The navy is in a very different position in terms of timelines. It's just the fundamentals of our three services. We've procured a number of new pieces of equipment for service in Afghanistan, and rightly so. It's exactly the right thing to do. For naval ships, the next thing we need is to replace the Iroquois class command and control ships in due course. They're doing great work. The three of them were all at sea last week fulfilling their role as flagships and air defence ships, but replacing them is probably a decade-long undertaking. It just points out the significant difference between the ability to re-equip an army and an air force quickly, in a relatively shorter term than a navy. A navy requires planning over many years--decades.
On November 22nd, 2006. See this statement in context.