UK military problems & policies

[davidbfpo]

Just found that a new official UK Army quarterly publication, Agile Warrior, is partly available publicly as a NGO has publsihed Issue No.2.

The official preface opens with:

Agile Warrior (AW) is the Army’s intellectual examination of current and emerging threat and opportunities for land capability. It generates an evidence base to inform the continual transformation of land forces and force structures across all lines of development.It aims to be both reflective and progressive, challenging current assumptions where necessary.

The issue has an outstanding article by the Anglo-Australian academic Professor Patrick Porter - who is very challenging to the orthodox view. Here is a passage near the end:

The future of UK security policy is not all about counter-terrorism, weak-state stabilisation, and “asymmetry”. Indeed, claims that “hybrid operations” in Eastern Europe represent some radical new departure elide (a) just how much heavy capability such operations involve, (b) the centrality of subversion/disinformation to strategy throughout history, and (c) the risk of escalation to conventional/nuclear warfighting that represents “hybrid” warfare’s greatest danger. Strategy is about limitation, about ranking and ordering things we value into a hierarchy, distinguishing the vital from the peripheral. It is about partly shaping the future environment, rather than fatalistically just accepting it.

Link:https://remotecontrolproject.org/wp-...arrior_2-1.pdf

[davidbfpo]

Contact has been made with the Editor; the publication is not on the web, pending negotiations and I have been added to the distribution list so other articles may appear here. Note since posting the previous post there have been 6,347 views.

[davidbfpo]

A short BBC radio discussion on the issues:

How well equipped is Britain today to defend itself both at home and overseas?Britain's armed forces are struggling to maintain numbers. According to the National Audit Office there is a shortfall of more than 8,000 among military personnel (6% below authorised strength) and there is a significant shortage of personnel with skills in critical areas.

The Army is at its lowest level since the days it was preparing to confront Napoleon, unable to meet even the reduced requirement of 82,000 regulars.
Several reasons are cited: the lack of a current war to act as a recruiting sergeant, a recruitment process that's not working well, discontent within the ranks and a higher number of people leaving the forces than normal.
We examine these causes and ask what effect the shortages have both on the battlefield and strategically.

Link:https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b48z5q

The speakers are all experts and it is quite good. They conclude 'not critical yet, except in an emergency - even more so for the RAF & RN who have far fewer reserves than the Army'.

[davidbfpo]

Unlike the last post on manpower this report using FOI found the RAF aircraft fleet is short of planes ready to fly:

...142 of 434 of the air force’s planes have been sidelined....Out of 60 Chinook helicopters, 19 are down, while only seven of 23 Pumas are operational

The official response:

The sustainment fleet includes aircraft undergoing maintenance, upgrade programs or being held in storage....Modern military aircraft are highly complex machines that require careful management and maintenance to ensure they are fit for service and in sufficient numbers to fulfil tasks we call upon them to complete.

Link to original UK story:https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politi...orage-13803563 and to a US follow-on which is very slightly different:https://nationalinterest.org/blog/bu...%99t-fly-41527