Reacting to the Defence Command Paper, Chair of the Defence
Committee, MP, said:
“Only two days ago the Defence Secretary warned of multiple
future conflicts on the horizon. Yet today’s announcement of cuts
to troop numbers, leaving us with the smallest Army since the
seventeen hundreds, will be extremely concerning to many. Mr
Wallace says his plans are not “fantasy force politics”, but we
need more personnel, not less, and relying on veterans and
reserve forces is no substitute for a regular, professional
Force. The Defence Secretary is right to say that our
servicepeople are “our real battle-winning capability”. So why
won’t he commit to sustaining the regular force the UK needs?
“On Sunday we published our report ‘It is
broke – and it’s time to fix it’ on the MOD’s chaotic approach to
procurement. This is a roadmap to reform and laid out 22
pragmatic, realistic recommendations. I’m pleased to see that the
MOD has acknowledged that, when it comes to equipment and
munitions, we need much more and much faster.
“Although the decrease in personnel is troubling, the MOD has
shown commendable ambition elsewhere. Making the most of
technological advancements will be critical to our future
success, helping us to maintain an edge over our adversaries. The
extra money pledged for stockpiles will increase our readiness
and improve the strength of our deterrence overall. These are
welcome investments.
“The £400 million to modernise accommodation is much needed. Too
often Service personnel and their families are forced to live in
conditions that fall far below acceptable standards. Last week we
launched our Sub-Committee on Service Accommodation to address
this very problem and to aid the MOD in improving accommodation
for the Services.”
