? Lord God, Free At Last | Main | The sickness unto death ?
August 07, 2010
A man in debt is so far a slave
"Never, never, never," they said.
New Labour has left the UK with a military debt of £72 billion. Something has to give. And it won't be housing and health care for asylum seekers.
The sacrifice? The big boys’ toys – fast jets, tanks, all-singing and dancing warships. Playing in the background is the risk that the way the forces are reconfigured is likely to be inadequate to fight the next war. What if we need to take large swathes of territory to secure food, water and fuel?
A “culturally aware stabilisation battalion” will be useless.
A “culturally aware stabilisation battalion” will be useless.
Even so, ministers and officials plan to scrap large parts of the Armed Forces. And why not? The British Establishment has already surrendered.
All they need now is a caretaker "king" to usher in the new regime. I expect the Emir will make his home at Oxford (the 13,785th most holy place in Islam).
The Services will lose up to 16,000 personnel, hundreds of tanks, scores of fighter jets and half a dozen ships, under detailed proposals passed to The Daily Telegraph.
But the RAF will bear the brunt of the planned cuts. The Air Force will lose 7,000 airmen – almost one sixth of its total staff – and 295 aircraft. The cuts will leave the Force with fewer than 200 fighter planes for the first time since 1914. In addition, the Navy will lose two submarines, three amphibious ships and more than 100 senior officers, along with 2,000 sailors and marines.
The Army faces a 40 per cent cut to its fleet of 9,700 armoured vehicles and the loss of a 5,000-strong brigade of troops.
But the RAF will bear the brunt of the planned cuts. The Air Force will lose 7,000 airmen – almost one sixth of its total staff – and 295 aircraft. The cuts will leave the Force with fewer than 200 fighter planes for the first time since 1914. In addition, the Navy will lose two submarines, three amphibious ships and more than 100 senior officers, along with 2,000 sailors and marines.
The Army faces a 40 per cent cut to its fleet of 9,700 armoured vehicles and the loss of a 5,000-strong brigade of troops.
Posted by Ghost of a flea at August 7, 2010 10:28 AM
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