Best defence

THE latest decision by the British government to re-order the vertical take-off F35 fighter jet for the Royal Navy is yet another sign that the coalition´s defence policy is in tatters. The Strategic Defence Review launched shortly after the coalition came to power has left the British armed forces poorly equipped and the decision to scrap the Harrier jet was stupid and dangerous. Britain no longer has an aircraft carrier thanks to the decision to scrap the Harrier jet. The Ministry of Defence could have easily scrapped the Royal Air Force´s Tornado jets and kept the Harrier. The RAF would have had a capable aircraft which could be embarked on the Royal Navy´s Invincible class carriers. Britain could have sent an aircraft carrier to take part in the allied operations against the Libyan regime and even sent one to the Gulf or the South Atlantic as a show of force. But no the RAF got their way and the Harrier was scrapped. Why? The Harrier was used successfully in operations over Afghanistan and would have been equally as effective as the Tornado in the Libyan campaign. The RAF already has a ground attack version of the Typhoon Eurofighter which has effectively made the Tornado redundant. The bitter inner service rivalries are to blame for this decision. Unfortunately the coalition government should have realised that Britain needs an aircraft carrier if it is to be taken seriously on the world stage. It was a stupid mistake which could cost Britain heavily.