Does anybody still need aircraft carriers?

Del · May 30, 2012

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18237029

Today, ownership of a carrier for fixed-wing aircraft admits a nation to an elite club, but the US has more than everyone else in the world put together.

The UK is currently not a member, but this month has seen a significant milestone on the country's journey to retaking its place.

Part of the hull of Queen Elizabeth has arrived at Rosyth, in Scotland, where it is to enter the dry dock for the rest of the ship's construction. The ship, which left BAE Systems' Portsmouth yard, is due to be finished in 2017 and will be followed by sister ship Prince of Wales.

The Ministry of Defence says the ships and jets will cost Â£7bn, leading some newspaper columnists to argue that they are both an unnecessary expense and no longer strategically necessary for the UK.

For the Guardian's Simon Jenkins it is the "greatest waste of public money" of any government programme. The Times's Matthew Parris argued that the action in Libya had not shown the need for a UK carrier.

Username · May 30, 2012

Meanwhile they're taking tax from those on minimum wage without a pot to piss in, **** off.

Del · May 30, 2012

Username said:
Meanwhile they're taking tax from those on minimum wage without a pot to piss in, **** off.

Yep

7bn FFS god knows how this can be justified

peteblue · May 30, 2012

Strategically they are required and they give the nation the ability to put a British base near wherever we require. In good times they can seem an extravagance. It dodgy times they are a necessity. The military have to plan and prepare for many scenarios. They also ensure that the UK retains and maintains vital shipbuilding skills for the nation.

teppic · May 30, 2012

7 billion.

That is sickening.

peteblue · May 30, 2012

teppic said:
7 billion.

That is sickening.

Foreign aid is Â£7.8 Billion
Interest payments on debt are Â£48.6 Billion
EU membership Â£6.4 Billion

I'd prefer to spend the money in the UK employing British workers to build a couple of ships that we need...

Degs62 · May 30, 2012

Defending the Falklands is an issue without them.

peteblue · May 30, 2012

Degs62 said:
Defending the Falklands is an issue without them.

We covered that in another thread. Defending them is no problem, if we had to retake them then we would need the carriers.

teppic · May 30, 2012

peteblue said:
Foreign aid is Â£7.8 Billion
Interest payments on debt are Â£48.6 Billion
EU membership Â£6.4 Billion

I'd prefer to spend the money in the UK employing British workers to build a couple of ships that we need...

7 billion to build a couple of ships?

Jesus wept.

Bruce Wayne · May 30, 2012

Why do we need it? Japan and Germany have been peaceniks since WW2 and neither their economies or global influence have suffered. Lets face it, it's not France's military might (arf) that's propping up the Euro at the moment is it?

peteblue · May 30, 2012

teppic said:
7 billion to build a couple of ships?

Jesus wept.

The planes cost over Â£80 M each......

peteblue · May 30, 2012

Bruce Wayne said:
Why do we need it? Japan and Germany have been peaceniks since WW2 and neither their economies or global influence have suffered. Lets face it, it's not France's military might (arf) that's propping up the Euro at the moment is it?

Germany isn't really a maritime nation and Japan relies on the USA. Japan is however getting very nervous now because the Chinese are building them.

ToffeeBlueNose · May 30, 2012

we are an island we need a navy, aircraft carriers are important. the world is not a nice place and we already have cut our forces down so much that we are very reliant on help should anyone decide to make us targets.

Bruce Wayne · May 30, 2012

peteblue said:
Germany isn't really a maritime nation and Japan relies on the USA. Japan is however getting very nervous now because the Chinese are building them.

The point was though that they have not used military force to exert influence on the world and their economy has not suffered one jot. France spends way more on military than Germany. Do we seriously think they are more influential than the Germans? Is their economy better off for it?

peteblue · May 30, 2012

Bruce Wayne said:
The point was though that they have not used military force to exert influence on the world and their economy has not suffered one jot. France spends way more on military than Germany. Do we seriously think they are more influential than the Germans? Is their economy better off for it?

Possible not, but they, like the UK, have overseas possessions and being part of the UN Security Council also have commitments to world peace.......