No ‘credible plan’ to boost armed forces’ capability

The Ministry of Defence has no credible plan to fund the armed forces the Government wants, leaving the UK increasingly reliant on its allies, MPS have warned.

The gap between the Mod's budget and the cost of the UK'S desired military capabilities has ballooned to £16.9 billion, its largest deficit ever, despite an injection of £46.3 billion over the next 10 years.

But the influential Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has warned that the real deficit could be closer to £29 billion as some parts of the armed forces only included capabilities that were affordable rather than all those the Government had requested.

Dame Meg Hillier, chairwoman of the cross-party PAC, said: "In an increasingly volatile world, the Ministry of Defence's lack of a credible plan to deliver fully funded military capability as desired by Government leaves us in an alarming place."

Labour said the report was "more proof " that the Conservatives had failed to "deal with the deep problems in the MOD".

In a report on the Mod's Equipment Plan published on Friday, the PAC warned that gaps in military capabilities had left the UK more reliant on its allies to protect its own interests, while the credibility of Britain's armed forces had been "undermined".

The MPS pointed to "widely reported" recruitment issues, with more people leaving the armed forces than being recruited, and the mothballing of Royal Navy vessels due to crew shortages.

In January, ministers had to deny reports that assault ships HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark would be mothballed ahead of their planned retirement dates in the mid2030s due to a lack of available crew.

The MPS said: "With the support of its allies, the UK'S armed forces continue to fulfil a crucial international role. However, many of its allies are facing similar challenges to the UK, which might affect their ability and willingness to continue providing extensive support."

The PAC urged the Government to develop plans to mitigate the impact on the UK of the risk that allied support might be curtailed or withdrawn. MPS also renewed their criticism of the Mod's procurement processes, saying that slow delivery of new systems had caused gaps in military capability.

Only two of the Mod's 46 equipment programmes are currently rated as highly likely to be delivered to time, budget and quality, while successful delivery seems unachievable for five projects including nuclear submarine reactors, new communications technology and missiles.