The defence cuts

When are successive British government going to learn that you can´t slash the defence budget and then ask the military to get involved in a conflict thousands of miles away from British shores. Britain is already planning for a possible strike on Syria but just three months ago the Ministry of Defence announced plans to reduce the size of the army to just 80'000 and also the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force has just a handful of ships and aircraft. If a strike is ordered against Syria then it would probably involve one of Britain´s few Trafalgar class nuclear attack submarines armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles. One of these aging submarines was spotted off Gibraltar at the weekend and another is said to be already in the Mediterranean. It is also rumoured that Typhoon aircraft have been sent to Cyprus. Also Britain has an amphibious Task Force operating in the Mediterranean at the moment. But if Prime Minister David Cameron wants Britain´s armed forces to be the world´s policeman then he should ensure that Britain has a far larger Royal Navy, air force and army. The latest defence cuts were meant to transform the British armed forces into a more “Home Guard” style unit rather than one which is capable of operating as an expeditionary force. But just as the ink is dry on the latest defence white paper the Ministry of Defence is ordered to prepare for a possible military strike on Syria. No kit, no action.