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It has been 50 years since the 1966 Defence White Paper.
It is well documented that the treasury and indeed many of those within the Wilson government wanted to cancel the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers (then known simply as CVA-01) and the Tornado strike aircraft (TSR-2 Program).
In spite of the desire to cut costs and in the face of furious opposition the projects went ahead. Denis Healey later claimed that this was due to fears over the damage to British industries and Britain's position in the world if they were cancelled.
What if the treasury had gotten its way?
What course would the armed forces have taken and what would they and the UK in general have looked today?