« Previous · Home · Next »
Brits Lament Sub Cuts
By John
I've long argued that in this new war, the line between the military and the media must be blurred by soldiers who are more accustomed to the strong, silent, stoic traditions of the Armed Forces. Here's an exception (ugh, sorry for all the excessive alliteration this 'morn):
Sub Crews' Cost Cutting Criticism:
BBC Radio 4's File On 4 has heard sailors' complaints that the condition of these and the rest of the navy's submarines are being affected by government cost-cutting.This type of dissent is best kept within the confines of proper military channels. Britain doesn't have a triad like we do, those subs are their first and only line of nuclear defense. Or offense, I suppose...depending on how you look at it.Indeed one sailor serving on a Trident submarine claims they are "just about" seaworthy, with crews scouring other subs for spare parts in a massive "make do and mend" operation.
The senior rating said crews frequently experienced problems with oxygen production equipment on board as well as with the batteries on the craft.
"Our subs are nuclear powered but if for any reason we can't use the nuclear power we would use the battery," he said.
"If it was in an escape situation, the reactor would be shut down and you would need the battery.
"There's so many things that seem to go wrong that the guys do an unbelievable job fixing it, and how they keep going is beyond me."
Still, a key tenet of a sound nuclear strategy is proving to your enemies that you have the ability to employ atomic weapons anywhere, anytime. When that capability is lost, like say....your subs are all broken, deterrence fails and your strategy fails.
So, if there's a weakness in a nation's nuclear weapon platforms, that weakness is best kept classified and quietly fixed. I can guarentee that this story was read with great interest in the halls of multiple foreign intelligence services, if they didn't know already.
And a final thought. Yes, Great Britain could easily survive under America's protective nuclear umbrella. But if they do choose to maintain nuclear independence, this does not seem to be the most effective way to do it.
Another Hotel Tango to The Tank.
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://op-for.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/1000
Comments
I am concerned about the Brits. They used to be such a power. Today they have chosen weakness.
That's too bad, we need them to be strong. I'm placing my hopes on Australian shoulders.
Steve
Post a comment
Potential comment conditions listed here. Oh, and you may use basic HTML for formatting.
The smoking lamp is lit.