Taking stock

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Minister for defence equipment and support Quentin Davies defends the MoD's record on procurement and argues that the ministry is committed to providing troops with the best available equipment.

As the Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, I am committed to ensuring that our armed forces are properly equipped, both for the conflicts of today, and for the challenges of the future. We have delivered equipment valued at more than £10bn to the armed forces in the last three years, and I believe that our troops are as well equipped for their own personal protection and for engaging in fighting as any in the world.

But we are not complacent. The Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) process ensures that troops are able to get urgent requests from the order book to the battlefield in a timely manner when they need it most.

This process has enabled the department to buy a fleet of 700 new Protected Patrol Vehicles for about £700m. The first of these vehicles was Warthog, a tracked vehicle that will replace Viking in Afghanistan and give troops on operations an increased capability in the Green Zone in Helmand province.

It is by managing the UOR process, utilising its speed and flexibility, that we can support troops on operations with the best equipment possible and respond quickly to evolving threats.

But we are also providing for the future – we are currently managing some 350 projects in the core equipment programme, valued at approximately £65bn.

One of the biggest is equipping the RAF with Typhoon aircraft. Another is our largest peacetime naval shipbuilding programme since before the First World War. It involves two new 65,000 tonne carriers – the largest ships ever built for the Royal Navy, the new Astute Class submarine programme and the Type 45 Destroyer.

The Type 45 destroyers are the most advanced warships in the world. The first of these ships, HMS Daring, was handed over to the MoD last December, and the capabilities of these ships will mean we have a world beating maritime anti-air defence system for a long time to come.

The five other Type 45s are all in various stages of being built, with the second ship, HMS Dauntless, already being put through her paces in sea trials. These ships, along with the Queen Elizabeth class of aircraft carrier, are the future of the Royal Navy.

Innovation
We are also placing a sharp focus on military equipment innovation. The MoD has recently launched the Defence Technology Plan (the DTP), which is the first time that we have set out publicly our research challenges.

The DTP could lead to significant benefits for the troops of the future. It encourages fresh thinking and engagement with new and existing defence technology suppliers.

At the heart of the plan are five so-called 'Capability Visions' that help to focus the MoD's research needs. The five 'Capability Visions' are:
• Reducing the burden on the dismounted soldier
• Future protected vehicles
• Reducing dependency on fossil fuels
• Novel air concept
• Electronics defeat

It is more vital than ever that we exploit the new and emerging technologies to counter the ever changing threats our troops face. To do this, we need to access the wealth of talent and expertise that can be found among small and medium-sized enterprises, academia and talented individuals who all have a part to play in defence science and technology.

By focusing on defence science and innovation, we are ensuring that the kit we give our troops continues to be cutting edge and the best in the world.

Enterprise
To this end, we are very pleased with the way that the Centre for Defence Enterprise is performing. So far, it has assessed around 200 projects and has placed £2m worth of contracts.

A number of contracts have recently been awarded by the Centre for Defence Enterprise. These include:
• Portsmouth-based company Mindsheet: £28,000 for a month-long project to make their unmanned ground vehicle robot, Testudo, more rugged and user-friendly;
• Team Stellar: a £1.3m contract to take their integrated Saturn system to the next level of capability;
• London-based Swarm Systems: a £115,000 contract to develop their idea of a co-operative swarm of micro-UAVs;
• d30 Labs from Hove: £96,000 to develop shock absorbing material for troops' helmet lining;
• Teledyne Defence Limited, based in Shipley, West Yorkshire: £246,000 to research ways to help pilots operate in dust clouds caused by rotor blade downdraft.

All of these projects have been assessed by the team at the Centre for Defence Enterprise, and the team at the Harwell-based centre has identified the potential defence applications in each of these ideas.

In May this year, the Centre for Defence Enterprise will celebrate its first birthday – not bad for a centre that was initiated through a six month pilot project.

Progress
The Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) was published in 2005, and it recognised that developments in the defence environment required changes in the way that the MoD approached acquisition in order to ensure that the UK armed forces continue to have the right equipment.

The DIS sought to ensure that the capability requirements of the armed forces can be met now and in the future by giving industry a clearer idea of MoD priorities.

Four years on, the MoD and industry have made good progress against the DIS. We continue to look for new ways to ensure our armed forces are properly equipped for the challenges they face.