More British Defence Cuts Coming Soon?

Various media outlets have recently been reporting that the British Ministry Of Defence will have to make significant additional cuts in the near future.

These cuts will be on top of the significant reductions announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review in October 2010.

The Financial Times reports that there is a shortfall of at least £1,000 Million a year in the defence budget.

Other sources report the shortfall may be as high as £2,000 Million.

It is difficult to know whether these reports are correct given the media's history of inaccuracy on defence matters.

However,if they are correct,there will need to be substantial cuts.

David Cameron personally took the decision to eliminate the United Kingdom's ability to independently conduct combat operations when he chose to cut the Harrier fleet and retain the Tornados.

However,cutting the entire Tornado fleet would have saved a great deal more than cutting the Harriers,according to Lord West of Spithead:

"In terms of cost, if we remove the Tornado force, we would be looking at (saving) about £7.5 billion by 2018.

With the Harriers, we are looking at less than £1 billion."

That additional saving of £6,500 Million over the 7 years to 2018 equates to an average saving of £928 Million a year.

David Cameron's personal decision to retain the Tornado fleet appears to be the direct cause of the latest financial crisis at the Ministry Of Defence.


At least,if there is another financial crisis.

Reversing that decision is still possible.

Not only would that save a great deal of money but it would also restore the United Kingdom's ability to independently conduct war fighting operations.

Without that ability the British armed forces cannot serve the interests of the British taxpayer.

Making them little more than an expensive vanity project.

Another of the Strategic Defence and Security Review's strange omissions was the decision not to cut the obvious overcapacity in the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft project.

These aircraft will cost a minimum of £441 Million a year over the contract's 27 year life from 2008 to 2035,over £497 Million for each of the 24 years the new tankers will be in service from 2011 to 2035 or £627 Million for each of the 19 years of full operating capability from 2016 to 2035.

It is difficult to see any need for more than half of the 14 A330 aircraft provided under this contract.

Had Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft been cut to an appropriate size in October hundreds of millions of pounds a year would have been saved.

Another obvious saving would be to cancel the badly thought out Future Rapid Effects System (F.R.E.S.),or what remains of it.

Not only would this save the British Army from being lumbered with an unsuitable vehicle for the next 50 years but it would also eliminate the damage to the economy caused by buying thousands of millions of pounds worth of foreign made ASCOD armoured vehicles.

A far cheaper option is upgrading the very similar and already in service Warrior vehicles (a direct equivalent of ASCOD).

The British Army could then get a more suitable,less economically damaging and more exportable,domestically designed and built modern armoured personnel carrier at a later date.

A type of vehicle which would be in high demand on the export market but which is not currently available anywhere.

The alternative is being stuck with a sexed up 1990s era infantry fighting vehicle with a flat bottom and hull penetrating torsion bar suspension until 2060.

A new armoured personnel carrier design with shallow vee hull and non hull penetrating suspension,capable of carrying 2 pallets or 8 infantrymen in addition to it's 2 man crew,would allow the British Army to reduce it's frontline vehicle fleet to just 3 major types (light,medium and heavy) in the medium term.

Most importantly,cancelling F.R.E.S. Scout/ASCOD would eliminate the threat to the British Army's security of supply caused by a reliance on foreign countries which are often opposed to British military operations.

Armed forces without security of supply cannot serve the interests of the people who pay for them.

There is no reason for the taxpayer to pay for armed forces which can not serve his best interests.

The Americans had the good sense to kill off the Future Combat Systems vehicles.

Perhaps the current financial situation will save the British Army from Future Rapid Effects System.