vodkazvictim
Why save the world, when you can rule it?
This is noted down from telly, so apologies if it isn't incredibly coherant.
Only america and china have superior military funding to Britain. So where does it go?
For a force smaller than the us marines (86 generals) The British army employs about 262 generals.
200 million is spent on helicopters and private jets to run around the UK ferrying generals around.
413 subsidised residences for generals costing several million a year.
MOD runs the most expensive carpool in westminster.
Top civil service people in MOD ran up over 300K of combined car costs last year.
A general took not one but 3 sergeants from the front line to... run his private residence.
3.4 million of funding for staff of senior military figures - while we're not giving frontline troops all they need. another 1.6 million is involved funding ruperts.
17 billion pounds a year spent on equipment (double it and you have the approximate cost in US$)
Like america we operate a 70ton tank. THAT'S RIGHT: SEVENTY TONS! That's not a good omen for mobility.
BAE Systems fucked up with Nimrod fire protection - it shouldn't have been flying though as it should have been replaced by a newer Nimrod variant Nimrod MRA4, however it had (quel surprise) a production lag, leading to the older birds having to fly more and therefore to the crash.
BAE put in a very low bid to replace the Nimrod, then tried simply to put new wings on the old fuselages of the Nimrods Built in the SIXTIES.
Nimrod replacement 10 years late, cost per aircraft quadrupled to half a billion £s each (remember low opening bid).
This delay in procurement is not abnormal - MOD procurement projects on average run 40% over budget and take 80% longer to deliver than scheduled.
We are late on aircraft, destroyers and nuclear submarines.
75% of projects are on time and budget according to defense industry spokesmen. What do you think?
Eurofighter Typhoon: cost British taxpayer 20 billion, 13 billion over budget, 4 and a half years late. (I personally approve of Eurofighter).
Eurofighter was commisioned in 84 and is nigh useless against the Taliban.
Michael Portillo is partially responsible, he attempted to buy american F16s instead of Eurofighter (This would be unwise).
All MOD budgets a billion pounds or more over budget are run by BAE systems, originally British aerospace. BAE Favour British industries over foreign competitors (however this gives home production protection advantage in war).
The price isn't payed as much by us the taxpayer, as by our soldiers.
The program largely seems to ignore the fact that developing your own equipment allows you to develop your own equipment rather than relying on importers. Importers will charge what they can and if you dont have a homegrown option they can and will charge more. Not only that but they my sell you things with limitations (eg Iraqs monkey model T55s. We all know what happened to them.
The SAS often shop internationally for the best and cheapest equipment rather than using homegrown stuff.
Lewis Page: former naval officer and now defense analyst: claims we dont have a sovereign defense industry. Says you cant make a modern defense product that isnt full of american stuff; because Eurofighter contains us military tech.
Standard issue body armour initially overheated soldiers due ot design flaw.
Program Eroneously claims SAS use M4 carbine and.
SA80 costs twice as much as M16 (most expensive assault rifle in world - also faulty thanks to Maggie Thatcher giving production to an aluminium foil company rather than a weapon manufacturer. Resulting in redesign by H&K and thus immense cost.).
Some claim Britain is 4th largest arms exporters in world, others 2nd.
over last two years near 1000 MOD personell leave MOD to contractors. This looks VERY dodgy.
FOUR OF THE LAST TEN DEFENCE SECRETARIES (michael portillo included) have taken jobs with defense manufacturers. They do not see this as innapropriate.
Chairman of BAE can see PM at any time: on a whim.
Program claims risks and costs are routinely underestimated to get arms contracts.
MOD main procurement centre in Bristol: 10K employees. half total number in employment, many lack sufficient training, particularily among miliktary personell.
20K paid officials to assess how MOD conducts procurement.
QE Class aircraft carrier: Slowed down for short term savings, this however increases overall costs in long term result: between 600 & 700 million pounds extra costs.
could be 38 billion pounds over next ten years cost overrun as we simply delay problems.
Program claims insufficient analasys.
Armed services not honest about costs and risks in order to compete for budget.
Program claims MOD not very good at prioritising and refuses to accept failure of chosen project. This is Britains version of a military industrial complex. Seemingly incapable of producing sufficient equipment for front line personell.
Future Lynx from Augusta Westland: very small helicopter. Limited lift capability. Black Hawks not bought from americans because (not because guy in charge of procurement now works for lynx, of course!) apparently not affordable. Because black hawk victim of inter-service rivalry - large helicopters are RAF, smaller ones army air corps. Black hawks on dividing line between two and therefore source of tension.
Soldiers have one word answers to helicopter issue :Black-hawk (according to program)
Apache helicopters proven vulnerable to rifle fire in 2006.
Therefore future lynx procured and is too small to be effective troop carrier in Afghanistan.
Program advocates route and branch reform of armed services.
This is second program of late to tow Tory line: other one involved buying pre-fab houses. 3 guesses which part of society would be those forced to "invest" in such houses rather than bricks and mortar.
"As the defense review looms it would be unforgivable to cut without reforming. It would be unforgivable to men like these - the 3rd rifles.... ..... who have suffered a rate of attrition similar to WW1."
Program seems very propoganda tome.
Defense secretary Liam Fox refused to talk to program before military revue (happens once every 5 years. MOD denying shortage of helicopters in Afghanistan.
No mention of how a more advanced version of the Challenger 2 (Challenger 2E) is supplied to Saudi Arabia than is supplied to British forces because at the end of the day the arms industry IS an industry.
Only america and china have superior military funding to Britain. So where does it go?
For a force smaller than the us marines (86 generals) The British army employs about 262 generals.
200 million is spent on helicopters and private jets to run around the UK ferrying generals around.
413 subsidised residences for generals costing several million a year.
MOD runs the most expensive carpool in westminster.
Top civil service people in MOD ran up over 300K of combined car costs last year.
A general took not one but 3 sergeants from the front line to... run his private residence.
3.4 million of funding for staff of senior military figures - while we're not giving frontline troops all they need. another 1.6 million is involved funding ruperts.
17 billion pounds a year spent on equipment (double it and you have the approximate cost in US$)
Like america we operate a 70ton tank. THAT'S RIGHT: SEVENTY TONS! That's not a good omen for mobility.
BAE Systems fucked up with Nimrod fire protection - it shouldn't have been flying though as it should have been replaced by a newer Nimrod variant Nimrod MRA4, however it had (quel surprise) a production lag, leading to the older birds having to fly more and therefore to the crash.
BAE put in a very low bid to replace the Nimrod, then tried simply to put new wings on the old fuselages of the Nimrods Built in the SIXTIES.
Nimrod replacement 10 years late, cost per aircraft quadrupled to half a billion £s each (remember low opening bid).
This delay in procurement is not abnormal - MOD procurement projects on average run 40% over budget and take 80% longer to deliver than scheduled.
We are late on aircraft, destroyers and nuclear submarines.
75% of projects are on time and budget according to defense industry spokesmen. What do you think?
Eurofighter Typhoon: cost British taxpayer 20 billion, 13 billion over budget, 4 and a half years late. (I personally approve of Eurofighter).
Eurofighter was commisioned in 84 and is nigh useless against the Taliban.
Michael Portillo is partially responsible, he attempted to buy american F16s instead of Eurofighter (This would be unwise).
All MOD budgets a billion pounds or more over budget are run by BAE systems, originally British aerospace. BAE Favour British industries over foreign competitors (however this gives home production protection advantage in war).
The price isn't payed as much by us the taxpayer, as by our soldiers.
The program largely seems to ignore the fact that developing your own equipment allows you to develop your own equipment rather than relying on importers. Importers will charge what they can and if you dont have a homegrown option they can and will charge more. Not only that but they my sell you things with limitations (eg Iraqs monkey model T55s. We all know what happened to them.
The SAS often shop internationally for the best and cheapest equipment rather than using homegrown stuff.
Lewis Page: former naval officer and now defense analyst: claims we dont have a sovereign defense industry. Says you cant make a modern defense product that isnt full of american stuff; because Eurofighter contains us military tech.
Standard issue body armour initially overheated soldiers due ot design flaw.
Program Eroneously claims SAS use M4 carbine and.
SA80 costs twice as much as M16 (most expensive assault rifle in world - also faulty thanks to Maggie Thatcher giving production to an aluminium foil company rather than a weapon manufacturer. Resulting in redesign by H&K and thus immense cost.).
Some claim Britain is 4th largest arms exporters in world, others 2nd.
over last two years near 1000 MOD personell leave MOD to contractors. This looks VERY dodgy.
FOUR OF THE LAST TEN DEFENCE SECRETARIES (michael portillo included) have taken jobs with defense manufacturers. They do not see this as innapropriate.
Chairman of BAE can see PM at any time: on a whim.
Program claims risks and costs are routinely underestimated to get arms contracts.
MOD main procurement centre in Bristol: 10K employees. half total number in employment, many lack sufficient training, particularily among miliktary personell.
20K paid officials to assess how MOD conducts procurement.
QE Class aircraft carrier: Slowed down for short term savings, this however increases overall costs in long term result: between 600 & 700 million pounds extra costs.
could be 38 billion pounds over next ten years cost overrun as we simply delay problems.
Program claims insufficient analasys.
Armed services not honest about costs and risks in order to compete for budget.
Program claims MOD not very good at prioritising and refuses to accept failure of chosen project. This is Britains version of a military industrial complex. Seemingly incapable of producing sufficient equipment for front line personell.
Future Lynx from Augusta Westland: very small helicopter. Limited lift capability. Black Hawks not bought from americans because (not because guy in charge of procurement now works for lynx, of course!) apparently not affordable. Because black hawk victim of inter-service rivalry - large helicopters are RAF, smaller ones army air corps. Black hawks on dividing line between two and therefore source of tension.
Soldiers have one word answers to helicopter issue :Black-hawk (according to program)
Apache helicopters proven vulnerable to rifle fire in 2006.
Therefore future lynx procured and is too small to be effective troop carrier in Afghanistan.
Program advocates route and branch reform of armed services.
This is second program of late to tow Tory line: other one involved buying pre-fab houses. 3 guesses which part of society would be those forced to "invest" in such houses rather than bricks and mortar.
"As the defense review looms it would be unforgivable to cut without reforming. It would be unforgivable to men like these - the 3rd rifles.... ..... who have suffered a rate of attrition similar to WW1."
Program seems very propoganda tome.
Defense secretary Liam Fox refused to talk to program before military revue (happens once every 5 years. MOD denying shortage of helicopters in Afghanistan.
No mention of how a more advanced version of the Challenger 2 (Challenger 2E) is supplied to Saudi Arabia than is supplied to British forces because at the end of the day the arms industry IS an industry.
