Disband the Royal Air Force?
 

In a letter to the Times today a certain Lt. Cmdr. Lester May R.N. advocates the disbandment of the Royal Air Force. His argument is along the lines that, because the R.A.F. was formed from the other two services,then to save money, it would make sense for the air components of the navy and army to take over the R.A.F. assets and do the jobs themselves.:eek:
Any views?
Regards, Den.

Sure, why not? I for one don't need any quantifying evidence to support the argument. I'll be rich soon anyway, I just sent all my details to a Nigerian chap who is going to lodge a gazillion US dollars in my bank account. I'd be surprised if anyone in their right mind would have a problem with this idea. etc

...so continues the eternal debate... and quickest way to wind up anyone wearing light blue...

Now that the liklihood of a proper air war occuring (the occasional foray by the russians into UK airspace but a distraction) has shrunk to almost nil, the RAF will now, in almost every likely scenario, always be acting in support of one of the other two lead services. The only exception really being a response to a 9/11 hijack scenario.

So, to that end, to ameliorate many of the single service integration issues of procedures, IT systems et al, there would be some sense from the operational perspective of giving the toys over to the direct control of the other two services.

Realistically, however, many assets would be equally desirable to both "surviving" services - Air Refuelling, Surveillance, UAV to name a few, offering questionable interoperability advantages, the admin and maintenance would still need to be done and there would no doubt be significant morale and esprit-de-corps erosion through forcing people to change cap badge.

Tuppence worth from me.

Makes sense to me - the bit about the Nigerian chap, bank account and a gazillion US dollars. Pass my details onto him. Now, what was the question.....

Using the scissors, paper, stone model, the Navy is wise to try and undermine the RAF - the former being the most obsolete.

Agree with Dallas. In regards to Armed Forces of the UK, I refer proposers to the Canadian model. Amazingly, it didn't work...

As for bring back the RNAS and RFC, certain founders of the RAF went for the independent Air Force due to the interference / disregard of their Admirials / Generals. Human nature hasn't changed in 100 years. History lesson OVER..

The only change that fits the fisheads ideas is to merge all three services. The Army would no doubt take issue with the Navy having more air power as would the Navy if the Army looked like gaining resources. The way to remove inter-service quibbling is to remove two of the three quibblers!

A joke doing the rounds when the Canadians intergrated their Forces was:-
'Now hear this, now hear this, this is your Colonel speaking'.

A tired old argument, with no fresh slant. I can't really be bothered to bite on this one.
I'll be out the gate, hurling my 1250 behind me as I go as soon as any merge is seriously considered. I suspect, most of the key personnel who fix, fly and understand airpower will be on the move to. It may be a phyrhic victory for the other two services.
Why do the RN keep raising this issue? We all know why, and their case is far less solid. However, fighting amongst ourselves serves only one agenda-Browns.

PS: When did Lt Cdr's stop making the skippers tea and start dictating policy?

What a load of rubbish.

Seems to me that we need to get off this inter-service sniping.

It is bad for morale, bad for defence and makes the treasury look like angels.

The only way to make it work is to work together, thats how we do things the best - WW2, Falklands, GW1, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, GW2 to name but a few.

No one service can be effective on there own and that's it.

As a member of the Senior Service I am bored with this out of date rubbish.

Si

Agreed 100%

We are an embuggerance to the current government, and a cash cow for the UK defence industry. Let's leave the knife fight in a phonebox to the Nu Labour campaign funding team.

How about we just get rid of the Navy?

Gosh we must be getting jaded; no one's come out fighting. Instead everyone seems to be saying "yeah yeah whatevar". Is it because we're bored with 89 year old these arguments or is life so **** in all three services that no one cares what colour their uniform is under all the sand?

And who let him near a pen?

As a serving RAF Officer I think it makes great sense. Why not? it would save millions, would make the Armed Forces more efficient, give greater Operational Capability but above all it would alleviate us all from the sensleless and witless decisions made by the Air Lords...... lets do it.

An own goal
 

Its about time the Senior Service selected Neck/Retract over this issue. All that article did was play right into Labours hands.

I tend to use a keyboard, works better! Ink's a B@@ger to get of the screen.

I refer the honourable gentleman to the answer I gave a few weeks back here.

The very fact he is asking demonstrates ignorance regarding air power, and therefore the reason why we need to retain an independant air service.:ugh:

Regards,
MM

Are Sea Lords any better????

'Fonejacker' on Channel 4 did some funny African scam bank call sketches.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zPGjeAPrLog

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3AITl10lh2A

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CxcS3IiIPVE

How to save money in 3 easy moves:

1. Combine the RAF and the RN and call it the RAF.
2. Combine the RAF and the Army and call it the RAF.
3. Disband the RAF.

Then, to make some real money out of it all, send the savings to that Nigerian chap; he knows a thing or two about making money, I'll vouch.