As for lack of funding to the M.O.D, I'm not buying it completely... Sorry to be controversial.
It's been said in another thread that the M.O.D is given a large chunk of cash that is split amongst the forces. From what I can see the troubles not in the funding, it's in the management of those funds.
Could be argue'd that way. BUT:
ALL of our armed forces need upgrading, and right now there isn't the money being put in. One budget being split between the three forces, which then again gets splits into the forces under their control.
Getting two aircraft carriers but not enough destroyers to actually defend them properly.
At the same time getting new ships with gimped firepower compared to equivelant american vessels.
Still having harriers on the new aircraft carriers as we have nothing else to park on them until the JSF.
The general size of the navy is becoming a joke and it's going to be a coast guard with aircraft carriers the way things are going.
Riding around in land lovers.. still. Oh yes lovely over the desert but.. ye when that ak round comes through your vehicle and just misses your nads im sure you'd say something different.
Complete lack of armour and other heavy vehicles. This includes IFV, MRAP type vehicles and even battle tanks.
Lack of helicopters and heavy lift transporters (our hercules will be going out of service due to stress damages before the next generation of transports come in.. meaning plane rentals again).
Airforce with half the planes being ancient and needing complete refits. Love the eurofighter but it was designed in the 80s and for dogfighting not ground support. We should have designed our own plane without those buggers over the channel or just bought american F planes.
Housing for the forces is bollocks in some areas (some are quite nice though) but the government has invested 8,4 billion over the next few years to try and improve that.
General pay in the armed forces, no matter what anyone says - once you start growing older, buying a house, getting married and kids etc just does not cut the cake. It falls behind equivelant jobs in civvie street and does cause real problems.
Spending on the armed forces has actually fallen as a percentage of GDP, this is whilst two conflicts and various peacekeeping missions are being run simultaniously. Yes in cash terms the budget has increased - but by too little.
A small increase in spending by GDP would allow for some of the vital upgrades to be performed, as well as be able to say give pay rises or incentives (american forces pay for college, and other such things) which bring far more people into the forces.
Improving the public perception of the armed forces and national pride of people in this country would also go a long way in improving the situation, as politicians are out for themselves and the vote - if defence is low on peoples agenda then it won't get the attention it needs.
Yet at the same time the NHS still offers many services that are frankly debateable as to wether they should be free for the public on the service, and makes more management levels to fix a problem than communist russia killed people during its time..
Just my 2cent rant.
Oh I forgot to add something :doh:
We obviously don't need a completely updated and larger armed forces as we're never going to have a big threat these days! To take a line off a green party voter hippy I spoke to last night.
Thats what they thought in the 1930's as well, also with a lack of funding to the armed forces in that time, yay!
