Bad news from the RAF

[Alpharatz]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6917297.ece

A little more backup down the tubes

"She didn't believe me" She said "If you are really the Base Commander take that blue reflector belt off and wrap it around your weasel and wave it at me" "So, what'd you do Sir?" " well Sarge, all I had was red"

[Clayton Bigsby]

The Brits - further defense-cutting themselves into irrelevancy. And then they'll complain about not having enough helicopters for Afghanistan.

[contraildash]

Ouch that sucks for the RAF. The US Coast Guard is a larger armed force...

Those guys are stretched super thin as it is (who isn't) but cutting 1/4 of the force is just nuts!!! Sorry mates...good luck.

[DirkDiggler]

As thin as they are you'd be hard pressed to find a more dedicated or determined ally on our side; not their fault their government is short changing them, I hope things turn around

[Guest Hueypilot812]

Some of the comments below that article say it all...seems there are lots of Brits that are chafing at the idea of cutting something the government is SUPPOSED to provide while giving it all away to various social programs. More than one or two comments critical of the "nanny state" that's developed there.

You people need to get a grip. You need a military, one that can actually fight a war without U.S. support, which is what you currently require in Afghanistan.

In the 1970s and 1980s, all of you "progressives" were prepared to sell your nation to the Soviet Union.

Today, you're prepared to sell your nation to terrorists.

I have fond memories of living in Great Britain in the 1960s. That might have been the last time Britain was Great.

To continue being Great, you need a military. One that can actually win a war!

What, if anything, will be left of Britain when they are done?

There was once a great and glorious country called Britain. None could destroy it from without. Then, they tried to destroy it from within: They taxed the people relentlessly, destroyed the justice system, flooded the country with immigrants, stifled criticism and dissent, created a surveillance state, depleted the nation's defense capabilities, enacted Mickey Mouse laws that sapped the Nation's morale, made life intolerable for the British natives so that they migrated in droves, placed Britain under European domination....I remember Britain when it was Britain.

Do you remember Britain?

This government has always prioritised social security over national security. They are now reliant on the welfare junkies to keep them in power, (example, the recent by election in Glasgow); they will not cut back on the handouts to their electorate but they will continue, at a pace, to starve our armed forces. To New Labour, Britain's forces are nothing more than a luxury that we can no longer afford, and so must be cut to fund the ballooning benefit culture that is poisoning our country.

Maybe the money saved by the cuts could be used in some productive way such as:-

1. Grants to unmarried teenage mothers and their multiple boyfriends.

2. Improved outward-bound holidays for convicted criminals.

3. Compulsory indoctrination of the Islamic faith to all the indigenous population.

And this one says it all:

Why don't we spare the services this never ending death by a thousand cuts, scrap the lot and give the money to single mums or any other bunch of neer do wells this government currently favour over those who would risk their lives in our defence.

[Guest merlock]

I saw one that said that Britian should just outsource their defense needs to the U.S.

Boeing, Lockheed and General Dynamics can compete for the contract.

[BQZip01]

I saw one that said that Britian should just outsource their defense needs to the U.S.

Boeing, Lockheed and General Dynamics can compete for the contract.

Hasn't Europe already done that (someone with photoshop skills update this)...

...

Good luck my Brit friends!

Edited November 15, 2009 by BQZip01

[Guest Lockjaw25]

A shame to see this done to the RAF...the same force which helped save a now ungrateful government 60+ years ago.

[bfargin]

Sad thing is we are headed that way as well. Give us a few years at our current pace and we won't have any money for defense (or defence) either.

[zrooster99]

What, if anything, will be left of Britain when they are done?

There was once a great and glorious country called Britain. None could destroy it from without. Then, they tried to destroy it from within: They taxed the people relentlessly, destroyed the justice system, flooded the country with immigrants, stifled criticism and dissent, created a surveillance state, depleted the nation's defense capabilities, enacted Mickey Mouse laws that sapped the Nation's morale, made life intolerable for the British natives so that they migrated in droves, placed Britain under European domination....I remember Britain when it was Britain.

Do you remember Britain?

As bfargin said, all this sounds familiar...it could be our fate too.

[Herk Driver]

NATO = Needs America to Operate

[Guest PerArduaAdAstra]

I ######ing weep for my service. I retired from the RAF a long time ago and have lived in the States for almost as long, and from afar I have watched the country of my birth slowly circle the toilet bowl as everything that was fought for in 2 world wars and various smaller conflicts (some of which I joyfully took part in) gets flushed away.

The only good thing is that this seems to have caused a stir given the number of comments on the story. Watch out though, this is what happens when you have a socialist government running things......

[OverTQ]

Bummer, Europe has no desire to maintain a military anymore. I hope that works out for them.

[Dupe]

I'll throw in a opposite opinion just to stir the debate a litte. Some of these changes, much like our most recent BRAC, really are needed.

-Britain does not need three bases to train all its fighter pilots. Surely all the Hawks could move to RAF Valley or Leeming to keep fighter pilot production the same while having less infrastructure costs.

-It is a 12 mile drive between the two of the largest RAF bases in Scotland (RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss). Maybe the operations at those two places could be combined. The threat is no longer comming from over the North Sea anyway.

-Sadly, the usefullness of the Tornadoes (both the F3s and GR4s) has virtually come to an end. The GR4s do decent work in today's low-intensity conflicts, but the reality is that they are past the end of their tactically usefull life. Thankfully, the RAF has Eurofighters on the way and is quickly replacing its swing-wingers with Typhoons. As is probably true with any super-fighter...the UK isn't buying enough.

-Much that is true for the Tornado fleet is also true for the Harrier fleet. Unfortunately, the STOVL F-35 won't arrive on English shores for a few more years.

Every RAF dude I've met has been awesome, but I think this plan to trim the RAF may be exactly what the doctor ordered to trim costs while basically retaining the same medium to high intensity combat capability.