Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 85
85
Not Addressed
Government over-reliance on Military Aid to Civil Authorities pressures Armed Forces readiness
Conclusion
Military Aid to Civil Authorities (MACA) requests are an additional operational pressure on the armed forces, but we are unable to quantify this without information on the impact of MACA on the readiness of the Armed Forces, requested from the Government in November 2023, but not received at the time of writing. We have concerns that other Departments have become over-reliant on calling for assistance from the military rather than building civilian capacity. Can readiness be improved through policy changes?
Government Response Summary
The government affirms that the Armed Forces will continue to provide support to civil authorities and maintain high readiness for national events, but the response does not address the committee's concern about other departments' over-reliance on military assistance or provide the requested information on MACA's impact on military readiness.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
On Civil Contingencies, the UK’s Armed Forces continue to form an integral part of the Government’s effort to counter the threat from terrorism and other emergent crises–at home as well as overseas. We will continue to support the civil authorities more generally and will hold forces at high levels of readiness to respond to a wide range of national events and crises.