The impossible has happened - Trump has made me a Keir Starmer supporter!

[mumofoneAloneandwell]

'This is not the age of churchill'

Thank God. Fucking orange twat.

Yes, it's definitely v complicated for the US and Israel to actually win. At present, the Iranian regime is still in place and the current one may be more hard line than the leader the US/Israel has just killed.

We have 5 type 45s, 3 are not operational, only Dragon is available but the RN hasn't armed it.
Thats a Navy preparation issue, Starmer doesn't run and Navy - as much as you Daily Express readers think he does.

Why did the Tories cut frigate numbers from 13 in 2010 to 9 in 2024??? and leave us so exposed.... the 'tories along with yourself, want lower taxes but better defence - though the Tories did go into the last GE primising to cut defence even further....

Doubtless all Starmers fault too.....

US/Iran were engaged in high level talks, no one thought war was about to happen, the US kept UK in the dark (or they didn't know themselves) until Israel gave them a few hours warning - evidence for this is the US is running out of weapons in the region & not seeking to use joint bases until after conflict started.

People like you, just like Trump, are all too eager to end other peoples lives but wont risk your own or family in a war.

If only there was a word to describe that?

Nope. It's the idea that any government should be held accountable, good or bad, for what happens in government.

Yet you were very happy to give credit to the Tories for falls in migration that have occurred under Labour...... glad you now give credit to Labour for this.

I will when they do

When it comes to this issue there's plenty of blame to throw around.

if it hasn't been obvious to many before then it darn well should be obvious now that a lot of HM Forces have become hollowed out to the point of ineffectiveness.

Thats's been caused by politicians of all parties over many decades, an unwillingness to spend for defence and a general public too willing to buy into the "punch above their weight" mantra.

Short term and despite talks anyone paying attention to what was moving into the region could see a conflict was highly likely and that having a guided missle destroyer or frigate in the Med might be a good thing.

That there wasn't one will be down to either the RN or this government, there's no way of avoiding that.

Same old Labour apologists, same old arguments.

Yawn.

We have six destroyers.

none of them were available. 3 are in such long term maintenance one has been in dry dock for 8+ years total.

one of the rheee is in maintenance and neither of the other two were ready to go were they?

I support lower taxes and even lower benefit spend so we can speak money on the things we need. More ships for the Royal Navy.

oh and everybody thought war was about to happen.

How can the regime be in place when they’re all dead?

RN offered to move one there two weeks ago.

Starmer refused.

he’s a twat.

The regime will be embedded in every aspect of Iranian life. 'The king is dead, long live the king' etc.

If I lived next to a genocidal theocracy that kept exporting hatred and killing, I might be keen to take them out….

Pretty hard to put radar and missile defences in the middle of the sea without a boat.

You’re not sourcing anything else ?

missiles destroyed, air defences destroyed, regime decapitated. Oh and entire Navy and Airforce destroyed.

that’s definitely happened.

Well if the war is over and Iran is defeated we can all relax. Job done.

Don't apply your standards to anyone else. You only show yourself to be a violent and aggressive person by making statements like that.

Sure it did. Why are the US forces not on their way home then?

Would you like me to provide any links? I suspect it's a total waste of my time.

So - you DONT think Iran is (was) a genocidal theocracy who exported hate and killing?

where exactly have you been the last thirty years?

Ideal world in this sort of situation you have something like an Air Defence vessel upthreat to help provide early warning and maybe intercept, but you'd also be wise to have some form of short range air defence (SHORAD) at the target itself.

I’m sure we all love quoting military acronyms at each other however the point is that a type 45 is exactly that sort of long range air defence system you park it somewhere between the Gaza Strip and Cyprus. The base itself does of course have up close and personal air defence.

I dont think notimagain is using military acronyms for the sake of it.

I'm not sure anyone in the know would or should be saying exactly what Akritori had in the way of "up close air defence", either on the night of the attack or now.

I think it would be OK to mention that UK Forces in general don't have anything like the capability they used to have in that area.

This. Utterly cringeworthy and useless display by wet wibbly Starmer.
You support your allies, we'd soon go running to the US if we needed them.

Well it's the first time since 1799 that the Royal Navy does not have a vessel in the Mediterranean.

Secondly it's not exactly classified to point out that if the RAF had any form of anti missile or anti drone capability deployed at Akrotiri then they would used in the recent drone attacks rather than relying on less effective and much more costly fighter jets.

There is currently zero in the way of anti drone or anti missile defences at Akrotiri and the Iranians can pretty much lob what they like at it with nothing to stop them.

Whilst i agree on the hollowing out of defence, though the same also applies to all our public services too, i think by the mid 2000s, we had gone far enough but the cuts have continued, at least until 2024/25... its quite shocking

...we simply don't have enough ships, we have to patrol the North Sea with Russian incursions, the near North Atlantic, monitor shadow fleet movements....

... where do we magic up a ship or 3? the supplies, the fuel, the crews, the means to re arm, perhaps for many months? the ship that will relive Dragon?

We have the means to defend Cyprus with planes and our Allies ie the French, as we protected their Aircraft Carrier recently when they didn't have enough support.

We have optimised Trident over everything else but as we can all see, Nuclear alone just isn't enough.... but i can hear the cries from the 'right of "No more tax rises" when and it is when, Reeves comes back for more tax to fund Defence, the budget needs to double to 120bn and quickly too.