James Sinclair

[Ancient Mariner @pegge49]

Exactly.
How many missiles and drones were fired at warships in the Red Sea and how many hit...
Making generational affecting defence decisions on the basis of poorly understood events in a localised area, is a truly dangerous step to take.

[Warships IFR @WarshipsIFR]

Odin's Eye Extra: What fate the once proud British frigate HMS Lancaster, marooned in a decommissioned state in Bahrain, where the US 5th Fleet HQ and nearby naval support facility (wherein the ship lies) are said to be under Iranian missile attack?

The plight of the Duke Class (Type 23) warship is emblematic of a current (and also previous) UK Govt having no serious interest in naval matters, or it would not also have discarded the LPDs (and the concept of having a littoral group in that part of the world ready to evacuate British citizens). Or allowed Britain's once world-leading mine warfare capabilities (useful in past war for keeping shipping lanes free of mines) to degrade further. The UK Govt, which has allowed frigate after frigate to pay off years before new ones are commissioned, was relaxed about seeing off another in Bahrain, without the expense or trouble of getting the vessel home.

It also seems unconcerned about not having replaced the RFA Argus as a Primary Casualty Reception Ship and not vexed either by no RFA Diligence-style forward battle damage repair vessel (in case shore bases become untenable - there again if you have no naval presence there's nothing to get damaged).

Not that the Royal Fleet Auxiliary as a whole is of much importance, or so it seems - a service the UK Govt is content to see degrade and become inactive due to strikes by its personnel over pay and conditions.

The message on the proper use and deployment of naval power even in a defensive respect is clear. No clue. No care. And the new war in the Middle East will once again expose that fact.

The UK knows how to send a few fighter jets to Cyprus and the Middle East, and that is about it. You are on your own UK citizens in the firing line - with the airports and bases under missile blitz, crack on with begging for a place on someone else's ship (or just hunker down)! Britain in 2006 still evacuated its citizens by sea from war zones - using some of the very vessels that have now been binned.

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@pegge49 @UKForcesTracker @RoyalAirForce @HMSSomerset @HMSCattistock @RAFLossiemouth What a load of toshh

[Daniel @growing_daniel]

Awwww did someone take your hard work and use it to train a model to mimic your expertise without compensation

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@Micha_el_Dobson @dave_plane @Proud_Sappers @32EngrRegt @AirborneSappers @BritishArmy Selection entitlement in no way changes pass standards though does it. Stop being a wally.

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@mrnerdzesq @SoVeryBritish I have had a wonderful time but I simply must bud you good day! Without the thigh slap

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@fightingsailor @UKDefJournal Case in point - the ORCA CS upgrade to Minehunters!

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@BootneckStuff @ChillaxBcn Bodies like bergens filled with rice pudding 🤣

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@Gunbust09696378 @SO3_aWEsome @NavyLookout A function which relies on having crewed platforms .... 🤔 👀

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@SO3_aWEsome @NavyLookout Not defending Lewis here, but a) the fact we on MW vessels are single domain is a failure in investment in MW platforms, and b) we're still a critical, misunderstood domain.

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@DeanoWilso @TheStoicSailor All of which can be improved and/or changed or at least understood without affecting operational capability or the warfighting ethos of the service(s) in question.

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@DeanoWilso @TheStoicSailor It means the quality of life for me and the sailors deployed with me. It means how we are treated on a day to day basis, the welfare provisions, the renumeration package and the family support and support to families.

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@Verdigris_blog @TotherChris Literally no-one.

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@TomSharpe134 And I can tell you from first hand experience the internal watertight integrity leaves a lot to be desired... that said I have no knowledge of Albion/Bulwark so don't know if that's an amphib thing

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@preacherman1957 @Adrian_Hilton Do you genuinely celebrate this loss of life?

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@Paul_Bestwick1 @nicholadrummond @TomSharpe134 And I'd put "MCM - including diving, immediately under SSNs

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@ManxFreeState @TomSharpe134 But a realistic budget doesn't permit both, particularly when the capability this replaces does allow "presence" as well as warfighting

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@TomSharpe134 @ManxFreeState All of which the next generation of MCM activity is going to have to work our either a) how to do? or the navy answers b) what does it instead?

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@TomSharpe134 @ManxFreeState Presence, defence diplomacy, maritime security (think counter piracy, narcotics etc), third party / near conflict ops (evacuations, command and control, integration with joint / allied elements), and on, etc.

[James Sinclair @JamesMSinclair]

@TheStoicSailor @HughKeir @RoyalNavy @MarineNationale Guilty! An awesome first deployment though. I still blame your team for the hangover in Egypt