The caption below this photograph reads as follows: “Aukus in action. RAF Lightnings join the US and Australian military and Japan’s maritime self-defence force for a multilateral exercise in the Bay of Bengal. In a potent display of air and sea power, 617 Squadron’s Lightnings flew in formation with U.S. Navy planes from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.”
This is misleading through omission and through the lack of journalistic fact checking. The tentacles of land-based airpower aficionados are evident:
This is not an AUKUS Carrier Strike Group. It is a multinational Force encompassing more than just elements of Australian, United Kingdom and United States Navies.
Rather whimsically, the caption refers to the small group of embarked 617 squadron Lightnings as presenting “a potent display of air and sea power”.
There is no mention of HMS Queen Elizabeth, the UK aircraft carrier on the far left of the photograph from which US Marine Corps and UK F-35B Lightnings operated. It is this capital warship and her escorts that do indeed demonstrate potent maritime air power.
There are no F-35B aircraft in the picture, just United States Super Hornet F-18s and a Hawkeye AEW aircraft.
617 Squadron tactical fighter aircraft could only be deployed to the Bay of Bengal and/or the Far East courtesy of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and our new aircraft carriers. They could not deploy from a land base to provide effective air defence support for this multinational Carrier Strike Group. Inferring otherwise is counterproductive propaganda intended to bolster the case for land-based tactical aircraft that have little strategic utility on the global stage – other than through embarkation in our Fleet units.
The invasive persistence of MoD/Air RAF misinformation, regrettably supported by many unwitting journalists, must be viewed as a threat to National Security. A strong statement, yes, but it is backed up by their track record over recent decades.
MOD’s record on procurement has, very recently, been severely criticized by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and its Chair, but even that Committee neglected to highlight the extraordinary waste of resources that has been exhibited by the Tornado and the Typhoon projects. This waste would appear to be not yet curtailed, as apparent with Future Combat Air System discussions and promotions.
The United Kingdom’s limited defence budget cannot support such waste without detracting from our Strategic Defence Capability.
As I have suggested on many occasions, a formal justification procedure for all military projects is necessary – balancing the demonstrated efficacy of such projects against the perceived threats to our Interests, whether in the Indo-Pacific region or in the waters surrounding our Island base.
The mighty RAF PR machine strikes again. They will go for anything as you know……. I picked up an RAF Glossy magazine being distributed in my local (Gosport!!) Junior school to 7-11 year olds
I wish to let you know that I enjoyed very much reading your wonderful book on the Falklands War. I am really ashamed of the treatment the Raf did to you on your return flight to the UK. I also agree with you that it would have been better not to build the new airstrip at Mount Pleasant. You are entirely right that the Argies could retake the Falklands and make it impossible for us to get them back this time. As regards to our new carriers, I believe that as we have a very thight defence budget, it would have been better to build two new carriers like the Marine Nationale Charles de Gaulle. I can add that I am completely against having a U.S. Marine Corps squadron of F-35B on our carrier. We should have only british F-35B on our carriers. I shall now buy your new book which I am pretty sure will be very interesting.
The mighty RAF PR machine strikes again. They will go for anything as you know……. I picked up an RAF Glossy magazine being distributed in my local (Gosport!!) Junior school to 7-11 year olds
Dear Commander Ward,
I wish to let you know that I enjoyed very much reading your wonderful book on the Falklands War. I am really ashamed of the treatment the Raf did to you on your return flight to the UK. I also agree with you that it would have been better not to build the new airstrip at Mount Pleasant. You are entirely right that the Argies could retake the Falklands and make it impossible for us to get them back this time. As regards to our new carriers, I believe that as we have a very thight defence budget, it would have been better to build two new carriers like the Marine Nationale Charles de Gaulle. I can add that I am completely against having a U.S. Marine Corps squadron of F-35B on our carrier. We should have only british F-35B on our carriers. I shall now buy your new book which I am pretty sure will be very interesting.