Unfortunately public sentiment in the UK does seem to have swung to the isolationist viewpoint, and yes, on average, it's fair to say that a large percentage of the public, through ignorance or malice or merely the comfort accorded by first world living seem to be anti military, anti intervention, and anti US.

 

In terms of capabilities, I'd say if anything it's more overestimated than underestimated. If you actually look at the RN for example the only "top of the line" vessel which enjoys technical parity or better with other contemporary western designs is the Astute class SSN, the Type 45 is not operational yet and even then is an advanced but ultimately defensive platform.

 

The problem being that a lot of the units of the MOD simply aren't able to deal with the tasks they were designed for due to budgetary constraints. The UK absolutely could not launch another Falklands style campaign were a similar scenario to occur tomorrow, any illusions of grandeur have long since been dashed by bureaucrats and public apathy.

Quality counts for a lot but then so do numbers, logistics capability and finances, the reality facing the UK is that it simply can't afford (with the amount of public indiffrence that exists) to maintain a comprehensive force that covers all the bases, short sighted thinking is dictating that the forces will be structured for COIN and peacekeeping operations, and yes, like V2, I find myself continually amazed and disgusted by the anti-us sentiment that has built up.

It's part of being in modern europe, unfortunately, we believe we are living in a secure and comfortable era, we also think that under no circumstances is it morally justifiable to overthrow tyranny, a view I can't fathom and can only conclude is a result of a generation that has absolutely no context in which to appreciate just what it really has in security terms relative to  previous generations who saw the first and second world wars.

So some plausible post SDR realities for anyone thinking the UK is underestimated militarily,

Far fewer than 200 combat aircraft

Retiring several existing frigates.

6 SSN Submarines 

No imminent update to the type 23 

Retiring the only strike platform we have (Tornado)

Getting rid of 40+ percent of our world-beating MBT's 

Getting rid of a few divisions of the Army

Possibly scrapping JSF purchase

One QE class CVF (terrible idea)

Retiring of Hercules transports and replacement with far fewer A400m's

 

 

Whether it really is going to be this bad or not, the only people who seem to actually care about this happening are those who are naive enough to believe that conflict can never emerge on a major international scale again. If we cut the MOD budget as planned we have very little right to sit on the UN security council, we'd have absolutely no capability to go it alone if necessary, and would to an increasing degree lose influence in coalitions.

 

My thinking is that really it suits a lot of people if this is in fact the case, Trident keeps us safe enough and that's pretty much what national defense will rest on.

 

As to how this relates to our global standing, I suspect it's basically more or less the last period in British power, the era where we decide to become a nice cozy european state with little or nothing to say about what happens in the rest of the world.

 

And regarding anti-US sentiment here - it is negative, no question about it, few people seem to have enough interest in recent history to understand how ungrateful that is.

 

The one thing I can hope for is that British inventiveness will pioneer new unmanned technologies, ones that can replace the same capability for far less cost, I look forward to seeing whether Taranis will also be scrapped but rumours on the grapevine are hinting that t