9th Special Report - Indispensable allies: US, NATO and UK Defence relations: Government Response to the Committee’s Eighth Report

This is the government's response, published 20 September 2018.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The Government welcomes the report and reaffirms that NATO is at the heart of UK defence policy, agreeing with several conclusions while expressly not accepting that the UK fails to lead by example on defence spending.

• On interoperability and decision-making, the Government says it agrees with the Committee's view on interoperability, and on speed of decision-making it "agree[s] with its assessment" and will "continue to take a leadership role".
• On withdrawal from Germany, it states that it "remains the Government’s plan to return all formed Army units from Germany", while the Secretary of State has endorsed an aspiration after 2020 to continue training there and keep storage facilities.
• On a war reserve of equipment, it says retaining equipment is an option, and "deciding to take this option for equipment depends on whether retaining the equipment is considered the most cost-effective decision".
• On the Committee's call to work towards 3% of GDP, the Government states it is committed to spending at least 2% of GDP and to increasing the MoD's budget by at least 0.5% above inflation every year of this Parliament.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error