US General says British Army less than Par?!?!?!?
This is delusional Royal Navy thinking at its best. Your new ship eating itself and needing extensive repairs is precisely the reverse of an actual military capability. Only a fool would claim a positive for the speed at which an unplanned, lengthy and expensive repair is taking place.
Originally Posted by Not_a_boffin
At no point do any of them explain why the UK (or the US for that matter) should front up large land formations of troops in Eastern Europe, when European nations much closer to the threat - particularly Germany - appear unwilling to do so. It's not as if Ivan is showing particular competence in his ground operations is it? that's against an opposition with a fraction of the counter-air and air-to-ground capabilities that NATO would deploy in the first 5 minutes of any Russian push westwards.
There's a very real danger of learning precisely the wrong lessons from this conflict - and Lucas and his ilk are just the people to teach them....
There's a very real danger of learning precisely the wrong lessons from this conflict - and Lucas and his ilk are just the people to teach them....
I don't suppose it helps that we have an ACM who's not exactly banging the table either.......there seemed to be so many missed opportunities when he was in front of the Defence Select Committee.
IIRC in both 1914 and 1939 the French weren't very impressed that the British could only field a couple of divisions in support of their forces. It's all very well saying you have a significant Navy and Air Force (which we did then) but fighting in Europe means infantry on the ground in large numbers.
IIRC in both 1914 and 1939 the French weren't very impressed that the British could only field a couple of divisions in support of their forces. It's all very well saying you have a significant Navy and Air Force (which we did then) but fighting in Europe means infantry on the ground in large numbers.
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Rishi has said “He will do everything needed to defend Britain”
Very reassuring.
….and so it begins.
Apparently, according to Defence Secretary Wallace, we are conduction an urgent review of our posture in the light of recent U.S experiences.
As a first step, an export embargo on Map pins, sewing kits and knitting needles (in fact, anything sharp and pointy) has been applied and will be rigidly enforced, once the enforcers come back to work after their ongoing strike action.
However, the effect of this draconian governmental ban on the U.Ks industrial power base has been assessed as minimal, as everything is imported from China anyway.
Keep calm and carry on, I guess….
Very reassuring.
….and so it begins.
Apparently, according to Defence Secretary Wallace, we are conduction an urgent review of our posture in the light of recent U.S experiences.
As a first step, an export embargo on Map pins, sewing kits and knitting needles (in fact, anything sharp and pointy) has been applied and will be rigidly enforced, once the enforcers come back to work after their ongoing strike action.
However, the effect of this draconian governmental ban on the U.Ks industrial power base has been assessed as minimal, as everything is imported from China anyway.
Keep calm and carry on, I guess….
As Table Media, a German specialist news outlet, has revealed, Nato is so worried about Britain’s military overstretch that it has asked Germany to keep the rotating leadership of the alliance’s new spearhead force, the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), for a further year.
We must provide a 5,000-strong force, ready within two to five days. Crucially, these soldiers may not be committed to any other task. Britain habitually double-counts its military obligations, so that the same troops fulfil multiple, clashing duties. But Nato sees through this. It is shaming that our allies would prefer even the notoriously underpowered Germans to our own armed forces for this vital role.
The Ministry of Defence insists that Britain is ready to fulfil its commitment, though Nato has not denied making the request to Berlin. But all over our military machine, rivets are popping, while “the magical thinking is getting worse”, as Francis Tusa, a defence analyst, tells me.
We must provide a 5,000-strong force, ready within two to five days. Crucially, these soldiers may not be committed to any other task. Britain habitually double-counts its military obligations, so that the same troops fulfil multiple, clashing duties. But Nato sees through this. It is shaming that our allies would prefer even the notoriously underpowered Germans to our own armed forces for this vital role.
The Ministry of Defence insists that Britain is ready to fulfil its commitment, though Nato has not denied making the request to Berlin. But all over our military machine, rivets are popping, while “the magical thinking is getting worse”, as Francis Tusa, a defence analyst, tells me.
That's a proper SoS!
Last edited by Not_a_boffin; 15th Feb 2023 at 09:03. Reason: Put working link in
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Interesting the Challenger 3 design has been signed off, one would have thought they would review parts of it in light of what they are learning from Ukraine re top armour etc
There's no amount of armour you can put on a tank to defeat a top-attack weapon without turning the tank into an immobile pillbox. You use active defences to counter that sort of weapon.
Apparently, according to Defence Secretary Wallace, we are conduction an urgent review of our posture in the light of recent U.S experiences.
As a first step, an export embargo on Map pins, sewing kits and knitting needles (in fact, anything sharp and pointy) has been applied and will be rigidly enforced, once the enforcers come back to work after their ongoing strike action.
However, the effect of this draconian governmental ban on the U.Ks industrial power base has been assessed as minimal, as everything is imported from China anyway.
Keep calm and carry on, I guess….
As a first step, an export embargo on Map pins, sewing kits and knitting needles (in fact, anything sharp and pointy) has been applied and will be rigidly enforced, once the enforcers come back to work after their ongoing strike action.
However, the effect of this draconian governmental ban on the U.Ks industrial power base has been assessed as minimal, as everything is imported from China anyway.
Keep calm and carry on, I guess….
The following users liked this post:
The Germans incidentally late war added steel plates on legs over vunerable areas on the engine decks such as intakes or cooling grills to protect them from aerial attacks, so its nothing new..
We have a commitment to NATO, which could be air or sea. However, when it comes to feeding human lives into a grinder on the ground in Europe, I'd like to see the EU members who have spent sweet FA on defence for decades, feed their youth into the grinder instead. NATO is the best solution, but the EU is no friend, and UK Defence should be postured to the UK, its interests and it's minimum obligation to NATO.
True, but then were these part of the Chally 3 update or already fitted to the Chally 2 and if, not would it not be prudent to look at what is shown to work and modify if needed before they cut steel to allow for it, they may well have jamming for missiles, but for a grenade dropped from above?
The Germans incidentally late war added steel plates on legs over vunerable areas on the engine decks such as intakes or cooling grills to protect them from aerial attacks, so its nothing new..
The Germans incidentally late war added steel plates on legs over vunerable areas on the engine decks such as intakes or cooling grills to protect them from aerial attacks, so its nothing new..
Unless there is a major withdrawal of commitment to NATO the US and Canada, I don't see it as likely. There would be too much duplication of effort and dual commitment of forces to both. While the EU has NATO to defend it, where is the benefit?
You may wish to acquaint yourself with this....
https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eu-s...is-response_en
or this - which doesn't even mention NATO...
https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eu-r...nt-capacity_en
A common sense argument made many times over the last four decades, not least by Maggie. However, that hasn't stopped the EU from trying to advance a parallel organisation to succeed the old WEU.
You may wish to acquaint yourself with this....
https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eu-s...is-response_en
or this - which doesn't even mention NATO...
https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eu-r...nt-capacity_en
You may wish to acquaint yourself with this....
https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eu-s...is-response_en
or this - which doesn't even mention NATO...
https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eu-r...nt-capacity_en
Nooo, never.
I was just showing nothing is new, and that they were worrying about overhead weapons for a long time..
