British Army’s most senior officer: UAV's over JSF?
 

Interesting article on General David Richard's statement.

Richards: UAV's over JSF

CUBE

Not just UAVs, UAVs and Tucanos? Someone needs to have a word in this chap's ear and tell him not to make stupid, ill-informed comments like that in public (no offence intended).

I'll be interested in the Super Tuc's hot and high performance.

"Sorry chaps, no CAS or ISTAR today, can't get the kites up to the heights you need...."

Or are we to waz about a low level inviting all sorts of SAFire.

"Sorry chaps, no CAS or ISTAR today, too many kites getting shot up."

Maybe a little harsh. Just wonder to what extent the good General is air-educated.


I do agree with him on the ticket price though. We could buy with a better business mind, especially if BAe wasn't the only game in town.....

What's the Chinese / Russian for " You got me ! " ?
 

I need hardly mention to readers here ( but will anyway as I'm horrified; could see this sort of thing coming but not to such an extent ) " it is a matter of history that governments & armed forces always prepare for the last / previous war "...

Short sighted, parochial and badly informed. Aligning our forces to cope with our current set of circumstances and arrogantly assuming all future wars will be fought this way is beyond the pale. His disdain for the RN in particular is quite disturbing considering we're an island nation. The world is a dangerous place- we need to be both multirole and flexible across all 3 services. The seeds he is considering sowing could have rather unpleasant outcomes in 25yrs time.....
Has the General considered a career as a politician?

Double Zero,

What threat do China or Russia pose to the UK?

None.

Russia, with an economy in worse shape than ours and most of its wealthy citizens domiciled in London, has a primary defence strategy of defending its interests with its strategic nuclear forces. No matter how huge a fleet of Frigates and submarines you have, or endless squadrons of Typhoons and Lightnings you have, you are not going to stop an ICBM strike with them.

China is the most populous nation on the planet and is the current low cost manufacturing home for the western world. Is it going to attack its principal trading partners.

The only other nation that is not down sizing its armed forces drastically is India. China and India share a substantial land border and do not exactly see eye to eye.

Gotcha?

You go figure.

Despair!
 

Have we really become so short sighted over the last 9 years?

Yes, we do need more troops on the ground as well as the kit and support infrastructure to give those troops the very best protection & capability that we can and if that means more ISR and Counter issues then yes - give it to them. The government (of the day) needs to fund its political crusades appropriately and not just dabble (without funding) at trying to be a world player.

However, when 'the war' is eventually over and the next regional conflict erupts could we do anything without major coalition support? I would suggest that we couldn't now and certainly not in the future when this years PR is announced followed by the post election SDR and further cuts.

We still need to have an indigenous initial entry capability so that we can dominate and control the airspace and sea lanes in order to get those boots back in to any new theatre.

We all know the country is broke but there are plenty of countries with some major R&D programs running. It would be unwise to suggest, as some have, that because some countries are 'friendly' at the moment that they will continue to be so in 15-20 years time. I would envisage the drain on the worlds natural resources giving grounds for some to take action (oil field in the South Atlantic anyone?).

Somebody, somewhere please look at and fund for now but do not forget about looking towards the future. Didn't the same sort of narrow minded thing happen in the 20's and 30's!

SA

Pr00ne,

Most socialists are thick but you really push it. China not a threat?

What happens when they turn from a nation of producers into a nation of consumers?

Why are the US getting seriously concerned about China's build-up in blue-water navy capability?

Why has the price of Copper, platinum and steel shot through the roof at a time of record low demand and shipping? Couldn't have anything to do with China stockpiling commodities could it?

With the global currency surplus held by china, they could sink the western world overnight by dumping the Dollar. There is evidence to suggest that they are already doing this, slow time, hence the increase in commodities values. What happens when Chinas energy consumption puts severe pressure on what the western world considers affordable?

Germany was considered a non-threat post WW2. Chinas day as a world hegemony is coming. It may not be with us yet, but it is coming, mark my words.

Vin,

if China is the threat you would have us believe, then even tripling our current forces to repel them, would be like a mosquito trying to hump an elephant.

I'd have a lot more time for the **** if he put his money where his mouth is and immediately sold all his main battle tanks as they are currently useless in this time of asymetric warfare.

Actually I think Dannatt came up with the idea of making the tankers walk.

quote "I'd have a lot more time for the **** if he put his money where his mouth is and immediately sold all his main battle tanks as they are currently useless in this time of asymetric warfare."

Or his GMLRS & Air Defence artillery regiments; supporting REME units, Port regiments (well, if there is no need for a navy, surely no need for this?)

We need it all, just can no longer afford it all - so something will have to give.

Here we go again
 

What really concerns me is the fact we once more have our military leaders taking pot shots at each other in full view of the public (or at least thats how it is perceived in this household). For all us sold the dream of "jointery" to once more see single service chiefs using the media to further their single service hobby horses to me is just plain wrong. We all have views on what forces could look like in the future and I am sure some of us will be proved right or wrong when the next unexpected conflict comes along, be it low intensity, high intensity or a hybrid (my favourite word of the moment). The General may be proved right; however, I very much doubt it for reasons already better said than I could on previous posts. However, the point is there is a real opportunity for the three service chiefs (teamwork anyone?) to get together, have some good solid academic debate (not headline grabbing soundbites) and come up with solid unified arguements to defend the total defence pot against the other demands on Government expenditure.

The future role of the UK and the military within it needs some serious debate, we all know that. But using the tactic of "he who shouts loudest" is in no ones interest.

The Chinese have a saying (more a curse than a saying): "May you live in interesting times."

I know it's unlikely, but imagine how "interesting" it would get for the UK in its current Defence situation (or even moreseo, its Defence situation in five years time) if someone at the top in Argentina decided that now (or then), while the (ever shrinking) UK Defence Forces are pretty stretched elsewhere, would be a really good time to reclaim the Malvinas?

Would I be wrong in thinking that the most likely outcome would be:

(a) (like the last time), they'd take them, (if perhaps at a greater cost in men and materials), and

(b) there'd be no way in the world the UK would have the wherewithal to take them back and Mr Brown (or who whoever is in his chair in five years time) would be forced to accept a rather embarrassing backdown and a search for some face-saving way of saying: "They're yours."?

MTOW,

For goodness sake get real! Take a look at the ruinous state of the Argentine economy and the parlous state of the Argentinian armed forces..........

Vin Rouge,

Take a look at where China is situated and its size. Why on earth SHOULDN'T it have a blue water Navy?

India, Japan and the US provide the counter to Chinese ambitions. If those ambitions become at all imperial or expansionist then the cracks in the bloated Chinese state and it's dictatorial status will provide far more of a deterrent than the UK having three more Typhoon squadrons or four more frigates.......

Falklands
 

MTOW,

i can see your point but the Falklands are defended rather better now than they were in 1982! I think it would be a lot harder to take them over. Provided MPA stayed open, getting re-inforcements in there would not take too long. Agree it would be messy, but the scenario would be very different from last time.

Also, would Argentina try it again? I know the odd politician there sabre-rattles every now and again, but do they seriously have the will to do it?

WF

MTOW,

For goodness sake get real! Take a look at the ruinous state of the Argentine economy and the parlous state of the Argentinian armed forces..........

Perhaps staking a claim on the FI/Malvinas would raise national pride and identity for a government who face losing a future election, it wouldnt be the first time.

I suspect MTOW was more attempting to point out the state of the already stretched UK armed forces (and economy?) today compared to 1982 and whether the UK could (or has the political will to?) mount another invasion force with the capability of retaking (say) the Falklands.

I think it would involve a major "stretch", to put it mildly.

"When the war is eventually over...."

So, how long do you think this war will go on for? The reality is that we have developed into a one trick pony and, for now, that pony does the wrong trick. CGS has to say what he is saying. I flew him once on a short trip to the City. As far as senior Army officers are concerned, he was the most balanced, intelligent and down-to-earth chap I have ever had the pleasure of flying.

Sorry, more inclined to give credence to MTOW in this case. The islands are better defended than what they were in 82, but not well enough. Too much has been thinned out.

All they would have to do is take MPA. Once they've done that, we are royally screwed. I really wouldnt be surprised to see them having another go in the next 5 years.

CORPORATE was a damn close run thing last time. Theres no way we could do it again now, not a chance. Not to mention the lack of political will. We'd end up giving the islands back to the Argentinians.