MOD under attack over plans for tanks to help fight climate change

‘The Ministry of Defence has one job. That is to ensure the defence of the UK from foreign aggressors’

THE Ministry of Defence is facing a backlash from military experts after it vowed to “fight climate change and tackle economic inequality” through plans to buy tanks and armoured vehicles.

As part of its land industrial strategy, the MOD said it wants the modernisation of the Army to contribute towards the department’s “social value” targets.

This will require suppliers to explain how they are cutting greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing the natural environment and ensuring they have a diverse workforce.

But Sir Gerald Howarth, a former Tory defence minister, warned that forcing the military to adopt “social engineering” measures could skew important decisions when buying equipment.

He said: “The Ministry of Defence has one job. That is to ensure the defence of the UK from foreign aggressors and to defend our wider interests overseas. The priority has to be the defence of the realm.

“Look at the grief that the Government

is causing the nation with its arbitrary policy of net zero.

“We are crucifying ourselves on the altar of net zero, when the real culprits like China and India are continuing to push out carbon emissions like there’s no tomorrow.”

Vehicles being procured by the Army include Challenger III tanks, Apache AH-64E helicopters, Boxer and Ajax armoured vehicles, while a plethora of other pieces of military kit, such as drones and long-range missile launchers, is also needed.

In an introduction to the strategy,

Jeremy Quin, minister for defence procurement, said: “The land industrial strategy recognises the longer term consequences and social value that defence’s investment can unleash.

“Our ambition is for land programmes to contribute at least 20pc to social value policy outcomes and we will invite industry to demonstrate how they can leverage our investment to strengthen the union, level-up the nation, contribute to our net-zero targets and bounce back better post Covid 19.”

The Mod’s social value requirements are based on cross-whitehall rules set by the Cabinet Office.

Since September 2020, all departments have been told to produce evaluations of the “additional social value benefits” created by procurement rather than just “consider” the issues.

The framework requires a minimum of 10pc weighting to these issues when civil servants are considering which companies should be awarded public contracts, Mr Quin has previously said in an answer to a written parliamentary question.

The MOD has applied the rules to all procurement since June 2021.

Sir Gerald added: “What are we going to do next? Will we see Typhoon jets fuelled with oil from a Mcdonald’s chip fryer?

“The MOD is the one department where you really have got to prioritise other issues.”