This is extraordinary and unimaginable, I think, on the part of the CF’s senior leadership in terms of the furious–in both senses–leaking and the publicity the UK military are generating against the government–probably not a Good Thing in a democracy.  But then public support for the British services is much broader and deeper (at least in political and media circles) than support for our forces is in Canada.  And of course the three services are fighting each other like cats, dogs and (?) ferrets–especially the RN vs. the RAF.

1) David Cameron steps in to quell military revolt over cuts to defence budget

David Cameron has intervened to halt a revolt by some of the most senior figures in the military over the scale of defence cuts.

The Prime Minister made his move after being told by the new head of the Army that proposed reductions in the Forces threatened Britain’s mission in Afghanistan.

General Sir Peter Wall, the Chief of the General Staff, made clear to Number 10 that he could not accept cuts in Army numbers and training which would hamper the Afghan operation. In the wake of Sir Peter’s warning, Downing Street sources last night [Oct. 15, I think] said Mr Cameron had blocked a Treasury demand for a 10 per cent cut in the defence budget…

Mr Cameron’s intervention followed a day of threats from senior defence figures. The angry response from the top brass came after the Treasury attempted to force the Ministry of Defence to make cuts deeper than those which had been agreed previously. Military chiefs had described the move as a “betrayal”…

The Prime Minister will spend the weekend trying to finalise the defence and spending review at Chequers. The strategic defence review will be unveiled on Tuesday, followed a day later by the comprehensive spending review [those will be two some days]…

On Thursday, Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, and Robert Gates, the secretary of defence, both expressed fears over cuts to Britain’s Armed Forces.

The US is worried that Britain might fall short of the Nato standard of spending at least 2 per cent of GDP on defence [Canada spends some 1.3%, see p. 45 here for all NATO members, plus more from Adrian here]…

2) David Cameron orders defence to be spared from deepest cuts

George Osborne agrees that the Ministry of Defence will face cuts of 8% over the next four years

Britain’s multi-billion pound defence budget was finally settled tonight [Oct. 15] after a personal intervention by David Cameron, who ordered the Treasury to soften cuts due to be imposed on the armed forces.

Liam Fox, the defence secretary, was said to be relatively pleased after George Osborne agreed that the Ministry of Defence would face cuts of 8% over the next four years.

The chancellor, who had been demanding cuts of 10%, backed down after the prime minister intervened…

Cameron intervened 24 hours after the service chiefs marched into Downing Street in their uniforms to warn that the 10% cuts were unacceptable [emphasis added]. There were suggestions that some could resign…

The battle continued into today when air force chiefs mounted a dramatic fight to save the RAF’s fleet of ageing Tornado fighter-bombers.

The move would see the RAF axing the Harrier squadrons now shared with the navy. This would leave a huge question over the future of the first of the two aircraft carriers which ministers this week finally agreed should be built.

Some officials said tonight that a decision to dump the Harriers had already been taken in principle. “It is a ridiculous situation,” said a defence source. “The navy will have a carrier with no aircraft.”..

3) Analysis – Harrier, Tornado in battle royal over cuts

A bureaucratic dogfight between supporters of different combat jets as the UK draws up defence cuts could lead to changes in the way aircraft carriers are designed and how British forces operate, defence sources said.

Options being studied by military planners include delaying the deployment of new carriers to convert them to use conventional traps and catapults instead of the unmechanised decks envisaged for Lockheed Martin F-35 jets to be ordered by Britain…

Despite U.S. concerns, Britain is already reported to be considering cuts of over 50 percent in its planned order for some 138 Lockheed radar-avoiding F-35B jets [emphasis added] for the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force…

Britain initially rejected a conventional carrier version designed for the U.S. Navy and chose instead a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) type designed for the U.S. Marines and fitted with lift fans made by Rolls-Royce.

But the question of how the carriers will be configured — assuming, as many expect, that plans for two new carriers will be kept — has been thrown back into the debate as military chiefs fight over the future of two older planes: the Harrier and Tornado.

This is a battle between the Royal Navy, which flies Harriers, and the RAF, whose backbone is the Tornado fighter-bomber, which is gradually being replaced by the Eurofighter Typhoon…

Redesigning carrier decks for conventional operations could throw naval air chiefs a lifeline…

…refitting the decks would mean switching from the STOVL version of the Joint Striker Fighter or F-35B to the conventional carrier version F-35C, likely in reduced numbers.

However, the F-35C may not be available until well into next decade and the dates for the programme have slipped overall.

Any delay or reduction in F-35 orders would be a further setback for the programme, which has already seen costs rocket…[our government is planning to acquire the CTOL F-35A, lots more on Canada and the F-35 here]

Earlier on the UK and defence, with a link to a post on Canadian defence/strategic policy:

Clear thinking about defence policy and the required armed forces…

Update thought: Alternate title:

But not a coup de (l’)état-major britannique

Upperdate: Latest leak:

‘Who the hell has ever heard of an aircraft carrier with no jets?’ [Admirals Yamamoto and Nimitz?]: Defence chiefs’ reaction as the iconic Harrier is axed

Two new aircraft carriers will be deployed ­without jet fighters after the iconic Harrier
jump jet is axed in defence cuts this week.

The ships, due to enter service in 2014 and 2016, will ­operate with no jets until 2018, leaving a ­gaping hole in Britain’s military firepower and potentially putting the Falkland Islands at the mercy of a fresh Argentinian invasion.

Instead the Royal Navy will be forced to use helicopters on the £2.5 billion super-carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales [more on them here].

Times for change: The iconic Harrier Jet is set to be axed as further defence cuts are to be announced…

And when the Joint Strike Fighters finally arrive in 2018, there will be far fewer of them. The initial order for 138 has been cut to just 40 [emphasis added]…

Mark
Ottawa