I wasn't trying to be disrespectful, I just don't like being disrespected by someone that has probably been out of the game for 15+ years.
He said there's no skilled people to man these carriers, That is my colleagues and me.
Lets just get this straight.
1. I realise that modern ships need less manpower than older ones.
For the carriers, even less than predicted if no air group is to be carried, even less if they spend as much time tied to the wall as I expect
them to be.
2. My earlier remarks about skilled and trained people was based on the then goverments' own announcements that new frigates, destroyers and submarines et-al would be coming on-stream to provide the new carriers (both of them) with a capable fleet and air-arm screen.
At that time the RN was having manpower difficulties, so it was reasonable to ask just where all the extra bodies would be coming from. We'd just put the then new "Albion" and "Bulwark" into service. Heavily manned.
3. Now we know that the RN is not going to get all the ships it was promised, indeed; the fleet strength is actually being reduced. So manpower requirements are actually liable to fall. A complete turn-around from what was anticipated a couple of years ago. As a follow up to that, do you not also expect to see a reduction in training establishments? This now becomes a self perpetuating downward spiral.
All "new kit" requires trained and skilled people to operate it. From electronic charts (as recently highlighted) to being trained to operate missile systems etc. that can be fitted in modular form pretty quickly. But how can you train operators on gear they haven't got?
Hence the lack of skilled and trained operators. EOP. BY.