
I am afraid that, since the Falklands, there hasn't been an operation where the SHAR has been militarily required, rather than being deployed to justify it's own existence.
That doesn't mean that there aren't any scenarios in which it's unique capabilities would not be required. Just that they are far rarer than you claim, and not considered sufficiently likely to justify diverting funding from other programmes.
Last edited by ORAC; 18th Aug 2003 at 17:45.