Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Paragraph: 47
The Ministry of Defence should be honest with the public about the deteriorating international security...
Conclusion
The Ministry of Defence should be honest with the public about the deteriorating international security situation, the capabilities the Navy will need to protect Britain in this environment, and the funding required to deliver those capabilities. We believe that if the public understands the Navy’s requirements, they will support the increase in funding necessary to deliver it.
Paragraph Reference:
47
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
Response: The evolving threat picture was at the heart of the IR. The international security situation and Defence’s capability requirements as a result of it are, accordingly, set out in public documents. The Defence Command Paper outlined the changing strategic context and associated shifts in global power around four over-arching trends: geo-political and geo-economic shifts; systemic competition; rapid technological change; and transnational challenges. Given this range of challenges, strategic decision making in the MOD is threat-focused and evidence-driven, with inputs from across the intelligence community, government agencies, and our strategic allies and partners. The sensitivities of some of this intelligence means that we cannot share every detail with the public. However, the Secretary of State for Defence, Ministerial team, Chief of Defence Intelligence, and other senior officials continue to engage public facing forums and academic organisations to share their perspectives, where appropriate. Defence has also decisively shifted its approach to tackle these threats, as outlined in the Integrated Operating Concept (2020) and Defence Command Paper. To underline the government’s long-term approach, the MOD received a four-year spending review settlement with an increase of over £24 billion. The RN is receiving an increasing budget, rising from £7 billion in FY21/22 to £8.7 billion by FY30/31 to accelerate a drive to be more lethal, more available, and more sustainable—a Global, Modern and Ready Navy to address the international security situation now and into the future.