31 helicopters to be taken out of service and HMS Albion and Bulwark to be scrapped.
Unbelievable, our two biggest amphibious warships to be scrapped…..these clowns are a joke.

Its NO laughing matter, Bet the parliment bunker is well stocked though.

Just thinking, the Argies invaded the Falklands when useless Knott announced cutbacks to the Falkland patrol vessel Endurance……well at least with these two on their way to the razor blade factory we’d be able to do bugger all about it if they decide to invade again.

What happens when RR is thrown under the bus in the next week or so.

The (lack of) numbers of our armed forces - in terms of personnel/tanks/ships/planes - are absolutely shocking.

The Salvation Army could take us to a replay, and probably win on fucking penalties...

The world is becoming more dangerous and we cut back on defence spending and resources - brilliant strategy.

The kit is shit and the money is being kept in defence. The problem we have are the billions wasted on rubbish kit in the past Wars will be fought differently in the future. Look what Ukraine has done to the Russian fleet.Our new aircraft carriers are already obsolete,when they actually work.

The U.K. never thought the world would be in conflict like it is today so it was cut back after cutback as far as defence spending was concerned. Now we are playing catch up and unfortunately new kit just can’t be bought of the shelf, it takes years to design and build aircraft, ships etc and like HS2 and the PPE scandal contractors run rings round the government.

Britannia rules the waves, hardly rule a bathtub nowadays.
Big player on the world stage - my arse!!

Bollocks.

We've cut back because - as a third-world country - we simply can't afford it.

The Argies will take Seaton Carew in a matter of weeks after securing Port fucking Stanley...

Thats actually a good reminder that labour sent our troops into battle with substandard equipment, just like the nurses had substandard PPE for covid.
Seems neither labour or the tories are any good when the shit hits the fan yet the leftwaffe forget about labours failings.

No thats bolloocks,
The U.K. is the 6th largest economy in the world and the 2nd largest in Europe in terms of GDP.

Bollocks, the end of the Cold War was like a toy shop for politicians and all the money could be spent elsewhere on vote winning projects…..my lot were wound up with indecent haste and out of the door with indecent haste ….thank God I’d gone before then.
Never trust the Tory’s on defence.

Glad you said this because I couldn't face another battle (pun intended.) Well yes, beyond the headlines, the detail is that the two boats slated for decommissioning were already unofficially decommissioned under the last government. Instead of wasting money on these obsolete boats, the money will be used elsewhere. Likewise, drones purchased in 2014 are already antiquated so the cost of servicing them is being put into newer technology. Same with the 35 year old helicopters. Actually sounds like someone, somewhere is thinking straight on this occasion and money is better spent elsewhere.

I would agree with people who say that the defence budget needs to be greater though, having shrunk under governments of both colour over decades, until a modest increase at this budget.

Lost me there Snowy.

Just out of interest….the Royal Navy has 8 frigates and 6 destroyers.
When I parted company in 1985, they had 24 destroyers and 48 frigates.
A proportion are always in repair or maintenance, reducing available numbers even further.
Governments have been running the forces down since the Cold War ended and the Tory’s the biggest offenders…. although towards the end of Blair’s time they began selling of fairly new vessels to other country’s.
None of them have a bleedin clue..

Excuse the bollocks.
You don’t cut back, you maintain your strength, cutting back just gives bad people ideas.
No defence….no country.

Indeed. A few months later and we could not have recovered the Islands.

However, the RG's could not invade again. Any airborne attack could not get through CAP (combat air patrol). We have Submarines protecting from sea invasion. Additionally we have an Army battalion in place to repel any forces that got through and we can reinforce within 24 hours. All that said it doesn't stand scrutiny for other places in the world.

With only four Typhoons could they not be swamped by attacks from different directions especially as they have purchased 24 F16’s from the Danes after approval was given by Biden.

We cut back on conventional forces as we had a nuclear deterrent so didn't need so much of a conventional one. Also the plans were to work in a coalition like NATO if we needed to fight conventionally. It was meant to be cheaper for everyone.

Plus a shit load of Falkland Island based air defence missiles.

Luckily we’ll never find out.

for once i,ll be the odd man out on this issue. are our defence numbers lower than the ones of other european countries and they should be looked on as defence force and not an offence one fighting other countries battles.

Defence turns to offence unless you want to lose….same on football.

yes but for years us and the US have seen themselves as the policemen of the world but one could afford it whilst the other could not. seems now we have given up on that but the country must be a world leader in something that we all have to pay for, bloody attempting to stop climate changing.

Those ‘old’ obsolete amphibious ships…don’t be surprised if they get sold abroad….the governments of all persuasions are known for it.

Yes and the reason they're been laid up is probably more to do with crew shortages than the state of the ships.

Do we really need 2 amphibious ships, who are we going to invade, what deterrent do they provide ?

That will be the biggest factor because they are not old in ship terms …don’t believe the bullshit.

Have you been getting your medication mixed up… …it’s part of the overall package of defence options…applying your logic we need no armed forces at all.
You never know what’s around the corner, which is why we have them in the first place.

How would we get troops and equipment to British island territories without amphibious ships? Falklands, Gibraltar, or even the numerous British Isles could in theory be in need of being retaken by UK forces. As an island nation we either need to step back disband our armed forces and declare neutrality or step up and have effective air, sea, and land forces and crucially support. Not only have the front line forces been drastically cut back but we virtually have no British Merchant Fleet to call on for essential back up.

make some good points there. feel the country is split on this issue and this half way house situation we have pleases very few.

The last time the British Isles was invaded was by the vikings, I doubt that will happen again, Gibraltar your having a laugh, the Spanish already control the borders.

Explain Snowy where 2 ancient amphibious ships would be required, they would be blown out of the water with todays modern weapons.

Are you serious, these vessels are not ancient, that’s the bullshit politicians use.
They probably need a re fit but most vessels are in and out of commission continuously …they are capable vessels younger than a lot of vessels in the US Navy…..because naval vessels are built to higher standards…they’re just penny pinching cuts by ignorant politicians of all party’s and the MSM swallows the guff too.
Fact is, they haven’t got the personnel….yet the Ministry defence employs more civilian staff than the Navy and RAF combined…that’s the real waste of money

Comment in yesterday's Daily Telegraph: "Britain’s two amphibious assault ships, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, have been in a sorry state of repair for years." They were both effectively out of commission, and the last Tory government had no plans or schedules for a refit for either vessel.

But Starmer though.

They'll have been laid up for years with just security people looking after them. Ships mothballed properly can be brought back into commission quite quickly and effectively if you do it right. Laid up to save on crewing costs.
Starmers government is the one that's currently sabre rattling while reducing our defence capability regardless of what previous government did or didn't do. Can't blame those awful Tories for every "difficult" decision can they?

The Telegraph said eh.

We either need armed forces capable of defending and if necessary regaining British territories (not just the British Isles) or if not we might as well disband the lot.

Sorry, I'd forgotten that it's a left wing rag that current and former service personnel definitely don't read.

This is the area of ‘Turnbull Creek’. Sent to me by someone who lives at Fox Bay West.

I know 2 people who were in the Falklands....Gary Brackstone. Grew up with him and his family but haven't seen him for years. And a good friend from Norton but now living in Hartlepool who was in the Paras.
And Mr.I.

Sorry too ….but I get my info from people who do it for a living and publications you probably wouldn’t read.

After the conversation we had, that place is a lot more fitting than anything else I could possibly imagine as a tribute to the lad.

Enlighten us on the people and the publications you get your info from Snowy then we can all see where you get your info from.

I can’t begin to imagine with what you’ve printed so far on this topic, theirs little point into trying to ‘educate’ someone on a topic who is so detached from reality.
Why would I reveal personal contacts I’ve had for years plus openly accessible websites you can sniff out yourself if you tried ….because you’ve had your nose put out.
I know because I’ve experienced it and are still in contact with it….you stick to politicians porkies and the MSM dogma .

wonder if people in your boat or in a military family have a different outlook to this question than someone like me who do not know any ex service folk or have a military family connection apart from the ones forced into it with conscription.

My Dad and his brother said they never thought about it..My Dadjoined the Merchant Navy in 1940 on completion of his apprentice ship at Richardsons Westgarth and his brother in 1942 on completion of his apprenticeship at the same place and joined the Royal Navy on torpedo boats in the channel. Never talked about.
My mam’s dad, my Granda, went down in the channel in 1940…again, nothing ever spoken.
The wife’s Granda was killed at the very end of WW1 aged 21, classed as a deserter but actually wounded and German first aiders took him away but he died and was buried by them near their cemetery…and eventually awarded the Military Medal.
Again nowt said.

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