2024 budget
We are shocked and disappointed by the continued failure of the Government to allocate greater resources to the Armed Forces in the 2024 Budget. At this time of increasingly serious threats to UK and international security, with our Forces underfunded and undermanned, leaving Britain extremely vulnerable to aggression by rogue states such as Russia, China and Iran, the case for the UK Government to commit to a substantial increase in defence funding is overwhelming. We therefore endorse the calls this weekend by several former Defence Secretaries to raise UK spending on our Forces to at least 2.5% of GDP.
Defence UK has long argued that the target should be 3%.
Andrew Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Defence UK Ltd,
09/03/2024
Defence UK has long argued that the target should be 3%.
Andrew Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Defence UK Ltd,
09/03/2024
ready for war?
Defence is now back at the top of the media and political agenda. 'Ready for war?', the latest report by the House of Commons Defence Committee, lays bare the consequences of decades of defence cuts, which have left our Armed Forces over-stretched and under-resourced, with severely reduced capabilities. At the same time, the situation in the Red Sea, and the proxy wars being waged on behalf of Iran by terrorist groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Houthis, Hezbollah and others, together with continued Russian aggression towards Europe, and increasing threats in the Far East from Communist China and North Korea, mean that the world is a more dangerous place than it has been for many years. The time has come for British politicians of all parties to accept that we need to invest properly in rebuilding Britain's military capabilities - and that means spending at least 3 per cent of GDP on national defence and security.
Andrew Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Defence UK Ltd
5th February 2024
Andrew Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Defence UK Ltd
5th February 2024
Link to Defence Committee Report:
publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5804/cmselect/cmdfence/26/report.html
publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5804/cmselect/cmdfence/26/report.html
Why are our defence forces no longer fit for purpose?
Whose fault is it that our defence forces have been steadily in decline for at least the last 30 years with the ‘Peace Dividend’, at the end of the Cold War, having been "maxed out"?
The cut backs have been so severe we can now barely deploy a brigade, and sustain it in the field, without the assistance and logistical support of our allies and the Navy doesn’t now have enough sailors to man all its ships along with recent talk as to whether even the elite Royal Marines have a future.
The simple answer is that any organisation in decline has to look to its leadership which must bear a large part of the blame. The trouble for our forces is that they are subject to two masters – their own Top Brass and the government of the day along with the bloated MOD.
It is surely indicative that all is not well when while the three services are to be cut by circa 18% by 2025, the Top Brass, from all three services, has thus far had a net increase of two. This situation is typified by the current statistic that the Navy has more Admirals than ships!
Having spent 25 years in uniform, with a military career which included 10 years regular service with The Royal Green Jackets from 70-80, 12 years Territorial service 82-94 and finally three years FTRS from 01-03, all thankfully outside the politics of high command, which helped to give me the perspective of the small boy in the fable of the King’s new clothes!
Over the years nothing seems to have stopped governments cutting our forces, with the army now the lowest since the end of the Napoleonic wars, and the three areas I cover in this article are all largely in the domain of our Service Chiefs to resolve. They however now have the in-built problem that would require proverbial turkeys voting for Christmas!
I have intentionally not expanded each of these three areas believing in the old service adage of KISS or ‘Keep it Simple Stupid’!
1. - Defence Reviews(DRs) – are the fundamental bases on which to plan our defence requirements and frankly we are suffering from a huge mismatch between our total forces and their expected commitments.
The trouble is DRs are headed up by ignorant and transient politicians and a cumbersome bloated MOD, now larger than the Army, and service chiefs fighting their own corners. One shouldn’t underestimate the damage interservice rivalry plays in our defence outcomes.
The key trouble then develops with the lack of vigour and in-depth knowledgeable questioning at the Defence Committee stage, currently it is quite simply the blind leading the blind. What is require is well briefed and experienced barristers employed to ask the right questions and give the Defence Review the third degree!
Our current decline stems from a warmongering PM in Tony Blair ready to commit forces not adequately equipped, along with Top Brass too willing to accept deployment on the basis of ‘if we aren’t used, we will lose it’ and in my opinion the very misguided fixation with pooling our resources into the EU army project, again fully supported by Tony Blair, which has directly led to a reduction in our own independent capability.
Finally, in any review a far greater consideration should be given to expanding our Reserve Forces, with any necessary supporting Reserve Forces Act, which are cheaper to run than the regular forces by a ration of 8:1 and have the added benefit to our nation of providing a military structure to the youth of today throughout the country.
2. Procurement - After deciding what forces we need, matched to realistic commitments, the next essential is to provide them with the correct kit, equipment and transport.
Funnily enough the problem doesn’t lie with the actual process as to the trio of ills of poor requirement analysis, specification expansion often caused by fighting the last war and a disregard for the important consideration of quantity over quality as Service Chiefs so often go for ‘big boy’s toys’!
Falling into that category are the Navy’s two aircraft carriers at £8 billion, which in any event if needed should have catapults and be nuclear powered, and are currently at anchor in Portsmouth as they are apparently not battle ready to be deployed to the Red Sea.
The RAF’s problematic Typhoon, a joint endeavour with the EU, costing £124 million each compared to the reliable F16’s at half the price.
Lastly the army’s Ajax, which is still not in service, has had its weight doubled since conception from 20 to 40 tons so is no longer air-portable and vibrates which gives the troops inside headaches.
Lastly, given our near total destruction of our money-making defence industry, we need to consider buying off-the-shelf rather than trying to reinvent the wheel which applies to everything from aircraft right down to the humble army boot, while also considering the military advantages of quantity versus over-complicated quality.
3. Back to basics – While it essential we keep up with the latest technology we should not lose sight of the need to keep as many things as simple as possible.
Reports and returns should return to the principles of ‘When, where, what,’ based on what a commander can realistically handle in the field.
However sophisticated a vehicle, jet or ship one well aimed missile can still destroy it.
Recruitment needs to be centred on ‘alpha’ males and not the recent absurdity of diversity quotas regrettably endorsed by our Admirals, Generals and Air Marshals. Going woke won’t produce warriors!
Another telling statistic, proving the army cannot get the basics right, is that they have recently paid out £160million to troops for cold feet injuries.
Lastly, while traditions and history in all services are important, they should never stand in the way of streamlining structures and orders of battle (orbats) as typified by my own regiment’s amalgamation into the Rifles.
In conclusion that something is radically wrong is epitomised by our inability to independently field and sustain a brigade let alone a division in the field brought about by years of inadequate Defence Reviews, procurement failures and by overcomplicating some of the very basics.
Remembering that national defence should be any government’s top priority it is staggering that we don’t have well equipped regular forces backed up by an enhanced reserve, equipped with reliable good kit available in quantity.
Those responsible should hang their heads in shame.
Niall Warry
(February 2024)
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MISSION STATEMENT:
“Defence UK is an independent pressure group that campaigns for a strong and well-resourced Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, to ensure the security of the United Kingdom, her Sovereign Territories, trade and commerce, and to protect her citizens wherever they may be. We also call for a greater commitment by the UK Government to the nation's defence industries, and to non-military services such as the Merchant Navy, Coastguard, Border Control and Homeland Security that are essential to the Defence of the Realm.”