Support for naval aviation

Significantly upgraded US Marine Corps Harriers have been flying from the assault ship USS Wasp. These iconic British-built aircraft will be retired by 2026.

In 2010 David Cameron, on the flawed advice of his senior military adviser,

Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, decided to withdraw all British Harrier aircraft from service, which led inevitably to bringing forward the decommissioning of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal.

The now Lord Stirrup should be embarrassed at his part in neutering naval fixedwing aviation for a decade.

Aircraft carriers with complete air groups are essential weapons systems for defending British interests worldwide. The

RAF controlled the Fleet Air Arm from 1924 until 1939 and its mismanagement of naval aviation pre-war left the Royal Navy ill-prepared.

The operational flexibility of carrier-borne aviation was obvious when, in the Falklands War, weeks after naval Sea Harrier operations began, some RAF Harriers joined a carrier.

RAF support for naval aviation remains lukewarm. A suffocating bureaucracy is today’s Royal Air Force, its comfortable ‘harmony guidelines’ a costly selfindulgence compared to those for soldiers, marines and sailors.

The RAF, with its 11 display teams, currently decides aircraft procurement priorities.

It’s best for the Defence of the Realm if the Royal Navy deals with naval aviation, not the RAF with its limited knowledge of maritime operations.

Lester May Lieutenant Commander, Royal Navy – retired

On the pitch, Marlon Pack has fulfilled a dream and led the players admirably. He has ensured the players “get it”