Select committee: Defence Committee
Conclusion 17
Second Report - The Integrated Review, Defence in a Competitive Age and the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy
Published 28 Jul 2022
Paragraph 93
Addressed to Ministry of Defence
Defence Committee Defending Global Britain in a Competitive Age All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
If Afghanistan was intended to be an example of effective policy integration in action then it leaves a lot to be desired. It is even more worrying given that the NSC apparently gave the political direction required to bring together a ‘whole- of-systems’ approach. If the NSC set the appropriate direction then it leads to two pertinent questions: why did implementation of the policy, agreed by Ministers, fail? And how can the Government ensure that integrated, cross-Government policy decisions—made by those Ministers who have been elected by the UK public and accountable to them and this Parliament—are fully implemented in future? The fact that these Departments are carrying out individual lessons learned exercises, rather than a single integrated exercise, is concerning. Furthermore, the Government has failed to take disciplinary action against any senior individual for any (of the many) mistakes made during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
From: Defence Committee, Second Report - The Integrated Review, Defence in a Competitive Age and the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (HC 180), paragraph 93, 28 July 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 10 November 2022 (deadline 28 September 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government welcomes the report and says it "supports the sentiment" of the calls to update its strategy, while confirming an update to the Integrated Review and disputing some of the Committee's criticisms.
- On the Integrated Review, it says it "believes the IR and Defence Command Paper hold true" but is "not complacent", and that "Defence is supporting the update to the IR".
- On Army numbers, it says there are "currently no plans to reverse the Army's reduction in regular personnel", while adding that "as the threat changes, we need to change with it".
- On procurement, it states it does "not accept" that its record on large and complex programmes is "abysmal", citing the P-8A Poseidon and Type 31 frigate programmes. On publishing annual MACA figures, it says the MOD "will consider" a more detailed breakdown.
- On the Reserves Forces 2030 Review, the Government "will provide a response" following consideration of the UK's commitment to the NATO new force model. No date is given.