Increased Defence Budget

[Fox-1]

Had a really strange (temazepam-induced) dream last night that the Govt had announced a radical US-style increase in the defence budget on a wave of support for 'our lads'. Having heard so much about how brave all the boys are, the Govt put it's and the public's money where their rhetoric is and funded them properly for what they asked them to do. I'm my drug-induced haze I seem to remember there being more spares during peace-time, more serviceable jets, better quality training, and less 'well it's a choice between hospitals and tanks you know!' misery.

Money won't solve all our problems but let's hope out Lords and Masters adequately fund what they ask 'our brave boys' to do. More kit, more spares, more people, less crappy 'it'll be in service just before it becomes obsolete' contracts.

p.s. anybody got a Korean phrasebook?:(

[farmer giles]

When we win this conflict it will show that increased peace time defence spending will be unnessesary as we will have won. All that is required is a slush fund to cater for situations such as this conflict. In fact there may well be scope to trim peace time training costs. After all there are huge numbers of regular and reserve personnel still not deployed or committed to roulement.

There will be no more peace time money unless an overwhelming enemy is percieved (eg the former USSR).

[Boy_From_Brazil]

With the money spent on chartering Antonov 124's and other misc aircraft, I understand the RAF / MOD could have bought 10 C17's.........it must make sense to the bean-counters.

Farmer Giles....what have you been smoking? Respectfully suggest you stick to mucking out the pigs

[The Gorilla]

Farmer Giles is spot on.

After every conflict since the Falklands War,UK PLC has significantly cut back on it's defence capabilities.

I am convinced the same thing will happen this time.
Bottom line folks.. Where is the money going to come from??

:(

[farmer giles]

The Sunday Times ran an item on Defence cuts last Sunday
( Sorry I don't know how to do the links). It listed a number of projects which look like they will be scraped or reduced significantly eg Reduced Euro fighters, frigates, attack/ hunter submarines, Main Battle Tanks. If this report is accurate it seems a little premature as alternatives are not being presented or are not even at the troop trial stage yet. Another aspect that I feel raises concerns is that we may end up with even more unbalance force structures.

As an example. Challenger 2 tanks not required in such great numbers as we now have Apache. Solution! Demob 42 Challengers. But Apache not fully operational yet and even when they are they form but one piece of the jigsaw. If the weather makes flying no go then where is the heavy anti armour capability coming from ? That said when it is operational it should have a bigger punch over a larger area. But then again the tank is in situ 24/ 7 whilst it takes a number of Apache to achieve the same local coverage.

An example used in the artical to illustrate the type of programs the MoD wants to run is the BOWMAN project. It was used as an example of how new systems made quantum leaps in performance over the systems they replaced. Whilst the system may have worked in GW 2 it is not an example of how to procure equipment. Very much over price, well over time and due to its 'imminent' entry into service for so long was used to supress embaressment at still using CLANSMAN and BATCO into the 21 Century.

In summary it looks like cuts in high cost programs will be made with few alternatives being actively sought. Oh Quell Surprise !

But perhaps the most worrying aspect about the article was not what it did say but what it did not. There was no talk of improving the terms and conditions of these who have to operate all this fancy equipement in difficult circumstances. If the move is to bring more 'smart' equipment onto the battlefield then there will be a need to recruit and RETAIN even higher calibre people into all the services. Current pay and conditions will not achieve this. This change in conditions also needs to cover the onerous task of civilian aid at home when service personnel may have to invoke the fury of friends and relatives whose strikes they are breaking.

[Archimedes]

While the ST story may be true, it seems remarkably similar to the last three 'Defence Cuts Imminent' stories that have been run by that august organ.

IIR, we had a debate over the Typhoon 'cutbacks' the last time they ran this, given that the contract with Eurofaffaboutatgreatexpense GMBh has penalty clauses and the like for cutting down on numbers without agreement of all the partner nations. I have a nasty suspicion that the ST runs a defence cuts story every few months or so on the grounds that their predictions will, eventually, prove true and show what a prescient bunch of chaps they are...