Monday 29 August 2016

Post-SDSR optimism disappearing over the horizon

The November 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review appeared to deliver a broadly positive result for the RN. Although much of what was promised would not materialise until far into the future, there was an end to the perpetual cycle of cuts and some cautious optimism. 8 months on the feel-good factor is evaporating and there is a rising tide of anger amongst those who understand what is happening to the navy. It is increasingly difficult to have confidence that government promises for the long-term will deliver tangible results when they are failing to deliver in the short-term.

Recent attempts by mainstream media to highlight deficiencies with the Navy have mostly focused on the wrong issues. Much has been made about the Type 45 propulsion problems and there was a massive over-reaction to all six being alongside in Portsmouth for summer leave. The situation is certainly far from ideal but the 5 of the 6 ships are in the normal operating cycle and at the time of writing, HMS Daring is about to leave for 9 months in the of the Arabian Gulf. According to many reports, the weakening of the Pound against the US Dollar caused by Brexit will massively inflate the cost of the F-35, P-8 and other defence purchases from the US. In fact the truth is more complicated. Although there is some worry over budget impacts, the Treasury keeps some reserves in Dollars, builds in contingencies for currency fluctuations into its planning and the Pound may have rallied by the time payments have to be made. Instead let us focus on greater immediate causes for concern.

5 reasons to write an angry letter to your MP

1. Failure to start Type 26 Frigate Construction

Despite decades in planning, millions of pounds already spent on multiple concepts and designs, the construction of these urgently needed frigates has still not started and no future date has been set. There was already disappointment when the SDSR made it clear that only 8 Type 26 would be built instead of the 13 that had long been expected. (At least 5 cheaper/simpler Type 31s will be built to make up the shortfall). It is apparent that the cost of Type 26 has somehow spiralled up to at least £750 million per ship, despite being a fairly low risk, conventional design that partially uses existing equipment.

On 20th July the House of Commons Defence Select Committee treated us to a session that attempted to examine the procurement of the Type 26. We were truly ‘through the looking glass’ into a surreal world where each individual is apparently able to make logical and sensible statements but seen collectively the situation amounts to nonsense. The MoD’s chief negotiator says the delays are to ensure the taxpayer gets best value for money and we must “learn the lesson from the past not to rush into things”. In the same committee it is said we must “learn the lesson from the past that delays always increase costs”. The First Sea Lord insists he is “comfortable” with the number of ships he has got and we can no longer afford to factor combat losses into naval planning. The Defence minister (in the job for 2 days) insists there is no shortage of money and government is “committed to shipbuilding on the Clyde”. The Defence Select Committee continues to ask searching questions and express its concern about a wide variety of issues but nothing changes. Most importantly, no one is accountable, nobody’s career, pay or prospects are imperilled by failures and none of these people will still be in these jobs when the crunch comes in future.

In a world that is becoming more dangerous and unstable, the Navy’s frigates are getting older. The first Type 23, HMS Argyll is scheduled to decommission in 2023. There is just 7 years left for the first Type 26 (or Type 31) to be built, conduct trials and work up to be fully operational. This is a very taught schedule, every delay increases the chance the RN will dip below 19 escorts or have to spend more money keeping obsolete and clapped-out Type 23s going beyond what is prudent.

2. Tide class tankers now 8 months overdue without explanation

RFA Tidespring

RFA Tidespring on sea trials off South Korea

Four tide class tankers are being built by DSME in South Korea for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. They are urgently needed to replace and ageing fleet of old vessels, some of which have already decommissioned. Building them abroad has been highly controversial but appeared to be a sensible solution, given the lack of capacity in UK yards and cost benefits. Large scale fraud uncovered at DSME and the company’s temporary bankruptcy, together with the delays have badly damaged the case for building future RFA vessels abroad. The first vessel RFA Tidespring was originally due to arrive in Falmouth for final fitting out in January 2015. Sources say Tidespring performed well on sea trials but the MoD has been entirely silent about the cause of the delay, whether it is technical or manpower-related. However the MoD optimistically insists all four ships will be in service by 2018 and the taxpayer will not have to bear the costs associated with the delay.

3. Scan Eagle UAVs lease not renewed

Scan Eagle UAV

Scan Eagle UAV deployed aboard RFA Cardigan Bay in the Arabian Gulf, 2014

The RN has made commendable efforts in the last few years to build up expertise and encourage industry support in operating UAVs. 700X Squadron was specifically formed to operate Scan Eagle and experiment with other unmanned systems. Despite trialing the Scan Eagle as far back as 2005, the RN finally found the funds to lease some of these simple aircraft from Boeing in 2013. It is a relatively cheap system and only cost £60M for the 3 years it has been in RN service, successfully deployed in the Indian Ocean and Gulf where it vastly extends the area a ship can keep under surveillance. (And is much cheaper to fly than the embarked helicopter). It was announced in July 2016 that the RN did not have any money in its budget to renew the Scan Eagle lease. It is absurd that as exercise Unmanned Warrior takes place in October 2016, the RN is being forced to give up its only operational UAV. An MoD spokesman managed to spin Unmanned Warrior as “an opportunity to inform Scan Eagle replacement decisions”.

4. RFA Diligence put up for sale without replacement

RFA-Diligence

RFA Diligence working with US forces in the Arabian Gulf

The RN’s only Operational Maintenance and Repair (OMAR) ship is being sold with no official announcement made and no replacement planned or funded. When your fleet is already too small it is foolish to dispense with the capability provided by RFA Diligence, acting as is a force multiplier. Full details in our earlier post here.

5. Four modern River class OPVs to be decommissioned

HMS_Severn

HMS Severn on patrol in UK territorial waters

The SDSR 2015 made it clear that the ‘Batch 1’ River class HMS Tyne, Severn and Mersey would be decommissioned to be replaced by very similar new Batch 2 River Class OPVs currently being built in Glasgow. The Batch 1s were all commissioned in 2003 and will have only served in the RN for around 15 years. It is a dismal waste to decommission these relatively modern vessels when they have plenty of life left in them and we are so short of hulls. With a crew of just 30 and an annual running cost of around £20M, it is pitiful that we cannot afford to retain them in some role. (More detailed discussion here). Furthermore it is now clear Falklands patrol vessel HMS Clyde, commissioned in 2007 will also be axed and replaced by a new vessel. The SDSR promise of ‘up to 6 patrol vessels’ actually means 5, although a slightly improved design this is a net gain of just 1 ship.

If the RN is not allowed to keep these ships, perhaps they could somehow be retained in UK service by donating them to the UK Border Force and funding their operating costs from the Home Office budget. This could be a politically useful option for a Government increasingly accused of failing to protect our borders. Of course these ships will make very attractive second-hand purchases for overseas navies and the temptation to flog them off will probably be too much for the Treasury.

 



from Save the Royal Navy http://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/post-sdsr-optimism-disappears-over-the-horizon/

Saturday 27 August 2016

New Long Form Content – Type 31 General Purpose Frigate (GPFF)

The Royal Navy Type 31 General Purpose Frigate (GPFF) is a new class of vessel designed to provide a lower cost vessel in the capability space between the Batch 2 River Class OPV and Type 26 Frigate. This series will examine the history of the Type 31 GPFF and as details emerge, the capabilities section ...

The post New Long Form Content – Type 31 General Purpose Frigate (GPFF) appeared first on Think Defence.



from Think Defence http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2016/08/new-long-form-content-type-31-general-purpose-frigate-gpff/

Friday 26 August 2016

Official Statistics: Improvised Explosive Device events involving UK personnel on Op Herrick in Helmand Province, Afghanistan

This one-off report has been provided in response to a number of requests for information from the media and general public about Improvised Explosive Device (IED) events involving UK armed forces on operations in Afghanistan. This release provides summary statistics on IED events in Helmand Province, Afghanistan involving UK personnel during Op Herrick. This report ...

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from Think Defence http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2016/08/official-statistics-improvised-explosive-device-events-involving-uk-personnel-op-herrick-helmand-province-afghanistan/

National Statistics: MOD trade, industry and contracts: 2016

This bulletin provides figures on the composition and scope of the department’s expenditure, information on the impact of defence spending on the wider economy, and compares the MOD’s spending to that of other departments and other countries. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-trade-industry-and-contracts-2016 There is some interesting data here but be careful of over-simplification and look into the footnotes before ...

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from Think Defence http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2016/08/national-statistics-mod-trade-industry-contracts-2016/

Tuesday 16 August 2016

Exclusive interview: Junior Defence Procurement Minister opens up about his shipbuilding heartbreak

On the day HMS Forth is launched we managed to get a transcript of this exclusive interview. Freddie Hackworthy, former defence reporter for the Daily Star talks with Defence Procurement Minister, the Right Honourable Graham Gittins, MP.

Thank you Minister for sparing some of your valuable time to talk about Britain’s newest battleship HMS Forth.

The Navy doesn’t have battleships anymore, fighting ships are generally referred to as warships.

So what kind of fighting will this ship be capable of?

Ah… this ship is not for fighting, she’s an OPV – HMS Forth is an Offshore Patrol Vessel for patrolling offshore.

Don’t all the Navy’s ships go offshore?

Well yes, but HMS Forth will be used to patrol UK territorial waters. She is going to replace one of the three Batch 1 River Class OPVs that stay close to home keeping our waters safe, except sometimes we have to send them overseas to the Caribbean or the Aegean.

Why are you getting rid of three OPVs we already have when they are less than 15 years old? As we are leaving the EU, won’t protecting our fish and migration patrols actually need more ships?

We are absolutely committed to securing our maritime borders. HMS Forth and new OPVs are a big upgrade on the old OPVs. She has a flight deck and the bow is a much nicer shape.

So does HMS Forth have any weapons?

Yes she is equipped with the very latest 30mm gun.

Gosh, 30mm that really is a very short gun, I could fit that in my pocket.

No, 30mm is the width of the barrel, not the length of the barrel.

Why is she called HMS Forth, is she the 4th of her kind?

She’s actually the 5th River class vessel.

So she’s being built on the River Forth?

No we don’t build ships on the Forth, apart from aircraft carriers, she is being built on the Clyde.

Why not call her HMS Clyde?

We already have an HMS Clyde – she was built in Portsmouth.

Make sense, so how much will building HMS Forth cost?

HMS Forth will cost £116 Million, Britain can be proud that the Royal Navy will own the most expensive OPV in the world.

So why does this little ship with 1 small gun cost so much?

Back in 2009 the Government signed a binding agreement that guarantees that BAE Systems will keep making profits. Unfortunately we are obliged to keep ordering ships from them even if they are the wrong type of ships and grossly over-priced. But those kind of mistakes are all past now and this government is fully committed to getting the best possible deal for the taxpayer.

If HMS Forth is not a fighting ship, what ships do the fighting?

We have 19 frigates and destroyers to do the fighting. In addition to all the new OPVs, our wonderful new frigate program is going to deliver 8 Type 26 frigates and at least 5 Type 31 frigates.

Tell me about the Type 31, is it like an OPV or even or corvette?

Corvette is a dirty word which I thank you not to use in polite conversation. No, the Type 31 GPFF will be a cheap, yet credible frigate will a full range of fighting capability. British industry will benefit immensely because the Type 31 will have huge export potential.

But the design doesn’t actually exist yet…

No, but never-the-less it has huge export potential. With the Type 31 we may even be able to afford more than 13 frigates one day.

I thought the Type 26 Frigate was supposed to have great export potential and be affordable because we are using equipment already on our old frigates?

It has transpired that the Type 26 now occupies the higher end of the surface combatant cost spectrum which has disincentivised overseas interest and required some fiscal recalculation.

So why haven’t we started building the Type 26 frigates yet?

It is vitally important we get the best possible deal for the taxpayer. The MoD has hired some consultants who are really playing hardball with BAE Systems, they have already agreed to knock £500 off the cost of each frigate. We are hopeful of driving the cost down even further if we hang on for longer.

So when will work on the Type 26 frigates actually begin, is it because you don’t actually have the money?

Of course we have the money, as you know this government has committed to spending 2% of DGP on defence! I couldn’t possibly say when the work will begin as that very commercially sensitive, you understand – maybe next year or the year after.

But what about the shipyards and the workers, what will they do in the meantime?

We may consider ordering some more OPVs to fill the gap.

Won’t building more OPVs the navy doesn’t really want cost a lot of money plus you’ll have to pay even more to keep old ships going to cover the delay?

We have to be seen to be getting the best possible deal for the taxpayer…

So wouldn’t it be better to get on with building the Type 26 right away?

Come now, we seem to be going around in circles…

Yes minister we do.

 

 

Main image: BAE Systems. HMS Forth rolled out of construction shed at Govan, Glasgow, 13th August 2016, ready to be lowered into the Clyde.

 

 



from Save the Royal Navy http://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/exclusive-interview-junior-defence-procurement-minister-opens-up-about-his-shipbuilding-heartbreak/

Monday 15 August 2016

Project Update and a Question

A regular update on the long form projects. One of my intentions with these longer posts is to keep them up to date and relevant by adding content and updating on a regular basis. New content, images and improved formatting on the following; Conflict prevention using low cost air power Complex Weapons Sea Viper Meteor ...

The post Project Update and a Question appeared first on Think Defence.



from Think Defence http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2016/08/project-update-question/

Sunday 14 August 2016

Corporate report: Service Inquiry into the Watchkeeper (WK031) Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) accident at West Wales Airport on 16 October 2014

From the MoD… A Service Inquiry has been carried out into the accident involving the Watchkeeper (WK031) Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) at West Wales Airport on 16 October 2014 . The final report has been published to inform the military Chain of Command and the public of the findings of the inquiry and its recommendations ...

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from Think Defence http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2016/08/corporate-report-service-inquiry-watchkeeper-wk031-unmanned-air-vehicle-uav-accident-west-wales-airport-16-october-2014/

News story: Innovation Initiative to bring future-tech and ideas to the Armed Forces

From the MoD… Surveillance drones inspired by dragonflies, laser weapons, mobile robots that can inspect incidents involving chemical materials, sensors that use gravity to survey underground structures in minutes, and virtual reality helmets to practice calling in simulated air strikes. These are the types of futuristic technology that along with other smart solutions are set ...

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from Think Defence http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2016/08/news-story-innovation-initiative-bring-future-tech-ideas-armed-forces/

Friday 12 August 2016

Bring back Navy Days

The tradition of Navy Days dates back to the 1920s when the Royal Dockyards were open to the public for “Navy Week”. Under various names and formats these events were held every year (except during WWII) until the RN finally gave up on Navy Days with the final Meet your Navy event in Portsmouth in 2010.

Memorable occasions

Besides a wide variety of ships open to visitors, Navy Days in the 1970s until the 2000s typically included flying displays, river and basin displays, parachute jumps, the Royal Marine band, static displays and stalls and much more. There was something for all the family. It is difficult to see any downside to staging these events. The public, particularly in the naval towns got to see and understand what the navy does and had a great day out. The local tourism benefited from an increase of visitors. Above all it was a powerful public relations exercise for the Navy while a large share of the monies raised went to supporting the work of naval charities.

The SDSR of 2010 was a body blow to the RN and its is understandable that a service down to a bare minimum of ships and personnel felt that Navy Days was a commitment that could be dispensed with. The RN remains very much under that same pressure but in 2016 there has been a significant change to the operating patterns of the last few years, much of the RN surface fleet is alongside or in UK waters this summer. This is to allow ship’s companies a good leave period in effort to retain personnel and build bridges after too many broken promises in the past. There is also a Russian threat that demands ships be kept closer to home and there is the regular autumn Cougar deployment to prepare for. However with most of the surface fleet in our naval bases for August, and presumably for the next few summers to come, it is harder to argue there are no ships available to be put on display for just two or three days.

Navy Days duty was never particularly popular amongst sailors but it only requires quite small numbers to man the ship when open to visitors. With sensible management it would have only minor impact on summer leave and duty rosters. There is still an obvious shortage of RN ships available when compared to the past, however it is quite possible to ‘pad out’ what is on display by inviting vessels from foreign navies and other maritime organisations. In the past many foreign warships have participated, historic ships, vessels from the Army, Trinity House, the British Antarctic Survey, the Sea Cadets, and others have all been part of the show.

Security concerns have sometimes been cited as a reason not to hold Navy Days. In the 1980s when there was a sharp rise in IRA attacks on mainland Britain but the RN did not flinch. Security was increased, strict bag searches were introduced and below decks access to ships was reduced. Naval bases are inherently secure and can monitor and control who enters with much more ease than many of the other venues currently used for armed forces events.

The much smaller Dutch navy manages to stage thriving Den Helder Navy Days events most years. It is also interesting to note that despite having fought a war sustaining considerable loses and damage, as well as supporting continuing commitments in the South Atlantic, the RN still managed to stage Plymouth Navy Days in August 1982.

  • Navy-Week-1933

    1933 Poster. Portsmouth, Chatham and Plymouth dockyards open to the public for Navy Week. Image courtesy of Mike Ashworth, via Flickr (Click for full size version)

  • Large crowds at Chatham Navy Days in 1968 que to visit white-painted hydrographic survey ships

    Large crowds queuing to board white-painted ships of the hydrographic squadron.

  • Plymouth-Navy-Days-1981

    Map showing ships open to the public – Plymouth Navy Days, 1981

  • No shortage of ships to see at Plymouth Navy Days 1986. HMS Avenger & Ambuscade seen form RFA Tidespring.

    No shortage of ships to climb aboard at Plymouth Navy Days 1986. HMS Avenger & Ambuscade seen from RFA Olwen.

  • Probably the last time a RN submarine was open to the general public. HMS Torbay, Devonport 2006

    Probably the last time a Royal Navy submarine was open to the general public. HMS Torbay sporting her ‘Mediterranean blue’ paint scheme, Plymouth Navy Days 2006.

The battle for hearts and minds

While canceling Navy Days may have made sense at the time, it has been to the detriment of the RN in the long-term. Navy Days had a big impact on the public perception of the service and is also just one of the many unhelpful ingredients of a growing sea blindness in the UK. One does not tend to forget the warships you have actually stood on and the sailors you met on board, people then follow the activities of the ship with a more personal interest. At a time when the RN needs political and public support to ensure it is funded properly, abandoning the biggest opportunity for the public to have access to its navy is counter-productive. The recruitment aspects are also significant. A single Navy Days is unlikely to have a big impact, but over several years many children are denied seeing the navy first hand and are less likely to consider the RN as a career.

Individual ships are open to visitors in ports round the UK quite frequently and they often over-subscribed but this is no substitute for the thousands that would attend Navy Days. The best effort in the last few years has been a a sideshow at the Bournemouth Air Festival. Up to 4 ships are anchored off the beach and a few lucky members of the public can visit by pre-booked boat trips. The RNAS Yeovilton and Culdrose Air Days are excellent events to that promote naval aviation but fundamentally the navy is about ships.

While the RN is increasingly out of sight and out of mind, the RAF is in attendance at around 45 airshows every summer. 26 of them are can be considered major airshows with RAF hosting a several and providing aircraft including the Red Arrows & Typhoons, plus ground displays. Of course with hundreds of aircraft that can fly all over the country for flypasts and air displays the RAF has the advantage in maintaining a high public profile. It is therefore even more important the RN does not shoot itself in the foot by not opening up a naval base once a year. Ironically while naval enthusiasts have not a single event to attend, aviation enthusiasts are up in arms because, out of more than 40 airshows on offer, a handful have been cancelled (due to tighter regulations and higher costs resulting from the Shoreham Air Show disaster in 2015).

Looking ahead

By the time the two aircraft carriers are complete, every person in Britain will have contributed an average of £110 through their taxes to the cost. Perhaps it is only fair a few taxpayers get the opportunity to really appreciate them close up. With the arrival of HMS Queen Elizabeth there is an obvious centrepiece for a Portsmouth Navy Days 2017 that would be a huge public attraction. The largest vessel ever built for the RN has the capacity to cope with crowds and to some extent mitigate for the inevitably small number of other RN vessels on show.

With a little imagination the RN, renowned for its organisational and presentational ability can make this happen. It could be done without a big impact on operational priorities while having a huge benefit to the profile, understanding and support for the service. Lets bring back this much loved institution, alternating between Devonport and Portsmouth every year.

This article was inspired by a comment on Twitter by the excellent Gabriele Molinelli.

 

Main image: Meet your Navy, the last Navy Days to date, Portsmouth 2010 just before the carnage of the SDSR.


from Save the Royal Navy http://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/bring-back-navy-days/

Wednesday 10 August 2016

A guest post from The Remote Control Project As President Barack Obama’s administration releases its once-secret guidance on kill and capture operations against terrorist targets outside areas of active hostilities, the UK must look to improve its own transparency. On Saturday, the Obama administration released a redacted version of its policy on action against terrorist ...

The post appeared first on Think Defence.



from Think Defence http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2016/08/44713/

Tuesday 9 August 2016

New Project – Persistent Surveillance on the Cheap

In an era where personnel numbers are challenged, threats are everywhere and cycle time between observation and action, especially for high value targets, becoming increasingly compressed, an all seeing eye can provide many advantages in a variety of operational scenarios. The idea of persistent ground based surveillance is not a new one, and anyone that ...

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from Think Defence http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2016/08/new-project-persistent-surveillance-cheap/

FOI release: FOI responses published by MOD: week commencing 1 August 2016

Ministry of Defence (MOD) Freedom of Information (FOI) responses published during the week commencing 1 August 2016 from Ministry of Defence – Activity on GOV.UK http://ift.tt/2b8FxHq Royal Navy (RN) individuals competent to conduct fitness and swimming tests/assessments including relevant protocols, policies and instructions Ref: Navy FOI 2016/06706PDF, 77.3KB Attachment: 2007DIN07-076 – Individuals competent conduct single ...

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from Think Defence http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2016/08/foi-release-foi-responses-published-mod-week-commencing-1-august-2016/

Thursday 4 August 2016

RFA Diligence sold – another stealth cut to the Navy

The was no official announcement but the RN has just lost another important capability. RFA Diligence is a forward repair ship able to provide specialist engineering support to ships and submarines alongside in overseas ports or even at sea. Diligence has been inactive in Birkenhead for over a year and the MoD has just put her up for sale.

RFAs do not conduct a formal decommissioning ceremony like HM ships so it was easy for the MoD to quietly decide to dispose of her. Even after the SDSR of 2015 the MoD was giving RFA Diligence’s out of service date as 2020 but a deadly combination of lack of money and manpower appear to have brought a premature end to her career. At the time of writing she remains optimistically listed as active on the Royal Navy website.

Diligence is the perfect name for an odd-looking ship, an unsung hero diligently performing vital support work almost unnoticed. Built in 1981 as an oil rig support vessel Stena Seaspread, she was a Ship Taken Up From Trade (STUFT) and sent to the South Atlantic to act as floating repair vessel during the Falklands war. It proved to be a very wise decision with so many ships sustaining damage during air attacks. The engineers aboard worked round the clock performing miracles of improvisation in their floating workshop, patching up ships to rejoin the fight or making them seaworthy enough for the long journey home. Appreciating her great value the MoD purchased the ship after the war, renaming her Diligence and she has served for 33 years all over the globe. She was often overseas for up to 5 years at a time with her civilian crew and naval party being rotated at 4-6 month intervals. She has provided aid to many stricken naval vessels over the years but in recent times most of her work has been supporting submarines deployed East of Suez.

Selling a 35-year-old vessel would not be worthy of much comment IF there was a credible plan to replace her but there was no commitment in SDSR 2015, only vague promises to keep “looking at the options”.

Diligence is still in very good condition having had major life-extension in 2007 and had a general refit at Cammel Lairds as recently as March 2015, there is no material reason she should not keep serving until 2020.

There are 4 Trafalgar class submarines still in service, the last of which will not decommission until 2022. Assuming they will continue to be sent East of Suez, these vessels will need greater engineering support as they age. They will have to make do without her specialist facilities and rely on what is available in various Gulf ports. The RN is building a new permanent support base in Bahrain which could be an excuse as to why we can do without a forward repair ship. Doubtless the new facilities in Bahrain will provide great service to vessels in the Gulf region. However a repair ship can be sent anywhere in the world in response to unpredictable events. Diligence had a dynamic positioning system that allowed her to come safely alongside and raft up with ships at sea. During the Falklands War she was able to conducted major repairs in the open ocean, an option that is now gone.

  • Stena Seaspread

    Damaged by an unexploded 1000lb bomb, HMS Antrim approaches MV Stena Seaspread for repairs, Falklands 1982 (Imperial War Museum photo)

  • RFA Diligence conducts engineering work on Trafalgar class submarine, Fujairah, UAE

    RFA Diligence conducts engineering work on Trafalgar class submarine, Fujairah, UAE

  • As sea in the Gulf, RFA Diligence acts as target ship for RN boarding training

    As sea in the Gulf, RFA Diligence acts as target ship for RN boarding training

  • RFA Diligence conducts rafting-up trails with an Astute class submarine - HMS Ambush in Scottish Waters

    RFA Diligence conducts rafting-up trails with an Astute class submarine – HMS Ambush in Scottish Waters

The recession in the oil industry has given rise to a global surplus of offshore support ships available on the second-hand market. A modern equivalent to Diligence could probably be obtained for less than £30M. It would require some conversion work but for a budget of around £50M the MoD could replace this ship. Of course the bigger challenge at present would be finding the crew and engineering staff.

The loss of Diligence in itself not catastrophic, just another instance of salami-slicing, death by a thousand small cuts in the hope that it goes almost unnoticed. This ship was a genuine force-multiplier that allowed vessels with damage or defects to quickly return to action without long passage home for repair. When your fleet is already too small, removing a relatively cheap capability that can maximise your assets is simply foolish.

Main image: RFA Diligence (axed 2016) prepares to raft up with HMS Cornwall (axed 2011).

 



from Save the Royal Navy http://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/rfa-diligence-sold-another-stealth-cut-to-the-navy/

FOI release: FOI responses published by MOD: week commencing 25 July 2016

Ministry of Defence (MOD) Freedom of Information (FOI) responses published during the week commencing 25 July 2016 from Ministry of Defence – Activity on GOV.UK http://ift.tt/2aAq2FT   Number of staff in Finance Job Family (FJF) and salary (as at 30 September 2010), number of staff in Central Legal Services (as at 1 April 2016) and ...

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from Think Defence http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2016/08/foi-release-foi-responses-published-mod-week-commencing-25-july-2016/

HL1367 – AWE (Answered)

Baroness Jolly To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the current anticipated outturn costs and in-service dates for (1) Project Mensa, and (2) Project Pegasus, at the Atomic Weapons Establishment. Earl Howe The anticipated outturn costs cannot be provided. The current approved costs and in-service dates for Project Mensa and Project Pegasus are shown below. ...

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from Think Defence http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2016/08/hl1367-awe-answered/

Policy paper: 2015 to 2020 government policy: Military Aid to the Civil Authorities for activities in the UK

The support of the armed forces to civil authorities in the UK is officially termed Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA). This paper shows the policy of the 2015 to 2020 Conservative government. Find out about the current government’s policies. Related information 2010 to 2015 government policy: armed forces support for activities in the ...

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from Think Defence http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2016/08/policy-paper-2015-2020-government-policy-military-aid-civil-authorities-activities-uk/