The news this week has sadly been dominated by the largest mass shooting in US history, as more than 50 people were killed and more than 500 injured at the hands of a lone gunman in Las Vegas. The motives of the gunman are unknown and under investigation, but he has not been associated with a radical group. However, the tragedy is the latest in a long line of mass shootings in the US and mass killings worldwide, with terrorist attacks experienced throughout Europe in the past 12 months. Domestically, the Conservative Party Conference has dominated the news, with further speculation over the future of Prime Minister Theresa May following high-profile interventions on Brexit by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Within the conference, Mrs May apologised to delegates for the Conservatives’ election campaign; also making a series of policy commitments and calling on the country to stand together against terrorist threats. However, her speech was largely overshadowed by the interruption of a comedian getting to the stage to give the Prime Minister a P45; while Mrs May struggled with a heavy cough throughout. Defence took something of a backseat at the conference in the face of the leadership speculation, although Secretary of State Sir Michael Fallon used his speech to push for MoD funding beyond the two percent of GDP NATO target.
Included in this week’s summary is the following:
Defence Secretary call for increased MoD funding
DE&S chief Tony Douglas resigns from the MoD
UK announces unconditional commitment to protecting Europe
MoD launches new Royal Navy support model
Former military head calls for more funding for UK military
Army spends £440m on fleet of inadequate desert patrol cars
Armed anti-terror police undergo training
MoD rehabilitation centre put up for sale
Defence Select Committee reopens two previous inquiries
Defence Secretary calls for increased MoD funding
The Daily Telegraph reports that Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has called for an increase in UK defence spending beyond NATO’s requirement of two percent of GDP. The Defence Secretary’s remarks follow similar comments made by US Ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson last week. The speech represented Sir Michael’s first public acknowledgement that the MoD needs more funding; with the Defence Secretary insisting he had the Prime Minister’s full supported as he committed to making the case for more funding to the Treasury ahead of the Budget in November. Sir Michael also commented the Department needed to “modernise” as it grew its defence budget.
Shadow Defence Secretary Nia Griffith welcomed Sir Michael’s comments on funding but questioned whether the UK was currently meeting the two percent NATO requirement, noting the Government was including the cost of pensions to meet the target. She also called for the Armed Forces to be granted its first the pay rise since 2010.
While Sir Michael’s comments are a welcome reflection of the financial challenges facing the Department, it’s questionable the extent there will be more money for the MoD as Chancellor Philip Hammond tries to balance numerous competing priorities. It was revealing that during her speech, the Prime Minister committed to the two percent NATO target, but not going beyond that level of funding as called for by the Defence Secretary. Sir Michael’s comments will likely be followed by further calls for increased MoD funding ahead of the 22 November Budget, as defence ministers attempt to make their case publicly.
DE&S chief Tony Douglas resigns from the MoD
The Times has reported that the Chief Executive of Defence Equipment and Support, Tony Douglas, will leave his post as one of the highest earning civil servants at the end of the year, amid “claims that his department is in chaos and struggling with rising costs”. The MoD has been facing demands to deliver £3 billion in savings and efficiencies by the end of the decade, a challenge that has been all the more demanding by the decreased value of the pound and prompting experts to question whether the savings target remains viable.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has expressed regret at Mr Douglas’ resignation and gratitude for his work in the MoD.
The MoD continues to face significant questions over its procurement and the value for money of its contracts – albeit without the level of media coverage of theft and loss there has been in previous years. We will monitor for news of Mr Douglas’ replacement.
UK announces unconditional commitment to protecting Europe
The Times reports that Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed that the UK is unconditionally committed to protecting Europe after it leaves the European Union during a speech to 800 British troops stationed in Estonia. Mrs May said, “From terrorism to cyber-crime, illegal migration to Russian aggression, the threats we face as Europeans are increasing in their scale and complexity. Now more than ever it is in all our interests to confront them together.” Her comments reiterate those made in a keynote speech in Florence, aimed at breaking the Brexit negotiation deadlock, that the UK will continue to support and collaborate with EU defence, intelligence and counter-terrorism efforts. The speech, coupled with remarks in Florence, would appear to stamp out any suggestion the UK’s world-renowned intelligence capabilities be used as a bargaining chip in Brexit negotiations, as had been suggested by some Eurosceptics.
MoD launches new Royal Navy support model
The Ministry of Defence has announced the launch of a new Common Support Model for Royal Navy vessels, intended to standardise support to assets including aircraft carriers such as the new HMS Queen Elizabeth and future ships including the Type 26 and Type 31e. The newly launched model is expected to be worth around £1 billion to the MoD and will provide essentially a one-stop-shop for maintenance and equipment, helping to ensure efficiency with the Department. The MoD has suggested the new model will support more than 1,000 jobs across major defence contractors including BAE Systems and Babcock.
Last month, Former first sea lord Admiral Sir George Zambellas said in The Times that the Royal Navy had been “hollowed out” and that the UK risked having the defence capabilities of a third world nation.
Former military head calls for more funding for UK military
The Daily Mail has reported that General Sir Richard Barrons, the former head of Join Force Command, has called for the UK to restore “its warfighting edge,” warning of the increasing threat posed by enemy states in an open letter to the Prime Minister. Sir Richard has argued that a new approach to cyber and missile attacks was needed as enemy states had become stronger since the Cold War, while the UK had continually divested in its defence. Sir Richard also suggested some vital initiatives in the Department “will require a surge in funding to offset decades of … hollowing out the people, equipment, training and support necessary to defend the UK.” The letter was published to coincide with the timing of Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon’s speech to the Conservative Party Conference.
General Sir Richards Barrons is the latest retired senior officer to comment publicly on the MoD’s capabilities and the Government’s funding for defence. Other prominent commentators have included Admiral Lord West and General Lord Richards, both of whom the Federation has met previously and continues to brief as part of our programme of parliamentary engagement.
Army spends £440m on fleet of inadequate desert patrol cars
A number of national newspapers, including The Sun, have reported that the MoD has spent £440 million on Foxhound armoured vehicles for desert patrols that soldiers have reported breakdown in temperatures above 50C. The vehicles were ordered after 37 soldiers died in the Snatch Land Rovers that had been used previously, which carried insufficient armour to protect occupants against IEDs in areas such as Basra and Helmand Province. A member of the Armed Forces using the vehicles said anonymously to The Sun, “They’re a massive waste of money […] They break down all the time. They can’t handle the heat. I’m having to do the two-yearly full strip-down service every five or six weeks.” A spokesperson for the MoD has responded saying, “Foxhound has dealt with the demanding conditions in Iraq, kept our soldiers safe and is delivering the required operational output in the defeat of Daesh (ISIS).”
Armed anti-terror police undergo training
The Guardian has reported that police have undertaken a three-day ‘live play scenario’ at sites across Edinburgh, Scotland and the northeast as part the emergency service terrorism-response training. Armed police, the police control room, paramedics, firefighters and organisational staff were all involved in the drill which took a year to plan. At the Conservative Party Conference, the Prime Minister expressed her gratitude at the incredible responses of the emergency services to the terrorist attacks to the UK earlier in the year.
MoD rehabilitation centre put up for sale
The rehabilitation centre for wounded soldiers in Surrey, Headley Court, has been put on the market with no official guide price but an expected worth of more than £30 million, The Times has reported.
The MoD is relocating rehabilitation services to the purpose-built Stanford Hall facility near Loughborough.
Defence Select Committee reopens two previous inquiries
Following its reconstitution after the General Election, the Defence Select Committee has announced that it is to resume to inquiries that had been suspended before polling day in June. The Committee is to relaunch inquiries on ‘The indispensable ally? US, NATO and UK Defence relations’ and ‘Defence Acquisition and Procurement’. The former will look into what the British and American administrations, and NATO more broadly, should do about the current international climate, particularly focusing on the threat of terrorism and a resurgent Russia; while the latter will look at how MoD’s policies regarding defence acquisition and procurement.
We will monitor the outcomes of particularly the Select Committee’s inquiry into procurement and highlight any issues pertaining to the MDP, although the inquiry is likely to focus on high-value MoD procurement. DPF National Chairman Eamon Keating is also scheduled to meet with Select Committee Chairman Rt Hon Dr Julian Lewis later this month to discuss challenges for members and the security of the MoD’s estate and assets.
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