Recommendation 18

HM Government Acknowledged

The Government is keen to ensure that some of the best minds in the UK and beyond are feeding into the Review’s conclusions and challenging traditional Whitehall assumptions and thinking. a) Several informal briefings to MPs and peers have taken place since the Integrated Review re-started in June. The aim of these has been to inform as well as seek input from parliamentarians. Ministers and senior officials also continue to be available for public appearances in front of Select Committees. b) The public Call for Evidence ran for four weeks, from 13 August to 11 September. It was open to any member of the public and allowed the Government to take into account a wide range of views to help inform the content and conclusions of the Review. Despite the compressed timelines we received over 450 submissions, twice the usual amount received in a 10-week process. Over 160 of the substantive submissions were defence-related. c) We are engaging with experts beyond Whitehall (at home and abroad) and wider stakeholders with interest in our nation’s security and prosperity, and the global challenges the UK will face over the coming years. This engagement has 12 Third Special Report of Session 2019–21 taken the form of direct conversations with the lead Deputy National Security Adviser; roundtables and workshops; outreach by departments; and the public Call for Evidence. d) Ministers and officials across Whitehall have engaged with international partners throughout the Integrated Review process. This engagement will continue for the rest of the Integrated Review process and beyond. We are also working through HMG’s extensive overseas network to involve perspectives from our international partners. COVID-19 has inevitably constrained MOD’s original plans, but we have nonetheless delivered a broad programme of engagement with our key stakeholder groups, including those highlighted by the Committee. As part of a regular pattern of broader engagement, MOD Ministers and officials have also offered to engage with the three Devolved Administrations on progress with the Integrated Review. The MOD has sought input from many of our most important allies and partners, including the defence industry, and is also taking views from civil society stakeholders including think tanks and academia. The exact mechanisms for this engagement vary between stakeholders. e) MOD has sought input from industry stakeholders through established ministerial and senior official fora and bespoke sessions. The Review has been discussed regularly at the Defence Suppliers’ Forum (comprised of strategic suppliers, mid-tier companies, SME representatives, and trade associations), one-to-one supplier engagements, and sessions with trade associations. Alongside this, the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy Review team has also undertaken UK and international engagement with trade associations, international partners, and business of all sizes, in both existing and bespoke fora, to inform its developing recommendations and the Integrated Review. f) The single Services have had input into shaping our initial Defence proposition. Front Line Commands adopt their own arrangements to involve key stakeholders, experts and commanders to influence decision making. Outside the direct chain of command, there is a network of senior Warrant Officers in each of the Services as well as Strategic Command. Each is the enlisted advisor to their respective Chief, and they participate in their Service or Command’s executive board. They engage routinely to share policy and personnel-related issues from across all ranks within their own Service or Command, including information relating to the Integrated Review.