Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 24
24
The operational freedom of a carrier group relies on tankers supplying it with oil and...
Conclusion
The operational freedom of a carrier group relies on tankers supplying it with oil and water, and solid support ships providing food, ammunition and general stores, where and when they are required. The Department identified that it needed new solid support ships in 2005, and by 2017 it had decided that a fleet of three new support ships was necessary, entering service from 2026. Indeed, the Department told us that the fleet solid support ship programme was one of the four key components of its ambition to develop Carrier Enabled Power Projection. It began the procurement of the three ships in May 2018 but stopped the competition in November 2019 because it did not have a compliant bidder. The Department told us it was now reconsidering its requirement and had not yet launched a further competition. It has not confirmed when the first new ship will now enter service but estimates it will be October 2027 at the earliest, and possibly as late as April 2029.53
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
6. 1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: June 2021 6.2 The department will address the capabilities required to support the carriers as part of the Integrated Review, reporting in the first quarter of 2021. Although taut and requiring mitigation in 2022 when RFA Fort Victoria undergoes maintenance, the support shipping needed to keep the carriers supplied with fuel, munitions and stores is in place for the period up until Full Operating Capability for Carrier Strike in 2023. To allow declaration of the wider Full Operating Capability for Carrier Enabled Power Projection from 2026, and the associated routine operating model, the Fleet Solid Support requirements have been informed by operating experience and a new competition will be launched in the first quarter of 2021. Building on the success of the Type 31 Programme, the department intends to allow international partners to work with UK firms to bid for this British-led shipbuilding project.