Despite Britain’s increasing involvement in direct combat with Russia, Labour has promised drastic cutbacks to the country’s defence capability.
In a surprising move which transmitted ominous signals to the Kremlin, 31 frontline helicopters and a couple of Commando assault ships were axed.
The UK is set to lose an astounding 46 Watchkeeper Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), despite drones dominating the Ukrainian battlefield.
As part of the astounding plans, two ‘fast fleet tankers’ that supply gasoline for aircraft carriers and a Royal Navy frigate are also being cut down.
Shock and rage greeted Defence Secretary John Healey’s decision.
According to sources, the cuts sent the incorrect message to both Britain’s allies and foes, including the United States.
Its timing was further complicated by the fact that other NATO countries are strengthening their military capabilities and the US is stepping up its assistance for Ukraine.
One senior naval figure remarked: ‘Try telling Donald Trump these helicopters and ships were getting old and were costing more to repair, he’ll only hear that Britain is making cuts’.
Announcing the cuts in Parliament, Mr Healey told MPs: ‘I recognise that these will mean a lot to men who have sailed and flown in them during their deployment around the world, but their work is done we must look now to the future.
‘We’re in a new era of rising global tensions, we need a new era for UK defence. To achieve this, the Government is investing £3 billion extra next year and setting a clear path to 2.5 per cent, driving far-reaching reform, fixing the foundations for our armed forces to make Britain better defended, strong at home, secure abroad.’
Mr Healey maintained that the Treasury would not take the savings, which would instead be used to finance the creation of more sophisticated machinery.
Incentives for soldiers to continue their service in fields like aviation engineering are among the measures he announced to address the problems of recruiting and retention.
The ‘dire inheritance’ of the Labour administration after the General Election, Healey told the House, was the reason for the cuts.
He said: ‘Today, with the full backing of our service chiefs I can confirm that six outdated capabilities will be taken out of service.
‘These decisions are set to save the Ministry of Defence £150 million in pounds over two years and up to £500 million over five years. Savings that will be retained, in full, in defence.
‘HMS Northumberland’s structural damage made her uneconomical to repair. The 46 Watchkeeper Mk 1s, a 14-year-old Army drone which technology had overtaken.
‘HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, landing ships both effectively retired by previous ministers but superficially kept on the books at a cost of £9 million a year.
‘Fourteen Chinooks, some over 35 years old, accelerated out of service, two ‘Wave Class’ tankers nobody had seen for years and 17 Puma helicopters, some with over 50 years’ flying, will not be extended.
‘Sadly, these will not be the last difficult decisions I am required to take.’
Early on in Labour’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR), which will serve as the foundation for its comprehensive approach to defence policy, Britain has notified its allies of the changes.
With the possibility of war looming, how in the world can Labour decrease defence assets now? Cutting the 11 billion pounds in foreign climate aid, the 20 billion pounds in carbon capture, the number of new arrivals, the accompanying 4/5 lodging expenses and perks, and many other useless items would be the wisest course of action since, in the event of war, there would be nothing left to collect, such as carbon.
On the other hand, the government dislikes Britain and the British and sees little use in paying money to protect what they despise.
The people in control of this country don’t want to do anything about it because that would harm their agenda, and when I say the ‘people in control’, I’m not talking about our politicians. I’m talking about the people further up the pecking order, globally. Politicians, prime ministers and presidents come and go, the real power has been there for a very long time.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 