RAF Cottesmore and the Joint Combat Aircraft (Rutland & Melton Liberal Democrats)

Rutland & Melton Liberal Democrats <info@rutlandlibdems.org.uk>

RAF Cottesmore and the Joint Combat Aircraft

January 21, 2006 2:27 PM

The Minister for the Armed Forces, Adam Ingram, announced on 17th November 2005 that RAF Cottesmore in Rutland had lost out to RAF Lossiemouth in the competition to be the primary base for the new Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA).

Cottesmore is now in competition with RAF Marham to be the second JCA base if the Government decides that a second base is required. As RAF Cottesmore, with 2,000 personnel, is one of the county's largest employers, any threat to its future is an issue of deep concern to us all. While I sincerely hope that the government will choose Cottesmore when the time comes to select a second base for the new aircraft, there is considerable doubt that Ministers will opt for second JCA base at all given Labour's poor track record in managing and resourcing our armed forces. As a former naval officer, I firmly believe that the JCA and the new aircraft carriers from which it will fly are essential for our future defence and security but both procurements are already behind schedule and over budget.

Sadly this Labour government has repeatedly failed to live up to its promise to manage defence procurement projects more effectively and our armed forces deserve better management and support in their equipment delivery programmes. Too often politicians ignore the damage to service morale caused by repeated defence cuts and procurement programme failures. Successive Conservative and Labour governments have cut the forces without any thought or planning, leaving all three services poorly resourced and ill-equipped to cope with the difficult tasks allotted to them by their political masters. International peacekeeping, disaster response, interception of illegal traffic in people and drugs coupled with the traditional defence and security of British interests at home and abroad require adequate numbers of ships, aircraft and troops to cover these tasks but politicians continually fail to comprehend this reality.

At a time when defence commitments continue to increase and the three services are stretched more than ever by this government's disastrous foreign policy, we can only hope that common sense will prevail and our brave defence personnel will be properly valued and resourced. Our professional armed forces need to be flexible, mobile and ready to operate anywhere the international community needs their help. Above all else, they need a government with a better understanding of Britain's position in the world and the responsibilities that this position entails.

Grahame Hudson

Rutland & Melton Liberal Democrats