- Reaction score
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- Points
- 430
From the 26 July 2007 edition of the Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/26/ncarrier126.xml
£4bn carriers 'will be jewel in Navy's crown'
By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:27am BST 26/07/2007
A major defence spending programme that will secure the Royal Navy's future was announced by the Government yesterday.Two large aircraft carriers that will become the "jewel in the crown" for the Navy will cost the taxpayer almost £4 billion, Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, told the Commons.Military chiefs were informed that the defence budget would rise by almost £8 billion over the next four years, a 1.5 per cent increase in real terms. The appalling state of some Service housing is also to be remedied with an injection of £550 million.However, the Tories warned that not enough is being spent to fight present campaigns.The 65,000-ton carriers, the Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales, will give Britain a highly potent platform far from home.More than 10,000 jobs will be secured around the country when work begins on what will be the biggest warship ever built for the Navy.In a unique joint venture, four sections of the carriers will each be built in Portsmouth, Rosyth in Fife, Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria and the Clyde before being floated on huge barges to be assembled.The ships will carry 40 of the advanced F35 Joint Strike Fighters or 25 Chinook helicopters and will be crewed by 1,500 sailors.The carriers will be built by rival companies, including BAE Systems and VT Group, forming business alliances. However, there was early controversy as the initial date on which the Queen Elizabeth was to come into service slipped by two years to 2014. The Prince of Wales will follow two years later.Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, the First Sea Lord, said the decision meant that Britain remained "big boys in the navy league". "We can provide influence, show determination and if required go on operations. This is a very powerful statement and a very significant signal that shows Britain intends to have a balanced affordable Navy with a real punch well into the future."The carriers will have a service life of 40 years. The announcement was made as the Government decided to bring forward the comprehensive spending review that determines the defence budget from 2008 to 2011.While conscious that "a lot" was being asked of the Armed Forces, Mr Browne said the "significant additional investment" showed that the Government "does all it can to support troops and their families".It was also confirmed that £1 billion will continue to be spent on the replacement to the Trident nuclear deterrent. There had been a possibility of the Navy losing one of its three major bases following a review. But Faslane on Gare Loch off the Clyde, Plymouth and Portsmouth will remain, although the latter could suffer job cuts.It also appeared that the Navy will receive all eight of the advanced anti-air Type 45 destroyers that will be vital in protecting the carriers, defence sources said. But they did not give full backing to the third tranche of 88 RAF Eurofighter Typhoons, suggesting that the £60 million aircraft might be sacrificed.The budgets announcement was questioned by the Tories who suggested that, with defence spending dropping marginally to 2.1 per cent of GDP, not enough was being spent while the Forces were involved in two major conflicts.Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary, said there was "a strong suspicion that we are not being told the full story today".More money would have to be built on creating a dock big enough for the carriers, he said. With the loss of large amounts of equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan, the defence budget needed to "rise faster than predicted just for us to stand still".The news came as a soldier from the Royal Anglians was killed in Afghanistan yesterday.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/26/ncarrier126.xml
£4bn carriers 'will be jewel in Navy's crown'
By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:27am BST 26/07/2007
A major defence spending programme that will secure the Royal Navy's future was announced by the Government yesterday.Two large aircraft carriers that will become the "jewel in the crown" for the Navy will cost the taxpayer almost £4 billion, Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, told the Commons.Military chiefs were informed that the defence budget would rise by almost £8 billion over the next four years, a 1.5 per cent increase in real terms. The appalling state of some Service housing is also to be remedied with an injection of £550 million.However, the Tories warned that not enough is being spent to fight present campaigns.The 65,000-ton carriers, the Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales, will give Britain a highly potent platform far from home.More than 10,000 jobs will be secured around the country when work begins on what will be the biggest warship ever built for the Navy.In a unique joint venture, four sections of the carriers will each be built in Portsmouth, Rosyth in Fife, Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria and the Clyde before being floated on huge barges to be assembled.The ships will carry 40 of the advanced F35 Joint Strike Fighters or 25 Chinook helicopters and will be crewed by 1,500 sailors.The carriers will be built by rival companies, including BAE Systems and VT Group, forming business alliances. However, there was early controversy as the initial date on which the Queen Elizabeth was to come into service slipped by two years to 2014. The Prince of Wales will follow two years later.Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, the First Sea Lord, said the decision meant that Britain remained "big boys in the navy league". "We can provide influence, show determination and if required go on operations. This is a very powerful statement and a very significant signal that shows Britain intends to have a balanced affordable Navy with a real punch well into the future."The carriers will have a service life of 40 years. The announcement was made as the Government decided to bring forward the comprehensive spending review that determines the defence budget from 2008 to 2011.While conscious that "a lot" was being asked of the Armed Forces, Mr Browne said the "significant additional investment" showed that the Government "does all it can to support troops and their families".It was also confirmed that £1 billion will continue to be spent on the replacement to the Trident nuclear deterrent. There had been a possibility of the Navy losing one of its three major bases following a review. But Faslane on Gare Loch off the Clyde, Plymouth and Portsmouth will remain, although the latter could suffer job cuts.It also appeared that the Navy will receive all eight of the advanced anti-air Type 45 destroyers that will be vital in protecting the carriers, defence sources said. But they did not give full backing to the third tranche of 88 RAF Eurofighter Typhoons, suggesting that the £60 million aircraft might be sacrificed.The budgets announcement was questioned by the Tories who suggested that, with defence spending dropping marginally to 2.1 per cent of GDP, not enough was being spent while the Forces were involved in two major conflicts.Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary, said there was "a strong suspicion that we are not being told the full story today".More money would have to be built on creating a dock big enough for the carriers, he said. With the loss of large amounts of equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan, the defence budget needed to "rise faster than predicted just for us to stand still".The news came as a soldier from the Royal Anglians was killed in Afghanistan yesterday.
