Defence review cuts 'risk troops' lives'

Friday, 25 February 2011 12:00 AM

By politics.co.uk staff

The lives of British troops will be put at "considerable risk" if HMS Ark Royal and the Harrier jump jet are scrapped, senior military figures have warned.

Former Army and Navy chiefs have written to David Cameron warning that amphibious operations will be hit badly by the planned changes.

Last October's strategic defence and security review (SDSR) outlined plans to replace Britain's only aircraft carrier, HMS Ark Royal, with the two new Queen Elizabeth class carriers due for operational readiness by 2020.

Harrier jump jets are to be replaced with the Eurofighter Typhoons, which will be adapted for use on the new carriers.

But the letter, whose signatories include six retired admirals, three generals and the former head of the armed forces, Field Marshal Lord Bramall, says the SDSR has made short-term decisions with little regard to Britain's future security needs.

"In our carefully considered view... in certain key areas, the decisions now about to be implemented merit rapid re-evaluation to avoid the potentially permanent loss of important military capabilities," they wrote in the private letter, seen by the Telegraph newspaper.

Defence secretary Liam Fox insisted the decisions of the SDSR would not be revisited.

That comes in spite of pressure from Labour's shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy, who yesterday suggested the recent democratic 'awakening' in the Middle East had already rendered it out of date.

"The government's plans were based on strategic and international geopolitical assumptions, many of which have been shaken over the past month," he said.

"Recent dramatic events mean that the defence review must be reopened and perhaps even rethought. It would be sensible to stop and reflect again on our nation's strategic defence needs."

The developments come as the government presides over attempts to extract Britain's remaining nationals in Libya from the wartorn country.

The SDSR stated: "In the short term, there are few circumstances we can envisage where the ability to deploy air power from the sea will be essential."

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) insisted it had the right military assets in place to assist the evacuation of British citizens from Libya, however.

"None of our allies have seen fit to position an aircraft carrier off the coast of Libya as this is not the tool required for this task; there is no requirement for ground attack aircraft, but even if there were we would use our extensive regional basing and over flight rights," Dr Fox said.

"Difficult decisions had to be taken to tackle the £38 billion deficit left by Labour at the MoD and the SDSR will not be reopened."

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