29/08/2010
D-Day Looming for MOD Chiefs

Report by Tracey Boles in the Sunday Express dated 29 August 2010.

The National Security Council will pave the way for the deepest defence cuts for a generation this week when it draws up a shortlist of cost savings from as many as 250 options.

The shortlist, to be presented to ministers as part of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), will shape the UK’s defence industry for the coming decade. Final decisions are to be made later in September ahead of the SDR’s publication on October 22.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to make swingeing cuts in the face of a £36 billion black hole and a requirement from the coalition to drastically reduce public spending. The sheer scale of the cuts required means that no stone has remained unturned as the MoD seeks procurement savings.

Amphibious ships could go while the Navy’s new flagship aircraft carriers are likely to have far fewer Joint Strike Fighters than originally envisaged. The jump-jet version of the state-of-the-art US aircraft is now unlikely to be ordered.

All the RAF’s Tornados could be grounded as well as Puma helicopters and Hercules transporters. Thousands of personnel could be axed across the three services. Bases would also go.

Senior industry executives see the defence industry morphing so that it can concentrate on unmanned drones, nuclear capability and precision-guided bombs.

Click here:  http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/196267/D-Day-looming-for-MoD-chiefs