Some good, some bad
Trident being put off makes sence as by the time they are out of usefulness we may be looking at a very different world. Nimrod should have been cancelled years ago. Unmanned aircraft can already cover their role for most duties. By the time they would be operating likely more roles could've been covered by drones. Losing air bases is sad but rational. As is reducing sailors. T45 has a projected offensive capability orders above T42 and has a reduced crew. You just don't have to put as many sailors at risk so why do so? Our forces are not job creation schemes after all. About the carriers. Fitting for catapult and arrestors is great but why build it on a ship with no steam? They are still planned to be has turbines with electronic drive aren't they? F35c is a much better choice. Makes some sense to have two carriers one full complement of aircraft and one crew. Refit would be possible at a very leisurely and cheap rate if you only operated one at a time. Not sure about cutting armour and artillery. Everyone agrees we need more heavy and medium lift helicopters.
Fin