The United Kingdom and France are talking about sharing their aircraft carriers. Prime Minister Cameron of the UK and President Sarkozy of France are scheduled to meet in November to discuss this idea, which is a bad one.
French and British interests often differ, and the respective navies are no different. Can you imagine the American and Russian navies sharing three aircraft carriers for the expressed purpose of saving money? It certainly wouldn’t work for us.
Does France really need an aircraft carrier? They don’t throw their military power around without the United States being involved first. They’d rather keep their military at home.
The Charles de Gaulle was put into service in 2001, but construction began on the ship in 1989. Work was stopped four times due to funding issues in the French economy. And the entire French Navy has suffered as well. French naval specialists have criticized the French government for allowing their Navy to fall into disrepair.
The British have two active carriers, HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious, with one in reserve, with two more under construction (HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth). They’re cutting government spending, and are looking for a way to save money on their carriers.
What the British ought to do is phase out the two active carriers, and the reserve carrier, and go with the two new ones, and forget about the French. They are still a maritime power and need their carriers to defend the Falklands, and other British interests around the world, which sometimes conflict with French national interests.
Seriously though, what do the French need more aircraft carriers for? For them it’s a huge waste of money, if they don’t take care of their Navy.
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