Dominic Cummings seeks to launch defence review

[DWG]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/dec/16/dominic-cummings-seeks-to-launch-mod-spending-review
Cummings has precisely zero background in defence, as the quote within the article shows. And of course as an aide, rather than a minister or even MP, it's not for him to set policy, but that's never stopped him so far.

 

[Sferrin]

Some days I really, really hate politicians.

 

[Hood]

Oh goodie, and there was Williamson trying to squeeze out more pennies for his crackpot schemes now we ping-pong right back to the start again.

Ah well I'm sure we could flog off the carriers to a Latin American nation and if Scotland goes independent they won't need to worry about replacing Trident. Then down to Argos for the New Year sales to buy 100,000 drones and we're all quids in. Operate them with zero-hour contract teenagers and we're really raking in the money, Deliveroo with Brimstones.

 

[A Tentative Fleet Plan]

Operate them with zero-hour contract teenagers and we're really raking in the money, Deliveroo with Brimstones.

I wonder if Cumming's Omni-Flow-Chart of deranged scribblings has a branch that ends with the poorly-paid teenagers joining the IWGB, using the drones to bomb parliament, and creating a Socialist Republic.

(interestingly he appears to have an obsession with drones having mentioned using drone swarms to bomb parliament at least once before.)

 

[Hood]

An opinion piece from one of the Guardians defence writers.

The standout quotes for me on the amounts involved;

During the 15 or so years I covered defence for the Guardian, I have calculated that, on the basis of official figures and independent analysis, as much as £280bn was wasted on disastrous equipment decisions.

Official figures put the cost of British military operations between 1990 and 2014 – the bulk of them in Iraq and Afghanistan – at £34.7bn. But independent studies have calculated that if all costs, including healthcare for veterans, are taken into account, by next year British taxpayers will have spent at least £40bn on the Afghan campaign alone.

I don't think that cost increases are particularly British-only problem, certainly the F-35 saga can't be laid at the door of the MoD, its the nature of modern weapons development. But I think the MoD's defence spending is far more under the spotlight than other nations, ever since they messed up with Swift back in 1955. And its true that the MoD have delivered some clangers since the 1960s. Its easy to point at nations like Russia, Brazil, Turkey etc. and point at their growing arms industries and swanky new kit but the real costs are not as heavily scrutinised in the press.

The QE-class is regularly brought up but the other options are no cheaper. An smaller ship for V/STOL would still have needed the expensive F-35B (and would be less capable and effective) and a CTOL carrier would have been just as big except we'd now be moaning about the EMALS catapult problems the same as the USN faced with the Fords and we'd still be buying expensive F-35Cs. No carrier at all, the RAF would still have been buying expensive F-35As and/or Bs for Harrier nostalgia reasons.

I do wonder though if Cummings will be the Sandys of our time?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/17/dominic-cummings-britain-defence-spending-mod[/quote]