ARmy Rumour SErvice

**Oddbod** · 04-07-2012, 00:54

Originally Posted by SUU23

No major war in the next 10 years, Dave says so. No problem.

Didn't we play to that rule once before when a certain Herr Hitler was starting to look to rearrange his living room?

I seem to recall it somewhat hampered our response.

**Grumblegrunt** · 04-07-2012, 01:38

Originally Posted by Oddbod

Didn't we play to that rule once before when a certain Herr Hitler was starting to look to rearrange his living room?

I seem to recall it somewhat hampered our response.

which is strange as we had the worlds biggest navy, large if non domestic army, airforce etc...

we were confused though and even sank the french fleet because it was the default setting.

**SUU23** · 04-07-2012, 01:55

Originally Posted by Grumblegrunt

and even sank the french fleet because it was the default setting.

That, my friend is simply tradition.

**Oddbod** · 04-07-2012, 01:56

Originally Posted by Grumblegrunt

which is strange as we had the worlds biggest navy, large if non domestic army, airforce etc...

we were confused though and even sank the french fleet because it was the default setting.

We had a navy with rangefinders that proved inadequate 20 years prior, a small but well disciplined army with similar equipment issues & an air force that in the main flew aircraft hardly better than those of 1918.
It wasn't until the "10 year rule" was scrapped that modern weaponry became available, barely in time & initially in inadequate amounts & with the bugs still to be ironed out.

"Si vis pacem, para bellum" is as relevant today as it was a millennium or two back.

**LeoRoverman** · 04-07-2012, 09:17

Well with respect if DC says we will not be involved in a war for 10 years, then presumably that is Government policy and we won't be, or he's not expecting a war in the next ten years. There is that distinction. However it's worth bearing in mind that we could have a non interventionist policy-it's largely a tradition of intervention that rules in this country. Clausewictz says that war must have a logical positive outcome as the army is the forcefull arm of Government policy. However if the concept is that war is unexpected in the next ten years-the unexpected happens and then Oddbod is right, if you want peace prepare for war. It's really all down to Government mentality. Incidentally Portillo did a rather good piece on the Oran incdient which he argues was more important than the B of B

**Cold_Collation** · 04-07-2012, 09:27

Borrowed from a link over on PPRUNE. Long, but worth a read. What an unmitigated cluster...

UK Armed Forces Commentary: F35B, F35C, rethinks, weaponry, costs and the difficult choices - UPDATED

**Yokel** · 07-07-2012, 09:00

Originally Posted by Biscuits_Brown

He's kinda right. Insofar as we will not be involved in one.

What about ones that happen and we are involved in without choice?

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9103085062

**seaweed** · 07-07-2012, 11:01

Policy seems to be predicated on a fantasy belief in elective war as being the only sort of war there is.

**Yokel** · 10-07-2012, 13:35

Originally Posted by seaweed

Policy seems to be predicated on a fantasy belief in elective war as being the only sort of war there is.

Yes, but then again they don't expect unexpected things to happen do they? Although the politicians feel free to wave their fists and say that military action may be taken, they cannot understand why this might be at odds with the belief that everything is predictable.