Britain to Reshape Armed Forces for High-tech War

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, April 20, 2003

Britain to Reshape Armed Forces for High-tech War

The British government is preparing a radical reshaping of its armed forces, with the aim of devoting more resources to high tech equipment, The Sunday Times reported on Sunday.

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The British government is preparing a radical reshaping of its armed forces, with the aim of devoting more resources to high tech equipment, The Sunday Times reported on Sunday.

The move, which has alarmed some senior commanders, was expected to mark a shift in defense spending, with nuclear-powered attack submarines, conventional weapons, tanks, artillery and ships cut back to make way for a new "digital" arsenal, the paper said.

More investment would go to smart bombs, unmanned aircraft and computer systems that allow commanders to control a battle in "real time" from thousands of miles away, it added.

According to the newspaper, British Ministry of Defense was expected to propose in a government "white paper," to be published later this year, the scrapping of at least two and possibly three of its nuclear-powered attack submarines in addition to the two vessels already due to be scrapped under the 1998 strategic defense review. That would reduce the fleet from 12 to just seven.

The ministry would also call for cuts of a third of the Royal Air Force's order of 232 Euro fighter jets and a quarter of the 160Joint Strike Fighters ordered by the RAF and the navy, the paper said.

The army has been told to look at cutting 42 Challenger II tanks and at least 15 AS 90 self-propelled field guns.

The planned radical change would keep the British armed forces effective and compatible with those of the United States, the paper said, adding that the firepower cuts are being planned within existing budgets and will necessitate deep cuts in many areas.

The knock-on effects would see corresponding cuts in maintenance and logistical personnel, shrinking Britain's military even further.

The paper also said there is widespread concern among all the armed services that reconfiguring the military into smaller, high-tech forces would mean Britain does not have enough of anything to make a real difference in future campaigns.

Some senior British army officers are convinced that the war in Iraq has shown that Britain has already given up too much heavy punching power.

"It was tanks and artillery that pushed us forward in Iraq. Even when it is not knocking out other armor, a tank at a crossroads in town sends a powerful message of control," the paper quoted a British general as saying on condition of anonymity.

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