Rishi Sunak should put his money where his mouth is if he wants to project the UK's military prowess
The problem for the prime minister is that a massively reduced Royal Navy and Royal Air Force following decades of cost-saving cuts means his options when it comes to projecting power are pretty limited.
Friday 13 October 2023 07:52, UK
A decision by the UK to mobilise spy planes and landing ships to the eastern Mediterranean is a solid show of solidarity with Israel - but not a demonstration of potent military strength.
The United States deployed a huge aircraft carrier, bristling with fighter jets and flanked by a task group of heavily armed warships in the wake of last weekend's atrocities by Hamas.
The stated aim was to deter countries such as Iran and Syria as well as Iranian-backed militants in Lebanon from exploiting the crisis by attacking Israel.
By contrast, Rishi Sunak has announced that an unspecified number of P8 maritime patrol aircraft and what are being described as other "surveillance assets" will from Friday help monitor suspicious activity in the region, such as the transfer of weapons to Hamas.
In addition, two Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels - RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Argus - equipped with three helicopters and just over 100 Royal Marines will arrive in the eastern Mediterranean next week, though without any escorting warships to protect them.
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The ships and aircraft will "be on standby to deliver practical support to Israel and partners in the region and offer deterrence and assurance".
Israel, shaken to the core by the carnage inflicted on its people, will doubtless welcome the move, but without the mobilisation of actual warfighting capability such as HMS Duncan - a Royal Navy destroyer that is on operations with NATO in the Mediterranean - the deterrent effect of the British announcement will likely be minimal.
The problem for the prime minister is that a massively reduced Royal Navy and Royal Air Force following decades of cost-saving cuts means his options when it comes to projecting power are pretty limited.
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Adding to the strain is the impact of an almost two-year - and ongoing - effort to support Ukraine with weapons and ammunition to fight Russia that has also left already diminished UK military stocks dangerously low.
Mr Sunak, in a statement about the Israel move, said that the deployment of the UK's "world-class military will support efforts to ensure regional stability and prevent further escalation".
But if he is serious about wanting Britain to continue to play such a role, he should take a genuine look at his hollowed out armed forces and then take action to reverse the decline.
That does not just mean an increase in defence spending, but the implementation of meaningful reforms that ensure Britain's already large defence budget is spent much better.