Although the decision is not yet final, the British government apparently plans to mothball up to half of the royal fleet. Also plans to build two new giant aircraft carriers may be scuttled. Recently retired First Sea Lord Sir Alan West "told The Daily Telegraph that the government was turning the armed forces into a 'tin-pot' gendarmerie, good only for scuffling with terrorists" (Jan. 5, 2007).

The overall problem runs throughout the armed forces. Noted author and defense commentator Max Hastings stated: "Like eruptions from an overstrained water main, revelations about the problems of Britain's armed forces burst forth daily. The word 'crisis' is often abused, but it is justified here. Programmes are being slashed, training curtailed and capabilities cut as the Ministry of Defence struggles to control runaway spending" (The Guardian, Jan. 8, 2007).

The article goes on to show that the size of the defense forces is becoming so small that they are losing critical mass and the military's credibility as a British institution is now at stake. One point to note is that "the army is facing a recruitment crisis as frontline troops quit" (Daily Mail, Jan. 5, 2007).

Columnist Gerald Warner of Scotland on Sunday probably had the most biting reactive remarks in the media. He wrote: "'When a strong man armed keepeth his house, his goods are in peace' (Luke 11:21). This axiom does not seem to have penetrated the minds of our rulers, Labour and Tory [the British political parties], over the past 15 years. This period has seen the progressive dismantling of the United Kingdom 's armed services on a scale it would be inadequate to describe as reckless."

He further stated: "Anyone who thinks this is a time for Britain to disarm is several kilotons short of a fission." This veteran journalist concluded his article with the warning words: "Pax Britannica? Be very afraid . . ." (Jan. 28, 2007).

Meanwhile the International Herald Tribune reported that "President Hu Jintao has called on China's military commanders to build a powerful navy, the state media reported Thursday as the country continues to spend heavily on a modern blue-water fleet" (Dec. 29, 2006).

The Chinese president is effectively commander-in-chief of the armed forces. China wants to counter the growing naval fleets of Japan , India and other Asian nations. Also, "Vladimir Putin claimed Russia was developing a new breed of nuclear missiles, superior to any existing" (Scotland on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2007).

Britannia once ruled the waves of the entire world! It is all too easy to forget that "at the summit of its extraordinary dominance of the world's oceans, the Royal Navy has been bigger than the next seven national fleets combined" (Daily Telegraph, Jan. 5, 2007). The New York Post talked about "a 400-year epoch of world history" drawing to a close (Jan. 14, 2007).

The Post interpreted the present crisis in the overall context of what it terms "Britain's decades-long decline as a world power." This American newspaper also asked two crucial questions: "Is Britain part of an English-speaking, Atlantic-based strategic alliance that includes the United States and Canada? Or is it part of Europe as envisioned by technocrats in Paris, Brussels and Berlin?"

One cannot comprehend the current difficulties besetting the major powers of the English-speaking world today without the basic knowledge and understanding of its prophetic origins. To understand more, request or download our free booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy. (Sources: The New York Post, International Herald Tribune, Scotland on Sunday, Daily Mail [London], The Daily Telegraph [London].)