https://sputnikglobe.com/20230419/parliament-members-warn-uk-failing-to-adequately-replenish-mods-stocks--1109672274.html
Parliament Members Warn UK Failing to Adequately Replenish MoD's Stocks
Parliament Members Warn UK Failing to Adequately Replenish MoD's Stocks
Sputnik International
The influential Public Account Committee have said they are dissatisfied with the MoD's attempts to replenish its stock after giving weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.
2023-04-19T21:43+0000
2023-04-19T21:43+0000
2023-04-19T21:43+0000
uk ministry of defence
uk public accounts committee (pac)
military spending
united kingdom (uk)
ukraine
military
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Members of the United Kingdom Parliament who make up the influential Public Account Committee (PAC) are warning that the UK is falling behind militarily to deal with a “more dangerous international situation.”The group of 15 MPs said that it has “serious doubts” about the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) plan to replenish its stocks effectively using the rolling 10-year procurement plan the MoD last updated in November.The PAC says they have doubts the plan is “agile and responsive enough to react to this more dangerous international situation.” It added that the Defence Equipment and Support branch of the ministry, which is responsible for procurement, is “broken" and fears it will not be able to meet its NATO commitments. One of the other concerns the PAC has is the MoD’s plan includes £13.8 billion in savings over the next ten years but has not laid out how it will achieve £5 billion of that amount.Meanwhile, the MoD denied its procurement process is broken. “Nor do we recognise the broken procurement system painted by this report. The department routinely assesses time, cost and risk factors on all projects, and delivers the vast majority on time and in budget, and we have made numerous changes to improve procurement practices where projects have fallen short.”NATO expects its powerful allies to be able to provide a division of 25,000 troops in the event of an emergency. A NATO meeting in Lithuania this July will finalize commitments to bolster NATO’s defenses. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend that meeting.The UK purchases the bulk of its military equipment from the United States.The UK already bolstered its military budget twice last month, adding a total of £11 billion over the next five years. The raise will increase the UK’s military budget to 2.25% of the country’s GDP. NATO expects its members to spend at least 2% of their GDP on their military budgets. As of 2020, the UK had the fifth-most expensive military in the world and the fourth largest by percentage of GDP.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230330/nato-deputy-chief-says-ukraine-military-aid-topped-70bln-1108972569.html
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ukraine, united kingdom, uk running out of weapons, nato members tapped out, military aid to ukraine
ukraine, united kingdom, uk running out of weapons, nato members tapped out, military aid to ukraine
Parliament Members Warn UK Failing to Adequately Replenish MoD's Stocks
The UK’s stocks are running low on weapons and ammunition primarily because of the support it has been giving Ukraine during Russia’s ongoing special military operation.
Members of the United Kingdom Parliament who make up the influential Public Account Committee (PAC) are warning that the UK is falling behind militarily to deal with a “more dangerous international situation.”
The group of 15 MPs said that it has “serious doubts” about the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) plan to replenish its stocks effectively using the rolling 10-year procurement plan the MoD last updated in November.
The PAC says they have doubts the plan is “agile and responsive enough to react to this more dangerous international situation.” It added that the Defence Equipment and Support branch of the ministry, which is responsible for procurement, is “broken" and fears it will not be able to meet its NATO commitments.
"The Ministry of Defence's approach to its equipment plan has failed to adapt to a more volatile world," the committee said.
One of the other concerns the PAC has is the MoD’s plan includes £13.8 billion in savings over the next ten years but has not laid out how it will achieve £5 billion of that amount.
“Neither taxpayers nor our armed forces are being served well. There needs to be meaningful change of this broken system. The department needs to break from this cycle of costly delay and failure and deliver a fundamental, root and branch reform of defence procurement.”
Meanwhile, the MoD denied its procurement process is broken.
“The Public Account Committee's assessment that our Equipment Plan does not align with the lessons learnt from the Ukraine conflict is unsubstantiated,” a MoD spokesperson said in response to the report.
“Nor do we recognise the broken procurement system painted by this report. The department routinely assesses time, cost and risk factors on all projects, and delivers the vast majority on time and in budget, and we have made numerous changes to improve procurement practices where projects have fallen short.”
NATO expects its powerful allies to be able to provide a division of 25,000 troops in the event of an emergency. A NATO meeting in Lithuania this July will finalize commitments to bolster NATO’s defenses. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend that meeting.
The UK purchases the bulk of its military equipment from the United States.
The UK already bolstered its military budget twice last month, adding a total of £11 billion over the next five years. The raise will increase the UK’s military budget to 2.25% of the country’s GDP.
NATO expects its members to spend at least 2% of their GDP on their military budgets. As of 2020, the UK had the fifth-most expensive military in the world and the fourth largest by percentage of GDP.
