the right equipment?

[wotayottie]

Lots of argument down the forum about the effectiveness of the Navy. There;'s been some in the past about the Army too. And it has me wondering if the real issue is that money is being spent on small quantities of high tech kit to fight a re-run of WW2 when the reality is that we get involved in low tech third world guerilla type encounters where what is needed is numbers of men and lots of the basics.

I can't see any real prospect of a major nation invading the UK. Can't even convince myself that the presemt Russian regime , aggressive and nationalistic thought they are, will roll across the plains of central Europe. So why do we need Trident? Why do we need aircraft carriers? Or the Eurofighter.

But in Afghanistan, the real problem seems to be that we need 100k men not 10k. With basics like lots of helicopters and those model planes that do recce.

What do you think? Are the Admiralty equipping to fight the last war as they have always been accused of doing?

 

[Twister_Ken]

Wota,

You don't understand. Admirals run navies. And Admirals have to have big ships to sit in. You can't put an admiral in a fast patrol craft on anti-piracy duties, he'd look ridiculous.

The same with Air Marshals. Fast jets please, it's so down-market to sit in a bunker flying pissy little model aircraft.

And Generals. An armoured division at least, or it's not worth going up to Whitehall on the 0948 from Haslemere.

 

[BelleSerene]

And Generals... it's not worth going up to Whitehall on the 0948 from Haslemere.

There isn't one. Gen Bloggins' nearest options are 0939 or the faster 1002. (No, I don't use the train and I had to look that up: sad or what?!)

But most Gens who live out of London live further west, as they've put roots down across Salisbury Plain and the like. Never encountered one who lived in Haslemere.

Apart from Belle Serene, an armchair general, perhaps.

 

[Twister_Ken]

The 0936 was delayed 0012 minutes.

 

[BelleSerene]

The 0936 was delayed 0012 minutes.

Indeed so.

I enjoyed your post, BTW.

 

[Sandyman]

Lots of argument down the forum about the effectiveness of the Navy. There;'s been some in the past about the Army too. And it has me wondering if the real issue is that money is being spent on small quantities of high tech kit to fight a re-run of WW2 when the reality is that we get involved in low tech third world guerilla type encounters where what is needed is numbers of men and lots of the basics.

I can't see any real prospect of a major nation invading the UK. Can't even convince myself that the presemt Russian regime , aggressive and nationalistic thought they are, will roll across the plains of central Europe. So why do we need Trident? Why do we need aircraft carriers? Or the Eurofighter.

But in Afghanistan, the real problem seems to be that we need 100k men not 10k. With basics like lots of helicopters and those model planes that do recce.

What do you think? Are the Admiralty equipping to fight the last war as they have always been accused of doing?

Some good points Yottie.

I dont personally believe we need any of them anymore. This Country still thinks it can punch further than its reach and fight with the big boys. We have had our era. Time the politicians came to realise this and stopped wasting tax-payers money on all this **** equipment.
But to do so would probably mean we would find it hard to justify our seat on the Permanent Security Council.

If I remember correctly, the UK is only second to the US in its arms exports.
That being so, how can we ever expect to win wars when the equipment we export is better than that with which we arm our own troops ?