British military makes cuts to pay for Afghan war
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Britain's Ministry of Defence announced on Tuesday that it would buy 22 new Chinook heavy-lift helicopters from the United States, at the same time as it announced cuts elsewhere to fund more spending on the war in Afghanistan.
The 1.5-billion-pounds (about 2.74 billion U.S. dollars) cut will lead to the closure of Royeal Air Force Cottesmore in the English Midlands and the cutting of one Harrier jump jet squadron.
Nimrod MR2 aircraft, used for radar reconnaissance, will be phased out 12 months early and the introduction of their Nimrod MR4 replacement will be slowed to save money. Two Royal Navy vessels -- a minesweeper and a survey vessel -- will also be withdrawn from service.
The navy's older Lynx and Merlin Mk1 helicopters will be retired sooner than planned prior to the transition to the more capable Wildcat and Merlin Mk2 as part of the new helicopter strategy.
In addition cuts will be made in civilian staff employed by the ministry, and manpower will be cut by 2,500 mostly through slower recruitment, the ministry said.
The ministry is making the cuts to find an extra 900 million pounds (about 1.46 billion US. .dollars) for the war in Afghanistan.
There will also be more equipment -- such as state-of-the-art body armour and night-vision goggles available to 50 percent more troops so they can train with them before deploying to Afghanistan.
In addition there will be more Bowman tactical radios and patrol satellite systems to improve communications between troops and their commanders and an additional 80 million pounds (about 130 million U.S. dollars) for communications facilities for special forces.
The Chinooks -- American-designed and built, twin-rotor, heavy lift helicopters -- will be bought from the U.S. firm Boeing. The RAF will also buy one new C17 heavy lift aircraft.
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said the first 10 would come into operation in 2012/13 and would be used to upgrade the helicopter lift capacity of the British Army in Afghanistan.
Ainsworth told the BBC: "I have speeded up the equipping of the Typhoon (fighter) so it can take on its multi-role function. I really need additional lift (the C17), lift in theatre (the Chinook), and I need unmanned arial vehicles. This is investing in the priorities we face today. I will get a considerable uplift in Chinooks in 2012-13."
Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, said: "We have all known for some time that living within our means while making improvements to the most critical areas of capability would involve difficult and unwelcome choices."
The commander of Joint Helicopter Command, Rear Admiral Tony Johnstone-Burt, said: "The superior lift performance of the Chinook has proved invaluable on operations. This new strategy will dramatically increase our military capability."
The news came as British armed forces fatalities in Afghanistan topped 100 and injuries topped 1,000.
The ministry has been criticized for failing to provide enough helicopters with enough lift capacity to carry large numbers of troops into and out of trouble areas.
Dozens of deaths have occurred among troops forced to take a land route into trouble areas, thus making themselves more vulnerable to attack by the Taliban.
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