Royal Navy Fatal Cuts

Royal Navy or "Phantom Navy "- You Decide... 
Confused Downing Street Government policy statements simply reinforce the hard fact of life that the UK Government has run out of money and ideas to redress the economic position of a once proud seafaring nation protected by the might of the Royal Navy.

Not so long ago, two huge new Aircraft Carriers were announced as going to be built. More recent reports indicate that this bold statement was probably yet more "spin" being released to the press in order to disguise the true reality from the now long suffering British Public.

Team Mole reporters have been looking at the situation in the last few weeks, and have found that it is only when you place each piece of information side by side that the true picture reveals itself.

So what have we got:

The huge cost of building the new Aircraft Carriers suddenly seems to have shrunk, and then we notice that so has the size of the proposed Super Carriers.

Unions are alarmed at talk of base closures...

The defence secretary has visited Portsmouth Naval Base amid concerns over its possible closure under a major government review. Portsmouth is one of three docks that could face cuts under an MoD review.

Des Browne MP was met by commanding officers and MPs Mike Hancock and Sarah McCarthy-Fry at the base.

Mr Browne said precise details about what the future holds for Portsmouth will not be decided until the naval base review is completed.

Devonport in Plymouth and Faslane in Scotland, the home of the Trident missile-carrying submarine fleet, are also under scrutiny by the Defence Logistic Organisation.

Now, as Portsmouth is our major deep sea Naval Port, if it closes, where are these new aircraft carriers going to operate from - Yes, you got it, probably phantom ships...

But surely, we operate our Navy with a large number of other service warships?

Er, apparently, shock horror - No we don't!

The number of major warships has shrunk drastically in recent years, with the Navy's fleet of frigates and destroyers cut from 31 to 25. More than a dozen remaining vessels are mothballed in dockyards to save money.

The Government has admitted that 13 unnamed warships are in a state of reduced readiness, putting them around 18 months away from active service.

A need to cut the defence budget by £250 million this year to meet spending requirements has forced ministers to look at drastic measures.

It has been reported that six other warships are to be mothballed - the Type 22 frigates Cumberland, Chatham, Cornwall and Campbeltown and two Type 42 destroyers Southampton and Exeter.

It is likely that they will eventually be sold or scrapped. There are also fears in the Admiralty that two new aircraft carriers, promised in 1998, might never be built.

The head of the Royal Navy has warned that Britain's fleet is shrinking to the size of Belgium's.

Sir Jonathon Band, the First Sea Lord, has openly said, if that happens, he will quit in protest at spending cuts.

The Belgian navy seemingly has just three frigates and fewer than 2,500 personnel.

Britain's top admiral warned that spending cuts are reducing the nation to a third-rate sea power.

He has said: "We are at a scale of operations that requires a certain amount of investment to stay at this level. If we drop down a scale, then we may throw the baby out with the bathwater".

The Admiral, who is tipped as a future head of the armed forces, warned that the Government must boost Navy spending by £1billion a year or give up trying to remain a first-rank naval power.

It is quite obvious that more money is needed simply to cover day-to- day costs, such as training and spares.

Senior officers have spoken out over the shocking state of military accommodation, while the overstretched forces are having to cut back on training exercises because of severe budget problems.

Oh, and of course we have the promotion freezes - still, you can't promote highly trained seamen if you have no ships...

Sir Jonathon has also called for a public debate on the kind of defence Britain wants - and is prepared to pay for.

So - Question for our dear friend Mr Blair, how are we to protect our UK coastline from Drug Running and Immigrant Smuggling - or have we given up on that as well.

I guess readers have already worked out the answer to the question...
With billions being spent on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq we know what the priority is don't we Mr Bush?