01/09/2010
RN to share Carriers with the French?

Barking mad! Storm of protest over controversial call for Royal Navy to share aircraft carriers with the Frence.

See report by Ian Drury Daily Mail - Wednesday 1 September 2010.

A proposal for Britain and France to share their aircraft carriers was last night described as 'barking mad' by military experts 

Fury erupted after it was claimed that David Cameron was preparing to announce the measure in an attempt to save money.  Sources in Whitehall said it would allow the Ministry of Defence to downgrade or even scrap one of the two 65,000ton replacement carriers being built at a cost of £5.2billion.

But critics said the plan would jeopardise the UK's military independence and place security of the nation in the hands of France, our oldest enemy.

Commander John Muxworthy, a Falklands veteran-who is chief executive of the UK National Defence Association - which campaigns to ensure the Armed Forces have the right weapons and equipment - branded the plan 'absolutely barking'.  He said: 'Sharing aircraft carriers with the French is a cute idea but it is highly impractical and certainly not in the national interest.

'When push came to shove, France would put its own national interest first. We would lose national independence.  'The Royal Navy is Britain's oceangoing police force, and if you haven't got a proper police force you are going to get robbed.'

An MoD insider said: 'We could find ourselves in a very difficult situation if we wanted to carry out an operation using the French carrier, and it was blocked by politicians in Paris.'  

There was also concern over British troops being sent to risk their lives on a mission ordered by France.

Under the carriers plan, Britain and France would pool their resources to ensure one of three flagship vessels - two British and one French - would always be at sea. Each vessel would remain under domestic command.

Defence Secretary Liam Fox is set to meet his French counterparts tomorrow to discuss the proposal.   That would pave the way for an announcement by Mr Cameron and French president Nicolas Sarkozy at a summit in November.

A Whitehall source said: 'Liam has made it clear that we want more co-operation as we have to face up to the world we are living in.  'The advantage is that if we are going to have one carrier, then at least we can still project our power on the sea.'

The MoD is under massive pressure to cut its £36.9billion budget by up to 20 per cent. The defence equipment programme is already £ 36billion over budget.    However, Royal Navy sources told the Daily Mail that the cost of scrapping one of the new carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, being constructed at five shipyards around the UK and due to launch in 2016 and 2018, would be prohibitive. The project is already a quarter complete.

Britain has two aircraft carriers, HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious, supported by the commando carrier HMS Ocean.

At any one time, one carries fast jets - known as the 'strike capacity' - one carries helicopters and commandos, and one is being maintained and repaired in dock.

Gwyn Prins, a research professor at the London School of Economics, said: 'At first glance it may seem sensible to pool aircraft carriers with the French. But a moment's reflection in the light of past history and of modern geopolitics shows it is unwise.

'And what happens if we decide to conduct an operation that the French don't like?'

An MoD spokesman said: 'The Defence Secretary has made it clear that tough decisions will need to be made but speculation about the outcome of the Strategic Defence and Security Review is entirely unfounded.'

Click to read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1307586/Protest-Royal-Navy-share-aircraft-carriers-French.html#ixzz0yGM7c5nF