Information Related to "World News and Trends - March/April 2007"
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British Royal Navy could be cut by half
Although the decision is not yet final, the British government apparently plans to mothball up to half of the royal fleet. Also plans to build two new giant aircraft carriers may be scuttled. Recently retired First Sea Lord Sir Alan West "told The Daily Telegraph that the government was turning the armed forces into a 'tin-pot' gendarmerie, good only for scuffling with terrorists" (Jan. 5, 2007).
The overall problem runs throughout the armed forces. Noted author and defense commentator Max Hastings stated: "Like eruptions from an overstrained water main, revelations about the problems of Britain's armed forces burst forth daily. The word 'crisis' is often abused, but it is justified here. Programmes are being slashed, training curtailed and capabilities cut as the Ministry of Defence struggles to control runaway spending" (The Guardian, Jan. 8, 2007).
The article goes on to show that the size of the defense forces is becoming so small that they are losing critical mass and the military's credibility as a British institution is now at stake. One point to note is that "the army is facing a recruitment crisis as frontline troops quit" (Daily Mail, Jan. 5, 2007).
Columnist Gerald Warner of Scotland on Sunday probably had the most biting reactive remarks in the media. He wrote: "'When a strong man armed keepeth his house, his goods are in peace' (Luke 11:21). This axiom does not seem to have penetrated the minds of our rulers, Labour and Tory [the British political parties], over the past 15 years. This period has seen the progressive dismantling of the United Kingdom 's armed services on a scale it would be inadequate to describe as reckless."
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