One panel member questions the cost of preserving a small fixed-wing naval air arm for a contingency close to Spain. Land-based aircraft could, in that argument, support operations near Morocco while the LHD concentrated on helicopters and amphibious lift. Alex Clarke then attributes some post-Cold War procurement choices to emphasis on jobs and the appearance of capability. These are criticisms of how missions and resources were matched, rather than a description of an agreed Spanish policy. Correcting a force built around those assumptions is the resulting problem.
Notable Point · 1:45:05-1:47:23
Spain's fixed-wing naval aviation and a nearby Morocco contingency
A budget and basing critique separates fixed-wing naval aviation from helicopter-based amphibious support.