Recommendations & Conclusions
5 items
1
Recommendation
Third Report - Defence Space: through a…
Acknowledged
Recent years have seen welcome, if only partially successful, attempts to bring more coherence to space activity both across Whitehall and within the Ministry of Defence. The creation of the National Space Council and the MoD’s Space Directorate were recognised by witnesses as being positive developments in this regard. As …
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Recent years have seen welcome, if only partially successful, attempts to bring more coherence to space activity both across Whitehall and within the Ministry of Defence. The creation of the National Space Council and the MoD’s Space Directorate were recognised by witnesses as being positive developments in this regard. As we came to the end of our inquiry, we were therefore both surprised and concerned to note that the Government has removed the National Space Council from the list of Cabinet Committees, and that the Space Directorate looks set to be disbanded. In its response to this report the Department must provide an explanation for these changes. It should set out what new governance arrangements have been put in place and why it believes they will be more effective at swiftly implementing the vision set out in the National and Defence Space Strategies.
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Government response AI summary
The government states its commitment to developing the UK as a space nation, details the Cabinet Committee structure, lists ministerial responsibilities, and describes the role of the National Space Board and UK Space Command.
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Ministry of Defence
2
Conclusion
Third Report - Defence Space: through a…
Acknowledged
Even before these recent developments, which seem to be a backward step, cross- Whitehall governance on space lacked sufficient clarity and direction. The delays to publication of the National and Defence Space Strategies frustrated industry and other stakeholders and suggest that despite the previous Prime Minister’s stated personal commitment to …
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Even before these recent developments, which seem to be a backward step, cross- Whitehall governance on space lacked sufficient clarity and direction. The delays to publication of the National and Defence Space Strategies frustrated industry and other stakeholders and suggest that despite the previous Prime Minister’s stated personal commitment to making the UK “a meaningful player in space”, the Government is currently unable to drive changes through at pace, or even to meet its own deadlines. Nowhere is this better illustrated than by the continued delay and inertia surrounding space-based position, navigation and timing services, which we examine in detail later in this report.
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Government response AI summary
The government states its commitment to developing the UK as a space nation, details the Cabinet Committee structure, lists ministerial responsibilities, and describes the role of the National Space Board and UK Space Command.
Read full response →
Ministry of Defence
7
Conclusion
Third Report - Defence Space: through a…
Acknowledged
The response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has underlined the importance of the international community taking a united approach in the face of irresponsible and aggressive behaviour. We welcome the UK’s leading role at the United Nations in seeking to achieve a consensus on responsible norms and behaviours in space …
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The response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has underlined the importance of the international community taking a united approach in the face of irresponsible and aggressive behaviour. We welcome the UK’s leading role at the United Nations in seeking to achieve a consensus on responsible norms and behaviours in space and we support and encourage the Government in continuing to drive this work forward. An update on progress to date should be included in the Department’s response to this report.
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Government response AI summary
The government welcomes the Committee’s support in continuing to take a leading role at the United Nations on responsible space behaviours. The MOD is working closely with the FCDO on this initiative and the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a UK-sponsored resolution (A/RES/76/231) on 24 …
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Ministry of Defence
12
Conclusion
Third Report - Defence Space: through a…
Acknowledged
The Ministry of Defence will have to carefully balance competing priorities in determining which defence space capabilities must be “owned” by Government and which can be provided by collaboration with Allies or through a commercial contract. Russia’s recent impounding of OneWeb satellites at the Baikonur cosmodrome demonstrates the potential dangers …
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The Ministry of Defence will have to carefully balance competing priorities in determining which defence space capabilities must be “owned” by Government and which can be provided by collaboration with Allies or through a commercial contract. Russia’s recent impounding of OneWeb satellites at the Baikonur cosmodrome demonstrates the potential dangers of making the wrong call, and the subsequently announced proposed merger of the OneWeb with Eutelsat has raised further questions concerning sovereignty and national security. The planned merger between OneWeb and Eutelsat must be subject to the most stringent scrutiny under the National Security and Investment Act. More broadly, it is critical that decisions affecting the sovereignty of the UK’s defence space capabilities are made transparently. The MoD should confirm in its response to this report how it plans to make details of these decisions available for scrutiny by Parliament. (Paragraph 102) The UK’s Defence Space Capabilities: Opportunity and Challenge
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Government response AI summary
The government states that it will continue to identify the UK-based industrial capabilities the MOD requires in order to deliver and sustain military capability and conduct military operations as we choose without reliance on other nations, and to protect the sensitive technologies that underpin those …
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Ministry of Defence
15
Conclusion
Third Report - Defence Space: through a…
Acknowledged
Space acquisitions require an innovative and flexible approach to procurement, but the MoD will need to balance this against ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. This will not be an easy task, and the Department’s endemic failure to robustly manage major projects does not inspire confidence that they will …
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Space acquisitions require an innovative and flexible approach to procurement, but the MoD will need to balance this against ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. This will not be an easy task, and the Department’s endemic failure to robustly manage major projects does not inspire confidence that they will be able to meet this challenge. The Department must meet its commitment to set out clear milestones for the significant infrastructure projects announced in the Defence Space Strategy by the end of this financial year. Timescales should also be included, and progress should be reported every six months. We will write to the Comptroller and Auditor General asking him to increase his oversight of these new projects to provide Defence Space: through adversity to the stars? 39 additional assurance and we intend to scrutinise their progress closely. In this emerging domain the Ministry of Defence has a real opportunity to learn from its past failings: history must not be repeated. The Department must meet its commitment to set out clear milestones for the significant infrastructure projects announced in the Defence Space Strategy by the end of this financial year. Timescales should also be included, and progress should be reported every six months. (Paragraph 122) 40 Defence Space: through adversity to the stars?
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Government response AI summary
The government is exploring ways to enable greater agility and iterative delivery of capability, and the Defence Space Portfolio will be able to take advantage of this approach. UK Space Command recently published a Capability Management Plan, which gives an indication of milestones, and the …
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Ministry of Defence