Select committee: Defence Committee
Recommendation 17
In Search of Strategy — The 2020 Integrated Review
Published 13 Aug 2020
Paragraph 115
Addressed to Ministry of Defence
Defence Committee The Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Given that systemic challenges have not been resolved in the previous thirteen reviews of defence procurement, we doubt that the Integrated Review will come up with even a short-term fix. We believe that the Review ought to address the strategic issues that should underpin the UK’s approach to defence procurement, in order to provide a sound basis to address these challenges in the future. The UK’s capability priorities and force structure should inform the answers to the following strategic questions on the procurement process: a. What capabilities and skills must remain sovereign and what can be bought “off-the-shelf”? What are the implications for operational advantage, freedom of action, cost and national prosperity? ) b. How does the UK define value for money in defence procurement? In Search of Strategy — The 2020 Integrated Review 59 c. How can UK defence procurement ensure the resilience of logistics and supply? d. How can the procurement process be used to foster innovation and ensure access to intellectual property? e. Is defence procurement, research and development keeping pace with future requirements? f. How will lessons from procurement failures be captured and addressed? The Committee welcomes ongoing work to review the UK’s Defence Industrial Strategy. This strategy should be informed by the strategic decisions made as part of the Integrated Review. The Committee will continue to explore the UK’s defence industrial policy in our ongoing parallel inquiry on this topic.
From: Defence Committee, In Search of Strategy — The 2020 Integrated Review (HC 165), paragraph 115, 13 August 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 22 October 2020 (deadline 13 October 2020).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response welcomes the Committee's inquiry and says the Integrated Review is addressing or will address most of the issues raised, while saying that the Comprehensive Spending Review will determine funding.
- On challenge to assumptions, the government states that it "agrees with the Committee that appropriate challenge is critical to delivering the Integrated Review", and says external challenge is being invited, including through targeted workshops.
- On defence funding, it says it remains committed to spending at least 2% of GDP, which should be seen as "a floor and not a ceiling", while adding that "we should not fixate on percentages".
- On a long-term settlement, the government says the Comprehensive Spending Review "will provide a multiyear financial settlement for Defence" and that its position on that Review "has not changed".
- On procurement, it says decisions on adapting existing policies will be based on investment decisions made as part of the Integrated Review, and it looks forward to updating the Committee "in due course".