SW1 wrote:When the bay is in the Caribbean it conducts maritime security and enforcement, interacts and hosts regional forces and conduct various exercises AS WELL AS disaster relief first response. If dfid has a “hospital” ship there who does all the other stuff? The bay?
If such a vessel is a dfid vessel who crews it? and why would be available UK armed forces in a conflict if it was still doing DFID tasks crewed by DFID people and paid for by DFiD budgets. We would be better off offering training and cooperation in infastructure resilience and engineering with the funds and retain a military regional presence able to offer assistance.
It’s an important defence task offering fwd presence and engagement in the Atlantic and the bay a gd fit.
I accept the bays do more than just HADR in the Caribbean but long term I see these other role taken over by the likes of multi mission sloops.
The crewing of any DFID HADR Vessels would be dependent if the tasks they are asked to by HMG IMO. Like I said above these vessel wouldn’t just be tied to the Caribbean but be more like mobile soft power platforms for the UK in a similar way to how the US uses its hospital ships to project soft power.
In times of conflict like with any UK vessel the RN will use. If in these times the RN can pretty much conscript any UK flagged vessel I’m sure a government owned vessel would be first in line. Funding wise id see the MOD covering the operational cost in these circumstances just how when allowed DFID do with the bays.
One thing we need to think about is that the DFID budget is not only very bloated but also very wasteful, it in effect chucks moneys away just to meet the 0.7% target and this has become poisonous in the public’s eye no matter what soft power it offers. 2 HADR vessels that can offer medical care around the world would offer soft power but also be seen as an acceptable way to spend said money to the public.
If Vessels like Iv describes or dedicated hospital ships were to come out of the RN budget then I’d say no as there are higher priorities, but out of a budget that seems to look for any means to spend its cash then why not ?
Someone tell me why the DFID budget should not fund something like this ? Tell why it’s a waste ? Tell what down sides thered be ?