Perhaps you would rather the deployment was postponed until 2023 or 2024, when we are scheduled to have the capability to embark two squadrons of F35B on board, That is, if the RAF agree to properly support the deployment. In itself, another Press disaster in the making. I bet the press will complai...

26 UK Aircraft
18 US Aircraft

From what point of the compass is there a negative press in that?

Tempest414 wrote: 24- F-35 12 - Merlin ( 9 ASW & 4 AEW ) 2 Chinook More likely to be 28 - F35 14 - Merlin ( 9 ASW & 5 AEW ) and just maybe 2 - MV22 Chinooks not likely to be aboard with an F35 load out of that sort of scale (unless our Chinooks gain powered folding rotor blades by then) and...

SW1 Wrote How has the fingers in the ears, head in the sand we want more money campaign gone for defence these past 40 years. You tell me! You are tthe one who is saying that enough is being spent on defence, or do you think that it is it more than enough? Just because at first you don't succeed, it...

Carribean Wrote

Maybe they are planning to cancel HS2. That would save a great deal of money

I think that it would be more appropriate to put it thus:-
This would avoid wasting a great deal of money, some of which should be invested in Defence.

SW1 We cannot spend any more on Submarines?!?!?!. Talk about defence (and sub-surface) blindness!!! We don't' have enough of anything, in any category of "Defence". If the major conventional threat to us is the submarine, we need the most effective weapons (in sufficient quantity) to defen...

Human Nature ........ Officers want upward progression, Senior Officers (Who come into contact with Politicians) are Human as well. They want to impress their political masters and progress to the very top of the tree. If a politician perceives some Officers to be negative, they are unlikely to find...

Better than Grape Shot.

Not to mention the OPVs

We already do, it is known by his alternative title "The Iron Duke"

The clue is in the uk aircraft type designation

50 years is a long time and they were always intended to carry UAVs. A problem may have been introduced by the decision to go for STOVL configuration and the lack of a suitable STOVL UAV. If the EMCAT project were to be re-activated and development continued, perhaps we might be able to get a full s...

Guardia Civil Patrol Boat would make a lively target for gunnery practice, but would be overwhelmed by the subsurface launch of a trident missile. Just imagine, it might be deflected out of the vertical and land on something that it was not intended to. Racdioactive Paella anyone?

Got to have the gun to deter Spanish incursions into Gibraltar's territorial waters, where the use of a missile would clearly be inappropriate.

Begs the question ...... How reliable would our Spanish NATO allies be in a crisis?

Perhaps they are all employed (or were once employed) by the MoD. Not wishing to insult anyone on here, but it is just NOT good enough.

If there has been a delay and their is a good reason for it, then that would be understandable. However, if you miss the target date and then don't mention either that the date was achieved, or a reason for any actual delay then the lasting impression is that there is no urgency, so it does not the ...

Just over a month to go I would say.

If you say that you are going to do something (achieve a critical timescale) then you damn well make sure that you tell EVERYONE that you have achieved it, or the malaise of "It does not matter, it's only" can set in for other things as well. It is ALL important and it is part of being dis...

A Good catalogue of what is currently wrong with our UK Defence! However, cutting commitments will not solve the problems faced by NATO, which has also recognised the need to be able to conduct "Out of Area" Operations. It will create other problems instead. We cannot expect the US to make...

So I take it that HMS QE gong out on Sea Trials happened at an earlier date than it actually did. Please don't spoil the often good points that you make, by talking tosh and then attempting to justify yourself by trying (and failing) to make a science of it.

If we cannot be bothered to publicise our own critical achievements in a timely fashion, someone may feel justified in thinking that we are behind in other things as well. Undermanned, Under-equipped, Underfunded. Perhaps Unready! I note that the MOD did not even claim that IOC (Land) had been achie...

There used to be an Under Secretary of State for each service, with each service head having direct access to the PM. That was infinitely better than the current arrangement which was initiated by "Dave", who really did not seem to care about "defence" at all.

Maybe not even half full. Do not be downhearted, recognise where we are and fight/lobby/argue for what we all know we really need. If, as a result of our combined efforts we retain what is there that is something. If there is a increase (even a small one) that will be a victory, but just one of the ...

Our potential enemies will have been taking notes, it is just not good enough. they knew IOC (land) was coming and should have been prepared for it. If the Civil,Service media teams can not do the job required (or will not) then their services should be dispensed with immediately.