THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The British military intervention in Libya is unsustainable, the head of the Navy has said.
Adml Sir Mark Stanhope said the campaign would have been more effective without the Government's defence cuts.
The aircraft carrier and the Harrier jump-jets scrapped under last year's strategic defence review would have made the mission more effective, faster and cheaper, he said.
Sir Mark warned that the Navy would not be able to sustain its operations in Libya for another three months without making cuts elsewhere.
The First Sea Lord's comments will stir the debate over defence cuts that have left Britain without a working aircraft carrier and forced the Royal Navy's Harrier jump jets to be mothballed.
Highlighting military anger over the shrinking Armed Forces, another admiral warned that "comical" defence cuts would leave the Navy without enough ships to be effective. » | James Kirkup, Political Correspondent | Monday, June 13, 2011
This PM is clueless. So is his Chancellor. Labour made one HUGE mess of things. Now this lot are trying to compete with the last shower.
To cut military spending at this dangerous time in our history is totally absurd. Cutting military spending when we are at war with militant Islam beggars belief. Then, to go into another country and get involved in a revolution is more incredible still. Just imagine if Qadhafi had decided to take us on if we had riots in the streets!
This Coalition talks about austerity, but then proceeds to squander billions in unnecessary military operations. And to add insult to injury, makes huge cutbacks at home at the same time as sending billions in overseas aid. Billions for this, and billions for that. Has Cameron never heard of the expression, Charity begins at home?
With all the U-turns that Cameron is having to make, and now this, he is really starting to prove that he is out of his depth there in Downing Street. He's behaving like the greenhorn he truly is.
How nice it would be to have a mature PM for a change. One with lots of experience in the university of life. – © Mark
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