...And then there were Two (end of HMS Invincible)

[SaxonKing]

Why does Great Britain need such a large navy for anything besides nostalgia?

We need a navy to project power around the world which without a navy is virtually impossible, Britain has allies and commitments around the world the Navy is an integral part of our defense strategy. I assure you if the navy wasn't needed the bloody politicians would get rid of it within a heart beat.
Also we are an Island nation the navy is an important deterrant.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Why does Great Britain need such a large navy for anything besides nostalgia?

It makes sure we aren't inundated with the likes of these:

[TheStinger]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Why does Great Britain need such a large navy for anything besides nostalgia?

Beacause our "closest ally" tends to go missing when we really need them

[MikeH]

Originally posted by SaxonKing


No they cant but if the Navy does its job properly (never a given) then supplies will get to the troops. The navy just has to do what it did last time, it might not have as many ships as it did back then but its still more than capable of holding its own against the Argie airforce.

I'm sure they'd do very well but there aren't enough of them. If what the First Sea Lord says is true and we'd be likely to only have 12 destroyers/frigates and 1 carrier operational... that's 1 carrier with 21 planes (if they are all operational).

It's pathetic.

Not to mention that Argentina's armed forces are now professional not conscripts.

Our troops/planes/ships etc are much better but the logistics would lose us the war.

[SaxonKing]

MikeH, I still think we'd pull through, the armed forces have become particularly adept at making the best out of what we've got.(which is usually not much)
The navy has some of the best anti air weapons in the world and we have some of the best equipped aircraft and pilots in the world. A taskforce that is sent to reclaim the Falklands may be small but I think, considering the navies past record, just enough to defeat the only threat to it-the Argie airforce.
Of course this is all opinion, no one knows how the fleet would fare againist the Argentinians. Some of their missiles may get through and hit the carriers and is that happens thats the Falklands lost, or the new weapon systems of the navy and our superiour aicraft may defeat the Argentinian airforce like they did last time and allow the ground troops to go in.

Not to mention that Argentina's armed forces are now professional not conscripts.

No matter how good they are they won't be better than British troops, I think I can say with 100% confidence that if the fleet would do its job then the army and RM would do theirs.

Or instead of sending our own force down we could ask the US to pay us back and "watch our backs" until our new carriers are delivered.

[chequita guevara]

We miss our empire!

[Whaleboy]

Put that back up!

[Immortal Wombat]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Why does Great Britain need such a large navy for anything besides nostalgia?

For keeping the Argies out of the Falklands, the Spanish out of Gibraltar, and the Danes off of Rockall.

[MikeH]

Originally posted by SaxonKing

Of course this is all opinion, no one knows how the fleet would fare againist the Argentinians. Some of their missiles may get through and hit the carriers and is that happens thats the Falklands lost, or the new weapon systems of the navy and our superiour aicraft may defeat the Argentinian airforce like they did last time and allow the ground troops to go in.

carrier.

One mini carrier we have operational right now...

If we had two I'd be a little more hopeful.

[Winston]

Originally posted by Immortal Wombat

For keeping the Argies out of the Falklands, the Spanish out of Gibraltar, and the Danes off of Rockall.

And occasionally for bumping into Icelandic coast guard vessels, to keep them from interfering with British cod fishing.

[SaxonKing]

One mini carrier we have operational right now...

I count 2 now, the Illustrious and the Ark Royal.

[Richelieu]

So they're going to mothball it, remove a few computer systems, the power plant, the catapult, the planes and most of the essentials and sell it to the Canucks for three times what it's worth in 5 years.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Originally posted by SaxonKing


I count 2 now, the Illustrious and the Ark Royal.

One of which will be out of action during its major refit. If the Argentines want to retake the Falklands, they should move now. We couldn't retake them as quickly as we did last time.

[Krill]

Ark Royal is being refited, so it won't be available during war time...

[Impaler[WrG]]

Wasn't it desided by military strategists after the Falklands war that the whole Mini-carrier/Harrier thing was realy very inefficient for its cost? And in general all of Europes Military is Inefficient in terms of Power Projection per unit of money due to the fact is split up into umptinth little total independent militaries each designing, building and buying its own forces. The EU economy is comparable in Size to the US and its spending about 2% of GDP on denence (or so I have heard) vs 3.5% for the US its obviously not spending it as well.

I think they need to do more NATO wide arms development and Production like the Joint Strike Fighter. For Navies NATO should pool its development money design some next generation Carriers and supply the US with 12-16 and Europe with 6-10. Dole them out between the major navel powers even taking turns if nessary and get into the continual construction/refint/retirment cycle that the US use. This avoids the big gaps assosiated with retiring and rebuilding the fleet all at once.