If anyone had doubts, now it is official

The UK will use Apache helicopters from HMS Ocean over Libya. Ministers "agreed in principle" yesterday (26 May) to make UK Apache Attack Helicopters available to NATO as part of Operation Unified Protector which aims to protect civilians in Libya under threat of attack.


HMS Ocean currently carries 4 Apache AH1 helicopters from 4 Regiment Army Air Corps, squadron 665, that made the news short time ago by completing a live-firing exercise off Gibraltar that completed the certification process of Apache for operations at sea. 


On Monday, France announced that their Tonnere ship (Mistral class) was sailing towards Libya with attack helicopters on board, and that the UK would join with HMS Ocean and the Apaches. Tuesday, in front of an angry parliament that found itself put in front of an apparently taken decision, and informed of it via a France minister, the Government denied having authorized the use of attack helicopters, but saying that, of course, it was an option. 


And now here we are. Projecting air power from the sea, something that should not have been necessary doing for the next 10 years. Weak assumptions that proves flawed barely months later. 

Tuesday 24, while the government assured that "no decision had been taken on HMS Ocean and Apaches", the ex-first Sea Lord Sir Jonathon Band was being heard by the Parliamentary Defence Committee, and, between all other interesting things he said, it is worth reporting: 


Sir Jonathon Band: I don’t know. I would prefer not to be the First Sea Lord at a time when he is having to live with the pressures that he has both operationally and financially. I thought it was quite bad when I was doing it, but it is tougher for him.
I come back to my earlier point-it is very difficult to say that you have got to the step-change moment. But that is what he’s got to watch. As far as I am aware-and I am still reasonably well plugged into people-I think our level of influence with the United States Navy is good. But the fact of life is that off Libya, there is a French aircraft carrier, there is a US Marine Corps Kearsarge carrier [LHD with AV8B Harrier, and Sir Bond forgets there's also Italy's Cavour involved] -so we are not in the carrier game. In fact, we may well be, because we are about to deliver, I understand, some attack helicopters on a ship - something the British Army said we would never have to do, funny old thing. But we are doing it.

Q434 Chair: We were told this afternoon in a statement that no decision had been made.
Sir Jonathon Band: Fine. Well, if it happens and they arrive on HMS Ocean, they will do a jolly good job, I am sure. 

Days later, i must underline that the admiral proved right, as many times has happened in British history. I will also agree with him that i'm sure that soon the Apaches, their crews, the REME and HMS Ocean's personnel making them fly, will all prove their worth and they will deliver tangible effects, showing once more all the professionalism of the british armed forces. 

But the message is another. First conflict after the SDSR, barely months in the 10 years gap, we are scrambling to deliver air power from the sea.  Once more the "it will never happen" pops up to make fun of the planning and weak assumptions.

Lions lead by donkeys, someone once said. It proves true for the hundredth time.