Recommendation 1

HM Government Acknowledged

The first duty of Government is the defence of the UK and our interests. The main purpose of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is to protect the people of the United Kingdom, prevent conflict, and be ready to fight our enemies. Following the Government’s commitment at Spending Review 2020 (SR20) for an additional investment of over £24 billion in Defence, the Command Paper outlined a vision to reform and renew our Armed Forces for an age of global and systemic competition. The Command Paper outlined how Defence must prepare for more persistent global engagement and constant campaigning, to respond to threats and adversaries at speed. Defence will strengthen its deterrence, become increasingly adaptable and integrated with new and existing partners, and improve its ability to intervene and fight decisively. This involves modernising and integrating our forces, underpinned by the commitment to spend over £85 billion on equipment and support over the next four years. Following the commitments made at SR20 and efficiency savings made internally, the 2021 Equipment Plan was published, with the NAO stating that the plan was not ‘unaffordable’ for the 2 Government Response to the Committee’s Second Report first time in five years. Although we note that the macro-economic situation has created an environment less favourable to delivering on Defence’s planned programme, the department has been placed on a strong footing to respond to these challenges. We note that the delivery context for Defence has grown more challenging following the increase in inflation. The Department continues to minimise its exposure to short- term economic shocks, including through forward purchase arrangements. The potential impact of these factors upon the department’s budget remain under continuous review and are part of the regular discussions we have with the Treasury. Further, the department is working with partners to refresh its relationship with industry, as part of Defence’s contribution to the update to the Integrated Review (IR). Our ambition is to work with partners to upskill our sovereign industrial base, maximising domestic growth and creating employment opportunities across the Union. The Government’s recognition of the need to remain threat-led has been realised by recent events. The IR and Command Paper set out a year ago that Russia poses – to quote - “the greatest nuclear, conventional military and sub-threshold threat to European security”; the IR also emphasised the need to strengthen NATO, which is critical to preserving our security and prosperity in the Euro-Atlantic region. Our response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has shown the UK at its best, united with our allies to deter Russian aggression on NATO’s eastern flank and reasserting the UK’s continued commitment to NATO membership as a cornerstone of our security at home and overseas. However, we are not complacent and recognise that the context in which we are operating is shifting. The implications of global events, from Covid-19 to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have created an economic and security environment less favourable to delivering the IR’s vision and desired capabilities. We continue to monitor and analyse the situation in Ukraine, and beyond, to ensure our strategic approach remains threat-led and in line with the agile planning and delivery mechanisms developed following the IR. We will continue to review our capabilities and readiness levels accordingly, as noted in our wider response and realised through the Government’s decision to update the IR.