UK - More defence cuts
 

This morning's "Times" has the following immediate cuts - all budget driven to cover a £2 Bn a year "hole" in spending

Minehunters down from 15 to 13
Armoured training exercises in Canda down from 4 to 3 per year
Infantry training in Kenya down from 5 to 3 per year

This will save only £20 mm a year

12 Lynxes of 657 AAC used for Special Forces to be scrapped

Cabinet Office review currently looking at reducing F-35 deliveries by 2025 from 48 to 38 but as usual they claim "total purchase will remain unchanged".

This is the first stage in the well known path to "a maximum of .." then "Up to...." " then "buy x defer y" followed by "actually we can get by on 75|% of x".

Does anyone ever wonder if the MOD was vaccinated with a gramophone needle? Exactly the same old s**t every time....

If so, I hope it was a very blunt needle in the backside!

Consequences of buying in $ with the pound at a historic low level?

Consequence of being the only budget of any size where cuts can be made without howls of outrage from the masses.

I'm surprised that they are still going ahead with the AH64E purchase when the current AH64D fleet is by no means worn out.

Scrap the Wildcat and junk JHC - that would save millions and make everyone else in the helo world very happy.

The decision to scrap 657 Sqn is stupid and also old news.

Vendee
It's VERY worn out.....there's also the legacy issue....I won't bore you.

The exchange rate may be an immediate factor, but I think the simple fact is that despite the spending increase that politicians will happily remind us all about, the increase comes on the back of how many years worth of decreases and an overall budget that is insufficient to meet the UK's political aspirations. Dress it up how you like, but governments of all hues have underinvested and overstretched Defence terribly since the Wall came down and the fallacy of their peace dividend was revealed.

But if BREXIT goes badly, watch the exchange rate tank even further and this will not likely be the last immediate cut.

In other words, consequence of Brexit.

No 'if', it's already started as evidenced by this topic.

Melmoth - agreed, all those leavers who seem to think it hasn't been as bad as warned haven't seen the half of it. We are tying up all the parlimentary time and effort with brexit at the very time we should be sorting the country out, the economy is tanking, we still have austerity to deal with.

What a stupid time to tear ourselves away from Europe - especially since the immigration issues aren't going to change and we are adopting all the European laws into British law - what on earth is it going to achieve?

If we are to leave the EU (& we are) it is obvious that at least we start with a set of laws. We obviously cannot re-write all 3985 EU laws in a few days. So this is something to start with which can be changed later. That is what it is going to achieve.

It will save the Conservative Party and that is all that matters.

"we still have austerity to deal with"

We chose not to by re-electing the Conservatives but with a much reduced majority. Continued austerity and efficiency measures rather than tax increases is the Policy pending Brexit unless we have another Referendum or Election.

With the two major Party's as divided as ever on the question of Europe, who knows what the next few years will bring. If we decided to change our mind and stay in, would the EU allow us to continue with all our opt outs and outside the Euro. I suspect not. It's a story that just runs and runs as it has done since 1973!

I suspect not too. In fact, long term and assuming the EU survives, I think Sterling's future is bleak. The inevitable bid for re-entry when the current demographics and psephology shifts in favour of Remainers will see adoption of the Euro as a pre-condition. Unless we can mimic the Swedish approach to defence provision and sustainment and do more in house, then start to think about paying for the successor to F35 in Euros.

I beg to differ. I work on them daily. The airframes are in relatively good condition and they have fairly low airframe hours. They don't actually fly a lot these days.

Crab - agreed, not sure it's that old news though!? Certainly in the public domain anyway...

Was particularly interested to hear that Puma will cover the role when they can't even support Kenya (and the Army pays through the nose for them)...

Melchett: Psephology, I had to look that up, must try to drop it in to conversation.

Politely - yes it has been common knowledge in AAC circles for a few weeks.

I believe the Puma serviceability has been rather poor so no wonder they can't support the Army. Back to the 212s then:ok:

I get that Vendee, but they are tired, the RTM engines may have top of the tree once, but are now regarded as old tech. If you work on them, then you'll know, 1553 databuses are ancient, as are the WP's and SP's etc. The D is now superseded, if we keep going there will be no spares. The techs do an amazing job, but a lynx it ain't. Replacing a T6 gauge? Nope. Spares in the stores? Well i can assure you there isn't an abundance.
So I'm afraid I'll disagree, they are tired, as is the spares chain, the training pipeline.....etc.

Oh Gawd! The Remoaners are out in farce today.
In my lifetime the £ has varied from $4 to $1 so I'm pretty sanguine about it's future and, in the meantime, exports and the tourist trade are doing well.

Leaving the corrupt EU restores control of our fisheries, farming and immigration to Parliament.
The bogus argument that we are retaining EU laws fails to acknowledge that they can be altered at leisure. Contrary to Remoaner propaganda, immigration from outside the EU IS affected. For instance, deportees will, no longer, be able to take their case to the ECHR.

It seems to me that the multiple, mostly unelected, EU bodies are really worried about the loss of the UK contribution to their unaudited coffers. Juncker, the President of the EC, was PM of a country with half the population of Birmingham. You really couldn't make it up.

Of course it will take years to restore our great country to its former success and sovereignty but it will be worth it.

As for 'austerity' and social security money which could go to the mil; perhaps we should take a hard look at our 'could work, won't work' people and stop their tap. As my Scottish grandmother used to say: "Maun dae's a guid master." ('Must do' is a desirable discipline).