Cancel The CVF While the Fleet Still Floats

I sometimes wonder if the US Navy has a strategic vision for the future of the US Navy. More often than not I find evidence we do, although it is hard to see at times. Problems and early cost problems in every program make it difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but usually our Admirals get it right in the end.

I can't say the same for the Royal Navy. I do not see any strategic vision at all. The desire for the CVF is driving all decisions, and while we have already seen a severe decline this decade, there is no end in sight to the decline.

MOST of the Royal Navy will be tied up in dock next year, frozen by a £15 billion “black hole” in the Ministry of Defence budget over the next decade, writes Michael Smith.

As the MoD fights proposals for £12 billion of defence cuts over the same period, only ships supporting operations in the Gulf will leave port. The soaring cost of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the increasing reluctance of the Treasury to fund them is adding to the pressure.

“The navy is looking at what options they have because the amount of funding is just not there,” one source said. “The overheating of the equipment budget is putting pressure on everyone.” The only major exercise expected to go ahead is Orion 08, in which the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, the destroyer Edinburgh and the frigate Westminster will head for the Gulf, defence sources said.

The navy is now resigned to losing five frigates, four Type22s and one Type23, taking it down to a record low of just 20 destroyers and frigates - insufficient to mount a major taskforce without coalition help.

We have covered the upcoming Orion 08 deployment briefly, noting the deployment is interesting in that it involves deploying two minesweepers with the carrier group.

What is really interesting though is the Royal Navy spent most of 2007 whipping the fleet into an incredibly high state of readiness, only to get to 2008 and realize there is no money for deployments. If the fleet is stuck at home, that is a really bad sign for readiness, because the first thing that usually gets impacted is training.

The Royal Navy is already seeing its numbers decline, but the saving grace for these declines are two fold. First, the Type 45 really is one of the best warships ever built. Second, the Royal Navy has always had one of if not the best trained force of sailors in the world. Well, as we observed last week it appears the Royal Navy will end up with only 6 Type 45s, and this report implies the quality of sailors is about to decline due to lack of time at sea.

The reduction of warships from 25 to 20 was first proposed in October, but no one took those reports seriously at the time. As reality sets in it raises the question, will the Royal Navy be able to save itself from this "black hole" by canceling the CVF and putting together a realistic strategic vision for the future of the Royal Navy, or will the Royal Navy end up with carrier and expeditionary ships without the frigates and destroyer escorts needed to use them outside of British waters? I don't know, but this video pretty much sums up the comedy that is the Royal Navy's current strategic vision. (HT SJS)

There is too much truth in that video. Unfortunate is an understatement.