The Royal Navy needs 4.000 sailors to keep its fleet operational. The RAF needs specialized personnel for its ground planes. That of the British General Staff may seem like a call to arms, but it is rather a logistical necessity: it must be able to maintain the status quo. Especially in view of the future.
His Majesty's navy is facing a serious problem: he must recruit sailors in view of the imminent entry into service of his new battleships. Next to the launch of the class aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (photo), 280 meters for 65 thousand tons. It will accommodate up to 40 F-35 B STOVL (short take-off and vertical landing) and will require a crew of 700 like its twin. HMS Prince of Wales, which should come into service in two years. The new offshore patrol vessel (OPV) is also in the pipeline HMS Trent, entry service also provided in the 2018.
Vice Admiral Sir Jeremy Blackham said: "From the naval point of view there is a serious problem (...) I spoke with the fleet commander who communicated to me the need for affective 3.500 / 4.000 to be able to manage the fleet in adequate manners. " He then added that "it would be impossible to send ships out to sea without full crew (...) and in the absence of an adequate number the sailors would have to rotate from ship to ship: which would mean longer periods of service and greater absence from families. "
This declaration also takes into account the near future. In fact, within the next decade Great Britain intends to deploy seven nuclear class submarines Astute, which will require additional crews.
This lack of personnel is a direct consequence of the government's cuts to the 2010 defense. Cuts of which also suffered the Royal Air Force.
Sir Michael Graydon, former Chief of Staff of the RAF, has expressed his disagreement with respect to the cuts in the Defense commenting: "Cuts and competition have pushed specialized personnel to Australia and New Zealand (...) There is no doubt that we will be forced to mobilize, and to convince people from all over the world to fill in the holes left behind.
The RAF intends to remain on the bill while maintaining the squadrons of Tornado more recent, considered by Sir Graydon excellent devices perfectly capable of serving their role, together with the first tranche of Typhoon (53), to arrive at a total of 127 jets to be deployed on the front line. All this is necessary in the possibility of an increase in forces to be used in the war against the IS.
The Secretary of Defense Michael Fallon has assured the Royal Navy for now the possibility of contemplating only new 600 actual compared to the requested 2.500, and as long as the counterpart send official 300.
Waiting for the official verdict of the Defense, which will be published at the end of next month, the vice-admiral concluded with the appeal: "We are not asking for more bombs or more bullets, but what is needed for an adequate strategy that includes: soft and hard power. "
(photo: MoD UK)
