Defence green paper welcomed

Thursday, February 04, 2010

The defence community has been reacting to the launch of 'Adaptability and Partnership: Issues for the Strategic Defence Review', the government's defence green paper.

The paper intends to stimulate debate on the future shape of Britain's Armed Forces, and the results of the consultation will inform the next Strategic Defence Review, due after the next general election.

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth announced he would legislate for regular defence reviews in future, and the Prime Minister has also promised to exempt the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers and Trident replacement from the next defence review under Labour.

Rees Ward, CEO of industry body ADS, welcomed both the Green Paper and the Strategy for Acquisition Reform.

"Industry is glad to see that strategic decision-making will receive greater priority with SDRs becoming a regular occurrence in the political calendar," he said.

"R&T has been cut by the MoD by 23 per cent over the last three years. This decision has been made outside the SDR process and puts at risk our future capability. ADS is pleased the green paper recognises the importance of research investment, but is concerned that these cuts are allowing emerging nations' capabilities to outstrip our own.

"A refreshed Defence Industrial Strategy is a priority for the defence and security of the nation and must be part of the SDR process. Currently there is a great fear that the UK will end up prepared for current conflicts, and not those of the future – an SDR that is based on the strategic and security needs of the nation, rather than just budgetary constraints will resolve this issue."

Shadow Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox said: "Bob Ainsworth deserves genuine praise for his attempts to find a cross party consensus. This Green Paper indicates that the MoD is coming out of denial but the Prime Minister is not.

"In his statement the Secretary of State said 'there has been a great deal of interest and speculation about whether any major capabilities will be confirmed in the Green Paper'. But we all know why: it is because No 10 have been briefing that any project that has job implications for the Prime Minister's constituency will be spared. That is taking a core strategy way too far.

"We agree that France and the United States are likely to be our main strategic partners. For us there are two tests: do they invest in defence? And do they fight? Too few European allies pass both these tests.

"Unlike the Opposition and the House of Commons, he has access to all the costs of the contracts and penalty clauses for the major programmes. Why will the Government not give honest answers about the implications of the cost overruns in the years ahead?"

Steve Jary, National Secretary of Prospect, the union which represents 15,000 civil servants in the MoD, said: "Although we welcome MoD's commitment to the role of civilians in defence, the department must carry through their words with deeds and take on board the concerns over outsourcing identified by Prospect and other experts. These include the Gray Report, with its proposed reforms to the defence acquisition process and the recommendations of the Haddon-Cave report into the Nimrod disaster, which identified outsourcing of MoD activities as a significant contributor.

Jary said that the pledge to protect projects, like the two new aircraft carriers would "create even greater pressure on the department to find savings elsewhere".

"Lessons must be learned and quickly if MoD wants to face the military challenges of the 21st century and be in the right place with the right equipment and people so that it can meet those challenges."

A website allowing members of the public to comment on the green paper has been launched at Defenceconsultations.org.uk