Select committee: Defence Committee
Recommendation 5
Fifth report: Obsolescent and outgunned: the British Army’s armoured vehicle capability
Published 14 Mar 2021
Paragraph 27
Addressed to Ministry of Defence
Defence Committee Progress in delivering the British Army’s armoured vehicle capability All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We are astonished that between 1997 and late 2020 (with the exception of a small number of armoured engineering and Viking protected mobility vehicles) the Department had not delivered a single new armoured vehicle from the core procurement programme into operational service with the Army. It is clear that the Ministry of Defence’s armoured vehicle programmes requires independent scrutiny. We ask the National Audit Office to revisit this issue to establish the costs incurred since its 2011 report, progress in delivering current programmes, current armoured capability gaps and the coherency and delivery realism of the Army’s current portfolio of armoured vehicle programmes, particularly in the context of the forthcoming Integrated Review.
From: Defence Committee, Fifth report: Obsolescent and outgunned: the British Army’s armoured vehicle capability (HC 659), paragraph 27, 14 March 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 21 May 2021 (deadline 14 May 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government largely sets out reforms and programme plans in response, noting criticisms of past acquisition, while disagreeing with some points, including that the 40mm weapon system contributed to Ajax delays.
- On past procurement failings, the Department "notes the Committee's comments and acknowledges that defence acquisition has faced challenges in the past", and points to reforms including a three step approvals process.
- On Boxer, it "agrees with the Committee on the desirability of acceleration" and is "intending to accelerate and enhance the programme", to deliver full operational capability by 2030.
- On Challenger 2, it says the Life Extension Project offers better value for money than off-the-shelf alternatives, and that an auto-loader was "considered and dismissed early" on capability and technical feasibility grounds.
- On the Warrior upgrade, it states that a decision "has now been taken as part of the Integrated Review to no longer upgrade Warrior".