exiledclaseboy said:
Same week as the NATO summit and a day before a public political conversation this morning on UK defence spending. All linked. It’s all a game.
Normally I would agree with you...but recent events have shown how we (Europe) are woefully under-prepared for the threat of Russia...next Boyar to ascend to Czardom.
In recent history we've done "policing expeditionery deployments" and the military structure has been shaped by this. Additionally as the Navy are the senior service and have the most personel at Whitehall they spent too much on unnecesssary ships. The two aircraft carriers costing billions of pounds alone - an admirals expensive wet dream. S he said in the video ..."Troops hold ground"
The Ukranian adaption of Combined Arms Fighting has proven to be worthwhile but has also shown weaknesses - and as they are utilising "lean innovation" they've pared down some "unecesssary/too costly" features whilst emphasing novel or "lowly viewed" features such as drone integration into target aquision computation solution.
Stangely enough, in previous times when we were getting ready for the Soviets to attack, we concentrated on tanks and anti armour misssiles. I suspect that now, we will still use them but also use more wheeled artillery, anti arour, infantry fighting vehicles for a more agile combat component.
In the brief, CGS, also pivoted away (
my take) from the Whitehall thrust of an amorphous non-stated "CYBER" capability as a solution/arm, to utililising technology that exists as a force multiplier. He commited the army to the moderisation programme of his predecessor...AND THAT ALSO INCLUDES DIVERSITY. How will the gammons cope :joy: Also, he stated he wanted the military to look at cutting out unnecessry bureaucracy (whitehall again?) to gain efficiencies...and keep money for the actual fighting/logistic component and not the shiney arses. AS already touched upon he commentated on the fact that we need troops to hold ground(combined arms doctrine) and he signalled a shift in policy...QUITE POSSIBLY A SHIFT IN NATO POLICY - defend ground/deter an attacker rather than a "tripwire" and an attempt to retake ground. This is most definitely to allay the fears of the Baltic states as their size (area) means that under the current doctrine, they will be fully invaded in a matter of hours by Russia, to a wholehearted defence of territory and denial of a total invasion.
Yes, the admirals and vested interest at Whitehall will water his ideas down but he is correct about the situation we are (currently) in.
I did have a shit-tonne (metric as I'm stil thinking as a european) of more stuff to add but a (now) very rare midweek drinking event has robbed me of my VERY LIMITED capabilities to provide a cogent, coherent discussion of this briefing and my associated observations/readings during this current conflict.
Hic.
