Mr Stream

@TBrit90 I’m no expert, but from what I see from Ukraine, this is like launching HMS Vanguard in 1945.

If you think tank battles are still a thing to the side. CR3's high pressure smoothbore with the next gen rounds coming in can put a hole through the front and out the back of the most modern Russian MBTs. That combined with the modern optics and system architecture is a lethal combination whatever it shoots at.

@TomSharpe134 @TBrit90 The law of three is universal.

We beat ourselves up over @TBrit90’s charts and rightly so. But… That’s a lot of 🟥 #3:1

@pinstripedline @WetWorker666 Your shots of evidence don’t mention Canberra specifically as the delivery aircraft. Only in relation to 1000lb bombs

@WetWorker666 @DownstreamRisk No offence, but repeat after me "THE RAF PLANNED TO USE TALLBOYS ON CANBERRA". I'm not interested in decades later "actually I think you'll find" nonsense, when the RAF primary planning material is so clear.

@pinstripedline Would they fit?

@Jordan_W_Taylor I suggest you compare median wealth in UK and US.

There's been a lot of discussion this week about comically low salaries in Britain, and much cope and sour grapes as Brits try to save face in front of the yanks. The UK is poorer than all fifty US states on paper, so it’s a valid discussion. Let's have it! Firstly it's true, so let's not pretend it isn't. By averages, medians or the great state of Mississippi, the Americans get paid more. I work in US multinationals in Ireland so I get to see first hand the difference in cost rates and it's real, there's no point stressing about it: Either get a work visa or don't. I'm British, so I've seen both sides of the divide and know that comparing ourselves to America is silly, because it's on a completely different planet. But Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, among many others, also do more with what they have than us, so what gives? Firstly, let's shoot down the obvious nonsense: British people aren't lacking in spirit or vigour, or animal instincts or innovation. It's not a nation of losers or a giant crab bucket of bitter malcontents… no more than anywhere else, anyway. There's probably an extra frisson of class-based snobbishness, but people are people everywhere and Brits are more of the same, so the country's underperformance isn't some kind of divine judgement on our character. Secondly let's stop thinking about Britain as a monolith, because in reality it's two economies, not one. This island has other islands inside it, which outperform much of the world: London, Cambridge, Oxford and half a dozen others casually take in globally-leading research, finance, engineering and practically all of Formula 1. Then there's oil, jet engines, pharmaceuticals, fusion and AI. There's stuff going on in the UK that flies vanguard for the entire world. But then there's the other Britain, which I was born into. This is the vast hinterland that spreads outside the islands of wealth and sees echoes of itself in the dingy flats and drawn faces of Britain's very successful, and deeply depressing, soap operas. Thirdly, it's not all bad and it's not all about the money. Manchester is a lot poorer than similarly-sized Dublin or Minneapolis but it's also a lot more vibrant and fun. There are a hundred reasons a Brit might want to stay put instead of shipping out to Boston: Culture, community, football or just not wanting your kids to get weird accents. All good reasons, but we're still not doing as well as we should be. What gives? We need to face reality, fellow Brits. We're not the richest kids on the block or anywhere close to it: Our woodwork is decaying, our lawn is ragged, our car is old and we're keeping up appearances with fresh coats of paint. Nevermind comparing ourselves to the USA, because Poland will probably overtake us soon. There's no point coping about it online, pretending that 'Our NHS' makes up for it or lambasting immigrants, because that won't help either. What will? Britain's already good at flashy stuff. It grows more unicorns than anywhere else in Europe, it has cutting edge science and technology, a gigantic financial centre and is getting more proficient at linking University R&D into the commercial sphere. It's got the stable rule of law and all the tricky bits sorted, but struggles with the basic stuff… Britain doesn't build. Decades of not building infrastructure or housing doesn't kill you immediately, but over the decades it paralyses a country, and that's what we're seeing. A discretionary over-centralised planning system whose prime commandment is “Thou Shalt Not!” paralyses private building just as much as endless legal challenges hamstring new national infrastructure. So the moral of this story? We've got the hard bits right, but the basics wrong. That's not the worst position to be in, because it means it's fixable. On the one hand, the only thing standing in our way is ourselves. But on the other hand, we've only got ourselves to blame.

@scrowder Now do median wealth

Brits love to think they're superior to America. Here's what's ACTUALLY happening to the UK economy: -It would rank last among ALL 50 US states in GDP per capita -Its Government is raising household taxes faster than any country -It just got overtaken in stock market value by TAIWAN, a country 1/3 its size The very definiton of Europoor.

@TBrit90 If the order is cut to 6, that means the UK (law of 3) would only be able to support TAPs and commit 1 (rather than the necessary 2) to the Carrier strike group

I've mentioned this before, and it sounds far fetched but its still a scary possibility in the severe cut atmosphere we face. If 2 T26s are going to Norway then we need immediate replacement orders, if we don't see that happen then we know where we are heading.

@johnredwood What will stop them being sunk? They have no air defence of their own. Or would you just send them anyway? Until there is peace, mine sweepers will not be entering the straits. Please stop with the ignorant posts

How and when will the PM send minesweepers to the Gulf? The government withdrew the last UK minesweeper in the Middle East just before it was needed as part of their money saving cuts in the number of naval ships in commission and working.

@sarobertsonca The US is going to be lonely when China finishes its mobilisation. It could have faced it with allies.. but chose to betray them.

PM Carney: "Many of our former strengths, which rested on our close ties with the United States, have become our weaknesses now ... And while we have overcome the initial shock of the betrayal, we must never forget the lessons it has taught us. We must take care of ourselves."

@OlympusMons99 @David__Osland Vastly Chuikov arrived to defend Stalingrad in an American jeep. The UK out produced Germany and the USSR in all categories accept tanks (USSR) in the war.

@David__Osland Americans arrived late, only when Germany declared war to them (!), lost 150k in a war where 21 million soldiers died...and claim what? - Go make Hollywood movies and prey you never get in a real war, unlike the taliban ones where you even manage to lose!

The main reason Britain is 'not speaking German' is the Red Army. Not the US Marine Corps.

@BearJFK … yep, and how do you maintain skills, train officers with that. It’s a scandal

It is patently apparent that the submarine force has de facto been cut.

@thinkdefence Well I remember when 2.5% was seen as a betrayal. Eg on the way down. You can’t be a nuclear CASD state and have decent forces on 2.5%

Despite the current situation, I still think 2.5% GDP ish on defence is about right for the UK, but only if we are spending more on resilience, industrial capacity, research and development, and other things that make the foundations of the UK rock solid

@thinkdefence @MtarfaL Well for one, the air intakes are in the wrong place

Image; Something they took from us!

@thinkdefence You’d hope the Saudis would be all in now too

At this rate, GCAP will be everyone but France and the USA

@brexitblog_info Why would the UK deploy an aircraft carrier when it has a base nearby? It will be deployed shortly to the high north to protect Greenland

Whatever happened to our two aircraft carriers? Commissioned by Blair at a cost of over £6 billion (excluding aircraft). They’ve been invisible during this conflict. How did that happen?

@Eglantine99 @johnredwood It is not controlled by the US

@johnredwood Because half of the equipment budget is squandered on a useless nuclear deterrent controlled by USA. 10% entire budget thrown at Ukraine. £6 billion wasted on Ajax tanks. Wntire procurement system "broken". Blame the incompetence of government & MoD.

Israel has more military in uniform, an Iron Dome protection, more than six times as many tanks and twice as many combat aircraft than the UK for a smaller budget. Why can’t the UK government get more for our defence money?

@johnredwood Do they have CASD?

@NavyLookout Eventually the UK destroyer, frigate and SSN force should recover. But will the UK have enough sailors to crew them, and will it have lost its corporate knowledge to fight them?

Royal Navy personnel numbers increase, but experienced strength declines navylookout.com/royal-navy-per…

@VAdmNickHine @RNJobsUK @RoyalNavy @CdreJimPerks Questions, with only one SSN operable, how are skills not atrophying? How long since last Perisher? Could we even crew 3 SSNs, if they sorted maintenance? Or are we now wholly reliant on USN…

Being a submariner is the greatest challenge and honour - I'd do it all again. Passing #Perisher to be able to take command of a RN Sub was the proudest of days. #SilentService #JoinTheRoyalNavy @RNJobsUK @RoyalNavy @CdreJimPerks