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Britain’s lack of funding and aging military equipment leaves it ill-prepared in the event of war escalating in Europe, a parliamentary committee warned today.
The Public Accounts Committee said the UK’s defense capabilities were in an “alarming state” due to a record budget deficit of £16.9bn amid a “changing global security landscape”.
As a result, the Ministry of Defense has no reliable plan to fund the military the government wants, leaving Britain increasingly reliant on its allies.
The report comes after Prime Minister Jeremy Hunt failed to announce new defense spending in his budget, with the Office for Budget Responsibility having to direct funding towards maintaining the UK’s nuclear deterrent. He warned that the budget for personnel and personnel would be under pressure.
The committee said the deficit of nearly £17bn was likely to be even higher, to £29bn, given the other capabilities the government wanted the MoD to provide.
The Ministry of Defense assumes that defense spending, which is currently 2.1% of GDP, will increase to 2.5%, so it will “balance the budget by making difficult choices about which equipment programs we can afford and which we cannot afford.” “I don’t have the discipline to take it.” cent. But ministers have pledged to meet that target only if the economy improves.
The MoD’s 10-year equipment plan, published last year, sets out the cost of around 1,800 projects the government believes are key to protecting the UK and its allies, totaling £288.6bn.
But expected costs have already soared to £305.5bn due to inflation and unfavorable currency movements, leaving a deficit of £16.9bn – the ‘biggest affordability gap’ in the MoD’s long-term kit plan. PAC says.
The committee said funding for the UK’s nuclear deterrent was also leading to drains from other parts of the defense budget.
Dame Meg Hillier, Labor chair of the committee, said: “As the world becomes increasingly unstable, the Ministry of Defence will be able to provide a reliable and fully funded military force as requested by governments. “The lack of planning leaves us in an alarming situation.”
“Year after year, our committees see budget overruns and defense procurement delays. The lack of discipline in the Department of Defense’s budgeting and approach makes it difficult to provide a reliable overview of the affordability of equipment programs. Unable to say, inconsistent planning is occurring.
“I am disappointed that we are not only seeing the same problems we are used to seeing here, but that they appear to be getting worse…The Department of Defense must address this more firmly, or we will not be able to achieve our goals.” This is the military power that our country needs. ”
The Department of Defense told the committee that it has agreed to a minimum budget with the Treasury Department for its nuclear program, and that if no more funding is obtained, “the Department will continue to fund its nuclear program from its conventional equipment budget.” “There is flexibility to direct this,” the report said. .
The committee said rising international demand for key components and skilled workers was leading to delays in the delivery of defense equipment such as digital communications, armored vehicles and Royal Navy ships.
These include delays in the delivery of state-of-the-art Type 26 frigates due to technical problems, and the fact that the Royal Navy’s development of new warships is lagging behind other countries such as Japan, the committee said. I made it.
The parliamentarians added: “The defense industry also has difficulty attracting suitable candidates because of the high global demand for engineers and other skilled personnel needed by the defense industry.”
The report found that only two of the Defense Department’s 46 equipment programs are likely to be delivered on time, on budget and in quality.
Projects that will not be delivered on time include communications technology, nuclear submarine reactors and missile replacements.
As a result, existing equipment is being put into “intensive use”, creating a “maintenance backlog that takes even more time and money to address, and the UK military must respond by reducing the number of aging equipment.” ”, the report states.