Select committee: Defence Committee
Third Special Report - The Integrated Review, Defence in a Competitive Age and the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy: Government Response to the Committee’s Second Report
Published 10 November 2022
Defence Committee Defending Global Britain in a Competitive Age Report on parliament.uk ↗
At a glance
The government's response
This document responds to Second Report - The Integrated Review, Defence in a Competitive Age and the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy.
This is the government's response, published 10 November 2022.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government welcomes the report and says it "supports the sentiment" of the calls to update its strategy, while confirming an update to the Integrated Review and disputing some of the Committee's criticisms.
- On the Integrated Review, it says it "believes the IR and Defence Command Paper hold true" but is "not complacent", and that "Defence is supporting the update to the IR".
- On Army numbers, it says there are "currently no plans to reverse the Army's reduction in regular personnel", while adding that "as the threat changes, we need to change with it".
- On procurement, it states it does "not accept" that its record on large and complex programmes is "abysmal", citing the P-8A Poseidon and Type 31 frigate programmes. On publishing annual MACA figures, it says the MOD "will consider" a more detailed breakdown.
- On the Reserves Forces 2030 Review, the Government "will provide a response" following consideration of the UK's commitment to the NATO new force model. No date is given.
What the committee recommended
This is a government response document, so it has no recommendations of its own.