George Osborne and the Ministry of Defence

George Osborne has been very rude about the MOD’s financial ineptitude. He is right. This Blog would go much further and shut the MOD down.

Regular readers will know that this is not the first time I have suggested this dramatic move. The fact is that we have never used this organisational structure in full scale wartime (in WW I and II we had the Admiralty, Air ministry and War Office for the Army), but in the wars in which it has been operational is has been found incompetent. Add to this procurement chaos and a budget over which its officials have entirely lost control and the case for getting rid of this ghastly department is near overwhelming.

The defence of this isalnd nation rests with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. Both have a shining record of protecting and preserving the freedom and indpendence of our country. It is inherent in our blood that these two arms should be strong.

The record of the Army is much more mixed. Some notable victories with allies are tarnished by a catalogue of retreats, evacuations and defeats, starting at the Battle of Hastings. The United Kingdom is not a land power and the British Empire was built by trade and protected by the Navy. In the order of priorities the Army should be last on the list. It needs to be cut back and brought home.

The idea that a giant Ministry of Defence is cheaper to run and more efficient that three smaller offices for each of the three services is totally flawed. Big is rarely better in management or administrative terms. More often it is unwieldy, over staffed, muddle headed, self serving and financially inept.