Just reading the Sunday Times from yesterday and there is an article entitled “RAF to be cut by 50% after 2015” and in it says that “attack aircraft are to be cut from a current level of 220 to about 80”. Can this be true? It also says the surface fleet is to be cut from 19 to 14 ships!!!!

There are still around £4bn needed over 4 years to balance the budget up to 2015 so there are definitely more cuts to come. Don’t forget with the cost of Trident renewal falling within the MoD budget and the £38bn blackhole to be sorted, the defence budget was cut by a real figure around 20% rather than the publicised 8%

Having said that the stories in the Times are likely to be ‘nuclear options’ – that is ‘worst case scenarios’ – the MoD will have been made to draw up plans for extra cuts of 5%, then 10% then 15% etc…

Surely that 3,100 number is not the entire German Civil Service/MoD staff?

Hi there,
The aircraft carrier alliance website has a series of webcams but not real time.

For those unaware of it
http://www.1blueharbour.com/aircraft_carrier/rosyth.php

Nice pics too cockneyjock.

so sad to see the difference in the 1990 British Armed Forces and 2011 version….

You’re kind of forgetting 1990 is the end of the cold war and 4.5% defence spending. Peace dividend etc. You will find most countries armed forces nowhere near what they were in terms of numbers.

These aren’t more, they are the same SDSR cuts, part of PR 12. To give them their due the MoD have consistently said that the defence review is an ongoing situation.

Basically they have to get from a point in 2011 to a point in 2020 and this force structure
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/Factsheet5-Future-Force-2020.pdf

SDSR itself says there will be a choice between Illustrious & Ocean and that one of them will go and that there will be a reduction in Tornados. This isn’t new, it’s been in the review since last year.

I know its seen as right to slag the SDSR as being non-strategic and that’s correct, it is money driven. But there are 4 main driving points behind it.

1. Afghanistan is priority
2. Regeneration of forces for 2020 (see factsheet above)
3. Closure of a black hole of some 36bn pounds overspend to get defence spending on a secure footing.
4. Integration of Trident costs into the core MoD budget.

Nobody likes defence cuts but at a time when people are genuinely struggling to cope this…

Cut monies from eleswhere.

Aint going to cut it!

I agree that pilots could be recruited and trained to allow the RN to field 36 F35C but we know that just isn’t going to happen. The talk of three naval air squadrons is pretty much a fantasy, the treasury and MOD will just not allow it. The limited number of airframes will be shared between the RN and RAF and there will be a shared OEU/OCU.

Pretty much what I was getting at, of course Swerves point is also taken that if there was the will to regenerate 3 Sqns of naval pilots it could be done. But it’s moot because we know it won’t.

On another note I am rather bemused by A&P’s progress with the flight deck modules. At this rate we will have the rather perverse situation of having to cut about brand new modules to incorporate the design changes.

http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/business/business-news/heavy_metal_act_is_music_to_yard_1_3368441

Only my opinion given they have decided nothing but that still points to PoW being the CATOBAR carrier.

it looks like the MoD are really regretting cancelling MRA4.

I think thats what we think rather than the MoD. I’m pretty sure they didn’t want to cancel anything but what else gets cut instead?

Defence *should* see an upturn post 2015. No doubt it’s a capability they would like back, infact if they intend to get it post 2015 then it makes sense to keep your hand in.