MOD responds to Defence Committee report on equipment

The report is critical in a number of areas and makes recommendations on particular equipment programmes such as FRES (Future Rapid Effects System), the A400M and the Defence Industrial Strategy. But it also commends the UOR (Urgent Operational Requirement) system as 'highly effective' in meeting rapidly changing threats.

The report praises DE&S for its achievements to date, stating that the organisation is heading in the right direction and has made good progress in improving the skills of its staff across a range of key acquisition disciplines.

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The MOD has welcomed the House of Commons Defence Select Committee's report into Defence Equipment 2009 and will respond to the recommendations in specific areas.

Minister for Defence Equipment and Support Quentin Davies said:

"Today's report praises the speed with which we are delivering vital equipment to our Armed Forces on operations. Rightly we are prioritising getting equipment out to those who need it most, but we are also maintaining our focus on delivering long-term equipment programmes: the Sentinel R1 aircraft with their ASTOR radars have just returned from a successful operational deployment; and the first of our powerful Type 45 destroyers, HMS Daring, has been handed over to MOD to start an intensive trials programme.

"We have delivered equipment valued at more than £10bn to the Armed Forces in the last three years and continue to invest in protected mobility with £700m on 700 new armoured vehicles announced last year - the committee recognises this achievement.

"We work with our industry partners to deliver equipment to the front line in record time and are developing partnership arrangements to take forward the equipment needed for future operations.

"The Defence Industrial Strategy [DIS] remains at the heart of the MOD's acquisition policy. It underpins our commercial activity and will deliver equipment to the front line at value for money for the taxpayer.

"We remain fully committed to the DIS, and to ensuring the future of the UK's defence industrial base. Industry has made clear to us at the highest level that they do not want a new version of the DIS at the present time and I think it is right for us to take that view into account."

The MOD will now consider the committee's conclusions and recommendations on all aspects of the Defence Equipment 2009 inquiry, including specific projects and programmes, and publish our full response in due course.

The House of Commons Defence Select Committee report into Defence Equipment 2009 took evidence from: Quentin Davies MP, Minister for Defence Equipment and Support; General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue, Chief of Defence Materiel; Lieutenant General Andrew Figgures, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Equipment Capability); Amyas Morse, Defence Commercial Director; Rear Admiral Paul Lambert ,Capability Manager Precision Attack; and Dr Andrew Tyler, DE&S Chief Operating Officer.

The MOD has made clear our reasons for not publishing DIS2 at this time and the Defence Industry has indicated a preference for us not to publish the updated version of the Defence Industrial Strategy until we have concluded work to examine the medium and long term equipment issues that will inform the individual industrial sector strategies.

The recent restructuring of the FRES programme reflects investment in vehicles to support current operational commitments and a change to the likely delivery of specific vehicle types. The money invested in the Utility Vehicle programme has not been wasted and will have significant value as the programme progresses.

With current operations in mind we have restructured the FRES programme, giving priority to FRES Scout over the FRES Utility Vehicle. FRES is a complex programme made up of a number of different vehicle, weapon and system types, and has consistently been regarded as a holistic capability.

On the A400M, we are naturally very concerned over the delays announced by Airbus to the first deliveries. As a matter of priority the UK is exploring a range of options to deal with this including an extension of existing C130 assets in service, and the potential lease or procurement of additional assets.