Sharing “plan” may make savings
T
he UK government is reported to be considering sharing the use of aircraft carriers with France in an effort to cut military spending. According to The Times, David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy may outline a proposal at a summit in November which would allow British and French flagships to pool resources.
This would ensure that one of two British ships and one French ship would always be on duty at sea. Each carrier would remain under its domestic command. If the proposal goes ahead, the government would be able to downgrade or even scrap one of its two replacement carriers, being constructed for the Royal Navy for £5.2bn. At present, the HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious are sometimes both in dock at the same time.
The newspaper said special protocols would be drawn up to make clear what should happen in the event of a British interest such as the Falkland Islands being threatened when the French are in charge. Critics have questioned the viability of such a partnership, saying that it may seem sensible to pool aircraft carriers with the French but past history and modern geopolitics show why it would be unwise. And yesterday (Tue) a defence ministry spokesman said speculation at this stage was entirely unfounded.
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