Ungland...
Posted on 11/13/2010 11:58:07 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Head of Navy made last minute plea to save Harriers from scrap-heap
The head of the Navy furiously protested to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, about his last-minute decision to scrap all Britain's carrier aircraft, it can be revealed.
By Andrew Gilligan
The highly-controversial cut to the Harrier force – condemned last week by several former heads of the service as "perverse" and risking "national humiliation" – was decided only three days before the final announcement of the defence review, sources said.
Until then, the plan had been to scrap the RAF's Tornado fleet, the oldest strike aircraft currently in service.
In a tense meeting, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, the First Sea Lord, told Mr Cameron that he "could not endorse as his military advice" the decision to axe the Harriers and considered it a "political, not military decision."
The early retirement of the Harrier force next year will leave Britain without any aircraft to put on its carriers for at least nine years until 2020.
Senior defence sources said much of the £4.7 billion of cuts in the review was only decided in a series of meetings at 10 Downing Street over the weekend of 16/17 October, two to three days before it was announced.
"There was little more than some PowerPoint presentations and Excel spreadsheets for financial planning," said one source. He said the MoD was left "starting from scratch" that weekend on some of the contentious issues.
For the four months of the review until that weekend, the sources said, the plan had been that the Tornado force would be retired.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Don't feel bad, I've made about 30 multipule posts in the past 2-3 months. Slow servers, I guess.
“Say goodbye to the Falklands.”
How could they possibly expect anything else???
That's alright. They've aggressively moved forward and made fundamental changes to their armed forces in the only way that REALLY matters to the progressive-minded: they've made it safe for homosexuals to serve openly.
We're not far behind them.
Harrier Boom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF06XZ3_cww
The UK is leading the way for the destruction of the West with the USA following right behind.
Actually, no we didn't hear it here first. Over the last week there have been several threads on the Harrier retirement. On every one of those threads someone has used the Falklands as a reason for not getting rid of the Harriers. Twenty years ago you'd have been right.
Apparently you're unaware that the Brits built their new RAF base Mount Pleasant on the Falklands and have Eurofighters stationed there. They built enough hangers to expand that presence if the Argentina fools want to play again.
I do agree dumping the Harriers now is a mistake.
Click here to see the green roofed hangers complete with berms.
Nope.
The Falklands is heavily defended by infantry and an antiaircraft battery. There is also ample air and sea defences, both in the area and that which can be sent to the area if necessary.
I utterly oppose the Harrier decision, but the Falklands falling?. No.
We can still defend our territory AND fight as a major military power.
Totally wrong.
Except the Muslims arent taking Britain over.
Which those of us who ARE British keep telling you, but you dont listen.
Dont credit him with good thinking when he is spouting rubbish.
Damn right I was right and you were wrong.
There is also an operating airfield there, something that was missing during the Falklands War.
Ungland...
You always are, A.A. You always are. Glad to have you back again.
< Say goodbye to the Falklands. You heard it here first. >
That was my first thought, too. Argentina has had plenty of time to lick its wounds, rebuild its military, and bide its time.
No way Britain will keep those carriers mothballed for 9 years, they will either scuttle them or turn them into razor blades.
opps! typo the F-35 not 53 :)
Now you’re thinking. With real estate at a premium in Japan (or so I’ve heard) the Harrier’s capabilities would be a plus for home defense as well.
ping
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