Further Erosion For Royal Navy ASW Capabilities

When the MPs start talking, it is never a good thing for the military of the United Kingdom. The Financial Times has an interesting report on the condition of funding military operations.

Britain's armed forces are unlikely to be able to take on fresh operations because of their commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, a parliamentary inquiry will warn today.

The Ministry of Defence acknowledged at the end of last year it was unlikely to meet one of its official targets, to be able to provide troops capable of responding to the full range of potential contingent operations, says the report from the influential Commons defence committee.

The real point though is that the MoD is underfunded, but they don't mention that little detail, instead the focus is that cost increases on platforms has created a £2 billion increase in major programs, and as the Guardian points out, the programs being looked at for cuts are programs of the Royal Navy.

The report, by the Commons defence committee, says the cost of ambitious weapons projects continues to rise, while Britain's soldiers and pilots are finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the demands placed on them.

It says the MoD must be "realistic" about what weapons systems it can afford. The problems are compounded by expensive delays in developing Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft, and in the Astute submarines and Type 45 destroyer programmes, which are already estimated to cost more than £2bn more than originally forecast, the report notes.

The choice facing ministers is limited since they have said that decisions to build a new four-boat Trident nuclear missile submarine fleet and two new aircraft carriers will not be overturned.

You see, they have no choice, choices are limited, because the choice to increase the funding for the Royal Navy doesn't even enter as a possibility. The lack of wisdom in government across the pond is incredible. So while Russia, China, and virtually every nation in the world, belligerent or otherwise, is building submarines at one of the fastest rates in human history, the British are looking to cut their top two primary ASW programs; the Astute class submarine and Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft. That makes a lot of sense, you know, considering Great Britain is an island nation already dependent upon imports from the sea, not just for economics but Great Britain is very shortly a net importer of food as well.

The sad part though, there is no bottom to the Royal Navy cuts in sight, the cuts come every year and there is no reason to expect there won't be more next year, or the year after, or every year forever. Expect Putin to praise the social system of European countries like Great Britain in the near future, it is by far the best weapon nations like Russia have in weakening the power of potential rivals in that part of the world.