DAILY MAIL ON DEFENCE BUDGET CUTS

Could this be the end of the RAF? Military chief refuses to rule out merger with Navy as cuts loom
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1248171/Green-paper-reveals-defence-budget-cuts-new-alliance-France.html

The future of the RAF and Royal Navy were thrown into doubt last night after the head of the Armed Forces said their merger should be 'debated'.
Sir Jock Stirrup caused consternation when he failed to rule out the amalgamation of two of the three cash-strapped military services.
The Chief of the Defence Staff said it was only 'plausible' that they would all exist separately in ten years' time.
The drastic cuts needed and the growing cooperation between forces in Afghanistan raised the controversial possibility that the air and sea service could unite.
Sir Jock made his comments at the unveiling of the Government's Green Paper on military reform, which lays the groundwork for a full-scale strategic defence review after the General Election.
The document, published by Defence Secretary-Bob Ainsworth, revealed no spending figures nor any indication of how the Armed Forces would look after the long-awaited shake-up. But it was revealed that:

Defence chiefs will be forced to compromise on purchasing costly state-of-the-art equipment as ministers battle to reduce the nation's £178billion deficit;
Britain can expect higher casualty rates as we are dragged into guerilla wars with increasingly sophisticated enemies;

Despite the nation's battered finances, ministers will press ahead with the £20billion update of the Trident nuclear deterrent;

The Armed Forces will have to work more closely with the French and other allies as spending cuts bite.
Mr Ainsworth also announced that the war in Afghanistan - which has claimed the lives of 253 UK service personnel - remained the top defence priority. Funding for troops and equipment will rise from £3.5billion to £5billion next year.

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And despite the urgent need for the MoD to cut costs in the face of a £ 36billion shortfall, he said that two new aircraft carriers costing £5billion each would 'most likely' go ahead.

Close All polls Click to view yesterday's poll results The Green Paper warned: 'We cannot proceed with all the activities and programmes we currently aspire to, while simultaneously supporting our current operations and investing in the new capabilities that we n


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