Things look bleak for the UK's Armed Forces...

Thanks to Francois for the link!

via express.co.uk.

THE Ministry of Defence (MoD) feels it will be “screwed over” in a new military review that could result in severe cuts for the Armed Forces, it has been learned.

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 Former chief of defence staff, Lord Boyce, declared the Government is ignoring the cries from every military commentator in their apparent plans to deny extra funding to the MoD.

He stated: “The defence budget is not in a good place and soothing words from the Government that all is in order run counter to every single other commentator on defence.”

He elaborated that “savings measures are being run that are not efficiencies at all but capability cuts”.

Dozens of Conservative MPs are said to have written to the Chancellor pushing for a defence increase.

If Mr Hammond refuses to budge on his military budget, the Army reportedly faces being cut further from its 82,000 target with a number less than 70,000 from 78,000 and the Royal Marines could fall from 6,500 to 5,500.

The MoD previously warned that it needs between £17billion and £20billion to make up for a shortfall in cash in the next decade from April next year.

The body previously thought that an extra £2billion a year would be agreed as part of the review by Mr Sedwill - the MoD now has until next year to submit ideas for the ongoing review.

Ideas including the sacking of 1,000 marines, cutting two warships as well as scrapping a plan to building a replacement for the UK’s nuclear submarines are reportedly part of the MoD’s suggestions for military savings.

Story here.

A few things....

*  This is another Defense Minister that is pushing cyber at the detriment of actual trigger pullers.  What are they seeing that I'm obviously missing?  How is this capability useful on the tactical level?  I can see wanting to prevent hackers from cutting off electricity, jacking with your health system etc...but how does cyber come into play when you have to take that hill, building, etc...?

*  They're talking about cutting people like people aren't important.  Leadership keeps looking at recruiting as if there are unlimited amounts of qualified people banging on the door to get in.  That's not true.  Keep these cuts up and they'll reach a point where they have to offer recruiting bonuses so large that maintaining a larger force in the first place will have been cheaper.

*  This one is the stunner.  They actually have a plan to get out of the nuclear club?  The Minister must be on crack.  They lose nukes and they lose their seat on the UN security council.  I absolutely dare them to pull the trigger on that.  The second that happens is the second that the UK is no longer special and with the exit from the EU becomes irrelevant.

These are bad times for the UK. 

I'd like to see what the UK bloggers have to say about all this.  They've been remarkably silent on the issue.  They play with formations but I have yet to hear anyone talk about worse case scenarios.