…from Russia Today, Moscow
[ Editor’s Note: Nothing is more pitiful and a worse reflection on a military officer corps than to hype or even fabricate threats in order to boost funding. The British military seems to consider fakes threats an Olympic Gold Medal competition.
We watched while the Russian naval ships were heading to the Syrian coastal area as part of their successful counter terrorism operation, the British military made a big show of defending the British Coast line.
I assume they had secret Intel that the announced Russian campaign to help save Syria from ISIS was a ruse to launch a sneak attack on Britain. Why Russia would want Britain anyway, and all of its problems, was never explained.
But the despite the huge equipment problems with the new British ships, similar to the American problems, plus looming huge expenditures to modernizing its nuclear sub force, it miraculously dipped into its short funds to put on the silly show of shadowing all the Russian ships that passed by.
It was an embarrassment, but worse, a cheap ploy to get the struggling British people, long suffering from being exploited by its own elites, to forget all that and wave higher military expenditures through the budget.
Another problem we have with the Western General Staff these days is their having their eyes on high paying second careers and the juicy expense accounts that come with that only if the military industrial complex is expanding.
Am I sayingthat they would hype threats purely to create a need for a nice cushy post retirement job? You can bet your behind that I am. And I can think of nothing that more dishonors their oath of oath that to promote wasteful defense spending with hyped threats so they can profit from it.
Dean General Carter, if you are thinking I am taking a cheap shot here, we would be happy to arrange an hour video debate with VT, with the limitation of your only getting half the time, and there would be no editing. We are still waiting for someone to accept this challenge.
The endless stories of shoddy British military equipment breaking down in the field are legendary, from poor infantry kit equipment, to the engines of light armor “cooking off” in the hot climate conditions of Afghanistan. Disabled British combat vets are shamefully treated, just thrown onto the overloaded civilian program .
Despite these problems, the general staff pushes for the big ticket items like the air craft carrier and newer nuclear missile subs, needed like Britain needs a hole in the head, with Brexit and everything else on its plate ... Jim W. Dean ]
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– First published … January 22, 2018 –
General Sir Nick Carter will reportedly tell the Royal United Services Institute that he’s worried that Britain’s military is not keeping up with its adversaries – basically Russia – with particular concern about Moscow’s long-range missiles, “aggressive expeditionary force” and “cyber-warfare capabilities.”
If you’re wondering what he means, it’s kind of similar to the British missiles placed on Russia’s border in Estonia last year, or the expeditionary force deployed next to them, or the UK Army’s cyberwarfare specialists at 77th Brigade or GCHQ. So much for not keeping up!
The general is coming forward with his begging bowl, apparently under orders from Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, who’s held his position for about three months, which brings his military experience to… three months.
What heads of government departments want more than anything is extra cash; that is basically why they exist, yet they need to find reasons. Russia is so useful when it comes to demands for resources that Moscow should be receiving thank-you notes, or at the very least a Christmas card.
There is, however, a disconnect. The government and military expends a lot of hot air talking about the “Russia threat.” But when it comes to the crunch, the military budget gets cut. I personally would conclude that no one in the corridors of power is genuinely concerned about any looming war with Russia.
In fact, all parts of Britain’s armed forces have been asked to find more ways to cut back. Britain’s armed forces are now at their smallest since the Napoleonic wars, with 82,000 personnel.
Does that sound like a country worried about a major conflict?
General Carter – who, to be fair to him, is paid to worry – believes Britain would struggle to withstand Russian forces on the battlefield. I’ve got some great news for him: Britain won’t be facing Russia on a battlefield any time soon. Unless of course NATO decides it’s been talking about conflict so much it might as well start one. Even then, Britain would be surrounded by all the other NATO members, so no need to worry.
It’s thought that Carter is basing his concern partly on the “large-scale” Zapad military exercises held in western Russia last year. You’d think the head of the army would know that, generally speaking (no pun intended), soldiers do need to practice stuff, even Russian ones. Also, the best place to practice is close to your own border where the world’s biggest military alliance has been continuously deploying its own forces.
But, if he’s so against military exercises, then cancel all the ones Britain is planning. That would save loads of money.
There was the same kind of panic in November when Russian President Vladimir Putin told arms producers that they must be able to prepare for war. What else should he tell makers of weapons? Prepare for a bake sale?
There are a few other options possibly available to the British military. The UK could ask for some of the weapons it has sold to Saudi Arabia over the years to be returned or loaned back – the ones not being used against Yemen.
It could stop buying massive aircraft carriers designed for post-imperial willy-waving rather than the conflicts it’s actually likely to face. It could stop finding wars in the Middle East to go and fight.
Or, it could even save the billions it spends on the Trident independent nuclear deterrent (that is independent apart from needing the US to run it) and spend it on some boots for the troops, and perhaps a few beds for the NHS.
What do you think, General?
Jim W. Dean is VT Editor Emeritus. He was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022. He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews. He now writes and posts periodically for VT.
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The British/Israeli military (it is the same thing) is vastly more capable than it makes out. August 12 2015, Tjanjin China, drone strike. August 20 2015, Chinese ban import of crab from Anglesey, Wales citing ‘toxic chemicals’ – a diplomatic way of saying ‘we know what it was, and we know where it came from’ ie the Wylfa magnox ‘power station’. There is so much on the western side of Britain. Bradley/Chelsea Manning went to school in Wales. Guess where the Queen was September 11 2001? It’s all been removed from the records to ‘protect her from any embarrassment’.
It reminds to me a rude joke but with a sense: Stalin and Churchill captured Hitler. And Stalin decides to punish Hitler. He heats a metal rod to red at one side and puts it into Hitler’s a$$. Churchill asked Stalin why he used cold part of it to Hitler. Stalin’s answer: so that you, Churchill, couldn’t take the rod by hand and help Hitler.
Churchill betrayed fellow prisoners during the Boer war. They were planning to mass a large escape and he begged to go along. The guard set up changed so they had to delay at the last moment and wait till the following week. But Churchill knew the tunnel route now, and he thought would guy could get out unnoticed and be long gone by morning head count. He left them in the lurch, got to be the “escape hero”, and after the war those betrayed were warned to keep their mouths shut or they would pay dearly. Many years later, one of them wrote a book, and told the story. That’s when I learned what a scumbag he was, that that after getting away with that, he would do it, shift whoever if there was a benefit for him.
England, the multi-centennial mother tit of all anti-eurasian fake news and fake history. I prefer the Nick Carter the boyband singer. I am always amazed how and when do countries like UK avoid sanctions or isolation since they are perpetually exclusively anti-someone.
Clomping coconuts is genius. It allows the King to maintain dignity in the face of budget cuts.
We must be careful to clap as he goes by, else the whole thing doesn’t work.
Remember the Jaguar sports car made in England? The rumor was that one had to own two of them in order to have a better chance of one working at any given time especially the 12 cylinder models. Perhaps those same Jaguar engineers responsible for this failure moved over the Military when Ford took over the company. Could Russia be thinking of putting England out of their misery as we should have done over 2 centuries ago? What they need to do is transfer all those trillions of pounds in the bank accounts of the worthless parasites in the Castle and use them to run the government and put those worthless pieces of Queen-King garbage on the streets where they belong.
Reliable British motor vehicles? Now you know why Gordon Duff’s “classic British motorcycle” is actually a Kawasaki of fairly recent vintage (to be fair my 5-year old Triumph has only required retrieval with a truck a trailer a couple of times).
There is a good reason why almost all “technicals” are Toyota and Nissan.
Ive never been a fan of jaguars, but I’ve never ridden in one so I can’t say too much about them. I’ve had some different vehicles, but I’m sticking with Japanese. I’ve been driving Subaru WRX’s for the last 10 years and I’d recommend one to anyone and everyone. My 2006 WRX saved my life back in 09, when I was T-boned on the drivers side. It stalled the jaws of life…I walked away with sore ribs and a minor cut on my thumb. I got a 2010 after that, drove it for 7 years and got $10,000 on a trade in towards my 2018. They hold their value pretty well and they’re incredibly reliable in all weather conditions, and Canadian winters can be harsh.
You have remote control planes? That’s awesome. I’ve always wanted to try one, but I’d have to get my own because I’d be afraid to crash someone else’s. My dad had one when I was growing up and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. The Outback or Forrester should have plenty of room to transport your planes.
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