Defense funding is being used to cover deficits rather than replenish and increase stocks, MPs have warned. Credit: Army
UK 'increasingly overstretched' Armed forces unprepared for war with Russia, damning MP inquiry concludes
House of Commons Defense Committee annual review finds government 'will never achieve combat readiness' or strategic readiness» without urgent reforms that could reverse the recruitment crisis and dramatically increase Britain's stockpiles of arms and ammunition.
In a scathing report, MPs said the Armed Forces needed more funding to «engage in operations while developing combat readiness,” otherwise they will have to reduce the “operational burden” on the armed forces.
Against the backdrop of growth. As a result of the pressure on defense spending, the committee found that £1.95 billion of funding allocated in last spring's Budget could now be used to cover defense deficits rather than replenish and increase stockpiles.
< p>Writing in The Telegraph, Sir Jeremy Quin, the Conservative chairman of the committee, says Britain «must rise to the challenge» amid warnings that NATO countries could have just three years to prepare for a Russian offensive.
Sir Jeremy, who was Defense Procurement Secretary until 2022, says: “To confidently confront the threats we face, we need to know that we will be prepared for war.”< /p>
The cross-party committee's warning came as former defense chiefs said the Armed Forces had been «devastated» since 2010 and «in a peer conflict… would have exhausted its capabilities after the first couple of months of fighting».
The report said: “The UK's armed forces have been deployed beyond their capabilities in response to the deteriorating security situation, but they are all undercapacity and short on supplies and are losing personnel at a faster rate. how they can recruit them.”
Sir Jeremy adds: “The Ministry of Defense has admitted that for every eight people leaving the army, only five are recruited.” He says the new focus on recruitment is vital and timely.
No 10 ruled out conscription last month when General Sir Patrick Sanders, the Chief of the General Staff, said Britain must be prepared to prepare citizens for future conflict.< /p>
However, General Martin Herem, commander of the Estonian Defense Forces, which borders Russia, called on NATO countries to begin conscription programs.
“What is scary for me is not scary for either the French or the British. That is why it is very difficult to motivate their population to join any kind of volunteer military movement ready to defend the country,” he said.
“I definitely suggest that all countries create some kind of civilian conscription. services.
“First on a volunteer basis, for example, a one-year contract that includes training, and then another six months of service before sending them into the reserves. This way you will have a reserve.”
The main shortcoming, identified after evidence presented by current and former defense chiefs, industry representatives and ministers, was the lack of domestic production capacity to produce weapons, combat vehicles and ammunition at the rate necessary to replenish supplies and respond to the demand that the war will create.
In evidence to the committee, Lord Houghton, who was chief of the defense staff between 2013 and 2016, said Britain had taken a “risk” by ordering limited quantities of the key equipment, such as NLAW missiles used to destroy Russian tanks in Ukraine — instead of long-term contracts to ensure ready supplies.
The current approach, described by Lord Houghton as a «grave strategic error», is now being urgently reviewed by senior ministers. In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Lord Cameron, the foreign secretary, said the government should «try to work with our defense industry to get longer production periods», adding that such an approach would require funding over several years.
The Telegraph understands that one widely used ammunition — the 155mm artillery round — which sources said was in «severely short supply» could only be produced on one vehicle in the UK.
The UK is said to be desperately short of artillery shells. Photo: Ben Birchall/PA Wire
Andrew Kinniburgh, chief executive of Make UK Defence, one of the two largest defense industry bodies, said: “We are still struggling to get the government to recognize this in terms of industrial capacity if they are not using it. , they will lose it… if there is no demand, the defense industry will simply let this capability wither on the vine.»
He described NLAW, thousands of which were sent by the UK to Ukraine, as «a perfect example of where for years there has been no There were no orders and, as a result, the production lines were actually stopped.»
In another case, Mr Kinniburgh said the UK «hadn't spent a penny on armored vehicles for years» so «when it came to buying the Ajax vehicles, which had been so long delayed, we had to use a Spanish-designed vehicle as the base platform » .
Lord Houghton told the committee that purchasing key military equipment in one-off, limited orders was a «gross strategic mistake in our national resilience.»
The report identified three types of military readiness, from of which, as they say, only one of them is “proven” in the UK.
The first is operational readiness — «the ability to deploy forces to meet ongoing commitments or respond to a crisis» — which MPs say is «proven, but has problems of overstretching «.
The second is readiness for combat. – “the ability to deploy and sustain forces that can fight at high intensity over multiple territories over an extended period of time.” The committee said, “We believe this is questionable.”
The third is strategic readiness—“the ability of a state to identify and use all the tools available to it to support military action.” MPs say this remains a theoretical concept being debated in Whitehall rather than a «consensus policy with measurable results».
The report states: «It is clear that the government will never achieve military operations or strategic readiness without a thriving industrial base and without offerings that can attract, develop and sustain sufficient numbers of qualified military personnel to meet the growing and evolving military challenges we face as a nation.» . These reforms must work, and at a pace.”
On Saturday evening, in the latest setback for the armed forces, the Royal Navy announced that its aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth would be unable to take part in NATO duties scheduled from Sunday due to a problem with the starboard propeller shaft.
' ; Ready to defend the UK»
A MoD spokesman said: «Our Armed Forces are always ready to defend the UK and we continue to meet all operational commitments, including participation in every NATO mission, supporting Ukraine and fighting the Houthis.» attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
“We are spending more than £50 billion on defense this year alone and have significantly increased our spending on defense equipment to £288.6 billion over the next decade, including investment in expanding our stockpile and purchasing new tanks and fighter jets. and warships.
“We have made it clear that increasing recruitment and improving retention across all services is a top priority, including by providing improved career opportunities and making it easier for people to rejoin the force, in addition to largest wage increase in more than 20 years.»
The spokesperson added: «We are fully cooperating with industry, allies and partners to ensure we can continue to supply Ukraine with vital supplies while replacing all equipment. and ammunition provided in kind from UK stocks at maximum efficiency.»
The Ministry of Defense «has placed an order for 155mm artillery shells from BAE Systems, which will increase the UK's stockpile and provide an eight-fold increase in production capacity.»
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