In Defence Of Admirals
From yesterday’s Porstmouth News: “Clegg pledge to halve number of admirals”
…He said: ‘I admire and want to support everyone who works selflessly in the armed services, but it’s hard to work out how to support people on the front line when money is tight.
‘We have to ask why there are around 800 civil servants doing communications for the MoD and why there are two admirals for every ship in the navy. We don’t need more than one per ship.
‘There’s too much money tied up in projects we don’t need, and in the wages of the top brass…
As you’d expect from the leader of the Lib Dems, he’s taken a perfectly adequate urban myth and made the mistake of quoting it as if it is a fact.
According to the March 2010 Bridge Card, the Naval Service still has nearly 80 surface warships of all sizes plus 14 nuclear submarines and 16 fleet auxiliaries. Then there are the three RM Commandos, 17 Naval Air Squadrons, Naval Strike Wing and all their supporting assets and infrastructure.
For more accurate numbers of what Clegg calls “top brass”, the Daily Telegraph printed this letter on 22 April 2010:
Lt Cdr Lester May RN (retd):
Clegg’s Navy ignorance
SIR – The buzz is that Nick Clegg did well in the last television debate. However, on defence, he made a glib claim that there are two admirals for every ship in the Royal Navy, hinting strongly at there being an opportunity for savings. He is way off track with his figures – there are not 150 or so admirals as he suggests. There are 36 flag and general officers in the Navy, of whom 30 are admirals and six are Royal Marines major-generals. Of this number, 20 admirals and two generals are in dedicated naval or marine posts, and only two hold the four-star rank of a full admiral. Ten admirals and generals are in tri-service defence posts, most of which are open to Army generals and air marshals by competition, and another four are in Nato posts.
Of the eight vice-admirals on the active list, half are in Nato or tri-service appointments, such as Surgeon Vice-Admiral Philip Raffaelli who succeeded an Army officer as Surgeon-General in December. These appointments say a lot about the high calibre of these officers. Moreover, when their appointment ends they don’t get re-assigned; they will leave the Service, so there is no sinecure to be had.
So, there are 30 admirals and 6 RM general officers to lead 35,000 uniformed personnel and umpteen MoD civil servants, manage over a hundred hulls and administer a budget of several billion pounds, plus fill several top level MoD support roles and other national, NATO, EU and tri-service billets.
Nothing like the picture painted by Clegg.
Hat-tip: to Naval_Gazer
Good analysis by Lt Cdr May. As an ex-matelot myself, I must say that Nick Clegg really does need to get his facts right. In fact he needs to start telling the truth and not lies in all his policies. I see the latest poll has LDs on 24%. Pity that now their policies are being analysed they are being seen for what they are. Pathetic.
Cumulatively, Clegg has shown himself to be a tit and his policies ill thought out and ill conceived.
That was the good thing about him peaking in the first debate. They have taken votes from Labour and I have consistently said this can only be good for the Tories, who may lose the odd marginal to a close run Lib candidate, but gain more from the Labour marginals as a result. This is why they are playing to stronger seats where the Libs are knowhere.
The more admirals the better, in my view.
Peter, my recollection is that your esteemed ancestor, the admiral, was a famous drunkard and womaniser…which gives me great confidence that there really is something to all this genetics stuff.
I thought I had given you some sensible advice about libel law – and then you ignore it. I shall be in the Small Claims Court tomorrow. Beware.
I should feel honoured. It’s a step up from your usual trick of writing grumpy letters to the local newspaper 😀