Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Paragraph: 23
The Ministry of Defence and the Army embarked on a series of overly-ambitious procurement programmes...
Conclusion
The Ministry of Defence and the Army embarked on a series of overly-ambitious procurement programmes which were too reliant on the development of nascent technologies in order to deliver viable capabilities; within these programmes; and, there was a reluctance to trade off capability requirements (such as vehicle weight) leading to programme cancellations and vacillation around decision-making. This was compounded by the desire to adapt requirements to concurrent operational experience. Too often the Ministry of Defence has aimed to deliver the 100 per cent solution tomorrow, rather than the 80 per cent solution today.
Paragraph Reference:
23
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Army, DE&S and the MOD have continued to improve Defence acquisition. Many of the 2011 NAO “cost effective delivery of an armoured vehicle capability” observations and recommendations have been implemented in the Army’s delivery approach including trading requirements, pursuing off the shelf solutions with growth potential and longer- term incremental acquisition. Capability requirements have been refined and the Army is committed to identifying more realistic performance, cost and time requirements that are based on existing and proven vehicles and technology. In addition, we have invested in open systems and generic vehicle architectures while also prioritising power, weight and space growth potential to ensure these vehicles are future proofed. The Land Industrial Strategy will adopt a longer-term approach to procurement and through life support. This will allow improved incremental technology insertion and better whole life cost management. This, combined with the Army’s increased focus on Future Force Development and experimentation, will allow the MOD to keep capabilities contemporary and partner more strategically with the industrial base and key allies and exploit technology as it matures with much greater confidence in performance, cost and time.