Recommendation 7

The government is re-assessing its defence priorities in the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy (the Review), which, when we took evidence at the end of September, the Department expected would be published in November 2020.13 As part of the Review, government will re-assess its ambition for Carrier Strike. The Department acknowledged that any changes to this ambition, including how the carriers will be used and their deployment patterns, will affect the extent and type of supporting capabilities required, and the level of future investment needed.14 For example, the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review changed the policy ambition from deploying both carriers at the same time to having only one out at a time, with the other in dock. This reduced the number of operational squadrons required.15 The Department emphasised, however, that even without a full complement of planes or ships to support it, Carrier Strike would still be able to undertake a variety of tasks, from war fighting to humanitarian assistance, and that this would project Britain’s power in the world.16