UK Royal Navy cutbacks increase the risk factor

[Pathfinder-X]

How will recently announced cuts in ship and submarine numbers impact on the operational capability of the UK Royal Navy? Chief of Naval Staff and First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Alan West offers his personal views to JNI.

Reductions in the size of the UK Royal Navy's (RN's) destroyer/frigate (DD/FF) fleet and nuclear attack submarine (SSN) flotilla mean that the RN will be conducting future operations at "enhanced risk", Chief of Naval Staff and First Sea Lord (CNS/1SL) Adm Sir Alan West has warned.

Speaking candidly about the force adjustments announced recently by Secretary of State for Defence Geoff Hoon, the RN's most senior officer acknowledged that the costs associated with the reorganisation and recapitalisation of the future British Army have left the RN and the Royal Air Force to shoulder a disproportionate share of the cutbacks in front-line forces. He also made it clear that he was uncomfortable with the cuts in DD/FF and SSN numbers, but insisted that, given current resource constraints, their sacrifice was necessary to safeguard funding for the Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF) programme as "the centrepiece of UK expeditionary forces for decades to come".

Under future capability plans laid out to parliament on 21 July 2004, the RN will see its DD/FF force reduced from 31 to 25 with the retirement of three Type 42 Batch 1 destroyers and three Type 23 frigates. The SSN force will drop down to just eight boats, and mine countermeasures vessel (MCMV) numbers will be cut to just 16 with the early paying off of three Sandown-class minehunters and the expected retirement of three Hunt-class MCMVs currently roled for Northern Ireland patrol duties

The reduction in DD/FF numbers causes concern to Adm West, who believes that a force of about 30 ships is in fact needed. "People should be under no illusions," he said. “With only 25 ships, we will be very close to the cusp.�

Link: http://www.janes.com/defence/naval_f...0804_1_n.shtml

The UK Royal Navy is experiencing alot of difficulties in recent years. Defence cutbacks have degraded the overall effective of the force. Many ships are in need of modernization and extensive repair, and it has to deploy ships in Persian Gulf. While the need has increased, the resources have gone down.

[adsH]

old school RN personnel would think numbers matter, but what MOD plans and is implementing is a plann to cut the def budget without harming our defense, the only way forward for us is to enhance every asset we have tenfold, so if we have 1 one ship its 10 times more deadlier to our foes, like the nimrod that has multiple features imbedded into it, that makes its operation cheaper and easier!!

[Jonny]

Indeed, Ashd is quite correct. As part of the new Defence White Paper which was announced by the government earlier this year, the Royal Navy will be reduced but the money invested will be increased. The British military budget was upped by £3.7 billion this summer...plus we are getting two brand new aircraft carriers in 2012. And the only reason we sold those old Submarines to Canada is because we intend to have a all Nuclear Powered Submarine fleet.

[Revival_786]

So basically getting a bit smaller but deadlier

[adsH]

trust the pros they know what they want, these recommendations come from the chiefs, they know what they need to accomplish what!! policy is set by the politicians. i guess this is why we're so inter-operable with the USN. we can utilize thyr resources where they have invested heavily while keeping the same sort of capability!!! so then we can specialize in certain things that can be of use to the USN A type of a barter.