Blighty gets a new big stick

[Clinton Huxley]

Very fucked up priorities there. Cant afford to run something useful like an aircraft carrier but can afford new subs to replace perfectly servicable ones. If I was cynical I might think someone was taking bribes

My point precisely. Especially as the building costs for the new subs will come from the MOD budget and not, as previously, from a separate budget. The subs will eat up about 10% and probably more of the procurement budget for years.

[John_fi_Skye]

Till human voices woke him, and he drowned?

REALLY? Is that what would happen? I didn't realise. Poor guy. How can we save him?

[Hermit]

Anyway, couldn't you just save all that money and ask the French nicely if they'll be your nuclear deterrent?

Joke, right?

I mean, look at the recent French wars. They got kicked out of Algeria in 1962. 400,000 French troops could not prevail over 40,000 guerrilla fighters. Before that the Vietnamese kicked them out of their country by smashing them at Dien Bien Phu. And of course before that there was that war where the strategy was to run, then hide, then surrender and finally to collaborate.

[Clinton Huxley]

Anyway, couldn't you just save all that money and ask the French nicely if they'll be your nuclear deterrent?

Joke, right?

I mean, look at the recent French wars. They got kicked out of Algeria in 1962. 400,000 French troops could not prevail over 40,000 guerrilla fighters. Before that the Vietnamese kicked them out of their country by smashing them at Dien Bien Phu. And of course before that there was that war where the strategy was to run, then hide, then surrender and finally to collaborate.

If London got nuked the French would just shrug. Assuming it wasn't them that had done it.

[klr]

Anyway, couldn't you just save all that money and ask the French nicely if they'll be your nuclear deterrent?

Joke, right?

I mean, look at the recent French wars. They got kicked out of Algeria in 1962. 400,000 French troops could not prevail over 40,000 guerrilla fighters. Before that the Vietnamese kicked them out of their country by smashing them at Dien Bien Phu. And of course before that there was that war where the strategy was to run, then hide, then surrender and finally to collaborate.

If London got nuked the French would just shrug. Assuming it wasn't them that had done it.

No, even then they'd just shrug. C'est la guerre and all that.

Anyway, couldn't you just save all that money and ask the French nicely if they'll be your nuclear deterrent?

Joke, right?

I mean, look at the recent French wars. They got kicked out of Algeria in 1962. 400,000 French troops could not prevail over 40,000 guerrilla fighters. Before that the Vietnamese kicked them out of their country by smashing them at Dien Bien Phu. And of course before that there was that war where the strategy was to run, then hide, then surrender and finally to collaborate.

Yes and no. No because at the political level the French appear to have no qualms or doubts whatsoever about retaining a nuclear deterrent, unlike the UK.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

By 2060 some of those will no doubt be aimed at Wales.

[klr]

By 2060 some of those will no doubt be aimed at Wales.

Nah, they'll just send in the tanks.



... what do you mean, there are no more tanks?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

By 2060 some of those will no doubt be aimed at Wales.

Nah, they'll just send in the tanks.



... what do you mean, there are no more tanks?

Buy 2060 your forces will consist of young ladies in uniform. Selling cookies.

[klr]

By 2060 some of those will no doubt be aimed at Wales.

Nah, they'll just send in the tanks.



... what do you mean, there are no more tanks?

Buy 2060 your forces will consist of young ladies in uniform. Selling cookies.

You mean it isn't already?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy,_Army ... Institutes

[Clinton Huxley]

By 2060 some of those will no doubt be aimed at Wales.

Nah, they'll just send in the tanks.



... what do you mean, there are no more tanks?

Buy 2060 your forces will consist of young ladies in uniform. Selling cookies.

It's the "fewer but more capable" mantra, which ignores the rather obvious flaw that the worlds best ship/tank/aircraft can only be in one place at a time.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

By 2060 some of those will no doubt be aimed at Wales.

Nah, they'll just send in the tanks.



... what do you mean, there are no more tanks?

Buy 2060 your forces will consist of young ladies in uniform. Selling cookies.

It's the "fewer but more capable" mantra, which ignores the rather obvious flaw that the worlds best ship/tank/aircraft can only be in one place at a time.

If I hear "zones of control" one more time. :headbang:

[klr]

By 2060 some of those will no doubt be aimed at Wales.

Nah, they'll just send in the tanks.



... what do you mean, there are no more tanks?

Buy 2060 your forces will consist of young ladies in uniform. Selling cookies.

It's the "fewer but more capable" mantra, which ignores the rather obvious flaw that the worlds best ship/tank/aircraft can only be in one place at a time.

And when each unit costs an arm, a leg and a few other appendages, "few" means "a lot fewer than we'd originally budgeted for".

Speaking of which, the word on the street is that the JSF program is likely to be axed by the US at the end of this year, once the elections are all over. "Back to the (aircraft carrier) drawing board ..."

[Clinton Huxley]

Hey ho. Maybe we could buy back those Harriers.....

[Svartalf]

Reports today that the first £350 million of contracts has gone out for preparatory design work for the replacement for the Vanguard ICBM subs, despite there being no official decision to replace them. Apparently, this will ensure that Blighty retains the ability to destroy Moscow, Peking or Paris until at least 2060.

Can't spare one frigate to do anti-piracy patrols but have cash to blow on another irrelevant war-whale. Excellent!

Destroy Paris? unless you intend to use ultra short range ordnance and send a pocket sub up the Seine to deliver it... wouldn't a modern missile (or maybe even artillery) battery around the Kentish coast be quite adequate for the job?

[Svartalf]

We have an empire to protect after all!

..er..

I didn't see no mushrooms above Peking when the Yellow Peril invaded the Crown Colony, 15 years ago.