Download or read book Ministry of Defence annual report and accounts 2006 07 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2008-01-28 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report analyses the Annual Report and Accounts 2006-07 of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) (published as HC 697, session 2006-07, ISBN 9780102946369). The MoD's assessment of its expected achievements against its six Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets, which run until the end of March 2008, has deteriorated since the previous year's Annual Report and Accounts. At the end of 2007, the MoD did not expect to meet the target relating to generating forces and expects "only partly" to meet targets relating to recruitment and retention, and defence equipment procurement. The failure to meet the target for generating forces is a consequence of the continuing high levels of deployment of the Armed Forces. The Committee is concerned that the Armed Forces have been operating at or above the level of concurrent operations they are resourced and structured to deliver for seven of the last eight years, and for every year since 2002. Achieving manning balance in all three Service continues to be a challenge. Shortages remain within many specialist trades in all three Armed Services, but especially in the Army Medical Service. The report notes the failure to meet harmony guidelines in the Army and the Royal Air Force - another indicator of the pressure on the Armed Forces from the continuing high level of operations - and another target missed by all three services is for ethnic minority recruitment. The MoD continues to experience substantial forecast cost increases on equipment programmes, and the report notes delays in delivering equipment programmes to the planned in-service dates. The MoD faces difficult choices in the face of expected cuts in the defence programme and the management of a streamlining exercise to reduce civilian posts in the headquarters.

Download or read book Ministry of Defence annual report and accounts 2008 09 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010-02-24 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report examines the administration, expenditure, activities and achievements of the MoD during the 2008-09 financial year, as detailed in the Ministry of Defence annual report and accounts 2008-09 (ISBN 9780102962239). It continues a series of inquiries and, indeed, the Committee sees it as cause for concern that the NAO found the need to qualify the MoD's resource accounts for the third consecutive year. Whilst it is acknowledged that capability in theatre must be the Department's first concern, failing to maintain accurate and full information on personnel and to keep track of assets has the potential to threaten the long-term capability of the Department, including operational capability.

Download or read book Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts 2012 13 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-03-07 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the sixth successive year, the Ministry of Defence Accounts were qualified. The Qualifications covered non-compliance with international reporting standards on the treatment of some contracts; lack of audit evidence on the valuation of inventory (worth some £3 billion) and of capital spares (worth some £7 billion); and on the regularity of the Accounts because of the failure to obtain approval for the remuneration package of the Chief of Defence Materiel. The MoD was also five months late in submitting its audited accounts to Parliament. The National Audit Office had found errors in its sample examination of accruals and so the MoD decided to resolve these problems before submitting the accounts. The MoD said they did not have the necessary expertise to manage the financial complexity that featured in the implementation of the Strategic Defence and Security Review so sought assistance. The MoD should ensure its people have the right skills to deal with all financial problems so that they do not need to bring in expensive external accountants. There is also concern about the MoD's reluctance to estimate the full costs of its operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. The NAO did not consider that the MoD has adequate information, especially with respect to recording the cost of its activities and outputs, to run its business effectively. The MoD should set out its commitment to improving its management information. It is also vital that defence spending remains at more than 2 per cent of GDP in line with the UK's NATO commitment.

Download or read book The work of Defence Estates written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2007-09-14 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is one of the largest landowners in the UK, with a total estate (including land and property) valued at around £18 billion. Defence Estates (an Agency of the MoD until April 2007 and now re-integrated as part of the MoD) has responsibility for managing the defence estate, with an annual budget of £1.15 billion. The Committee's report examines the work of Defence Estates, focusing on the standard of accommodation for Service personnel and their families. The report highlights concerns about sub-standard accommodation, particularly in relation to the operation of the regional prime contracts for single living accommodation and the maintenance of service families accommodation under the housing prime contract. It argues that the provision of good quality accommodation for Service personnel and their families, modern and efficient office accommodation, and a well-maintained training estate, play a vital role in contributing to the effectiveness of our Armed Forces, particularly important given the current high tempo of operations. Overall, the report finds that although Defence Estates is doing much good work, there are considerable challenges ahead. A substantial increase in investment in the defence estate is required and the MoD must resist the temptation to take from the estates budget when the defence budget is stretched.

Download or read book Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts 2004 05 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2006-04-20 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report analyses MoD's annual report and accounts 2004-05 (published in October 2005 - later than planned - as HC 464, session 2005-06, ISBN 0102935424) which combines MoD's annual performance report and the consolidated departmental resource accounts. Overall MoD's performance against its seven Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets has been mixed: three were "met", two were "partly met", one was "on course" to be met, and one was "not yet assessed". On recruitment and retention (partly met) all three armed services are suffering from critical shortages in various specialist trades, including aircrew and medical personnel. Although MoD reported £400m of savings in the operating costs of the Defence Logistics Organisation, the Committee criticizes the fact that not all of them could be validated. On procurement, MoD did not meet the targets relating to project time slippage. Cost decreases of £699 million were reported on the top 20 major defence equipment projects, but much of this was a result of cuts in the numbers of equipment ordered or in the capability of equipment. Losses reported in MoD's Financial Accounts totalled some £400 million, a lower figure than the previous year but still a substantial sum. Reported losses on the Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) programme, which involves the procurement of four transport ships, were some £100 million and further losses might arise. Another loss totalling £147 million related to a building project at the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston. The building was unable to meet the requirement and no other use could be found for it. It is another example of substantial waste which has to avoided in the future.

Download or read book Making British Defence Policy written by Robert Self and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2022-06-16 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the process by which defence policy is made in contemporary Britain and the institutions, actors and conflicting interests which interact in its inception and continuous reformulation. Rather than dealing with the substance of defence policy, this study focuses upon the institutional actors involved in this process. This is a subject which has commanded far more interest from public, Parliament, government and the armed forces since the protracted, bloody and ultimately unsuccessful British military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The work begins with a discussion of two contextual factors shaping policy. The first relates to the impact of Britain’s ‘special relationship’ with the United States over defence and intelligence matters, while the second considers the impact of Britain’s relatively disappointing economic performance upon the funding of British defence since 1945. It then goes on to explore the role and impact of all the key policy actors, from the Prime Minister, Cabinet and core executive, to the Ministry of Defence and its relations with the broader ‘Whitehall village’, and the Foreign Office and Treasury in particular. The work concludes by examining the increasing influence of external policy actors and forces, such as Parliament, the courts, political parties, pressure groups and public opinion. This book will be of much interest to students of British defence policy, security studies, and contemporary military history.

Download or read book The Defence Contribution to UK National Security and Resilience written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2009 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In March 2008 the Government published "The National Security Strategy of the United Kingdom: Security in an interdependent world" (NSS) (Cm. 7291, 2008, ISBN 9780101729123). Part dealt with the contribution of the armed forces to the overarching security policy of the UK, and the Defence Committee set out to examine "how the MoD and the Armed Forces interact with other departments and agencies to ensure the safety and security of the UK". The report looks at the developing area of Parliamentary scrutiny of national security, welcomes the proposed creation of a Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, but does question which minister will give evidence to that Committee. The vital role of the ministry of Defence is outlined, and the contribution must be appropriately understood, directed and resourced. The Committee recommends that the Government investigate how the Territorial Army could be used in civil emergencies, rather than always resorting to regular troops. It is essential that all activity relating to national security is appropriately funded from an indicative national security budget. The NSS should also make a clearer connection between the strategy and industry, and the Committee welcomes the Government's engagement with the UK Security and Resilience Industry Suppliers' Community. Current issues examined include: the London 2012 Olympic Games; maritime security - the Committee comments on only six Royal Navy ships being dedicated to this, and the level of action taken to address identified threats to aspects of critical infrastructure such as ports; the impact of current operations and the extent to which UK forces are stretched or overstretched.

Download or read book Recruiting and Retaining Armed Forces Personnel written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2008 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recruiting & retaining the right number of well-trained personnel is vital for the continuing success of the United Kingdom's Armed Forces. Yet recruitment and retention targets are not being met. There is particular concern about shortages in 'pinchpoint' trades - trades or areas of expertise where there is not enough trained strength to perform operational tasks without encroaching on the time provided between deployments for recuperation, training and leave. This report sets out to examine the factors which hamper recruitment and retention in the Armed Forces and reservists & identify what the MoD is doing to improve these. There is also concern and exmination of the issue of why ethnic minority personnel form such a low proportion of the Armed Forces.

Download or read book British Foreign and Defence Policy Since 1945 written by Robert Self and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2010-06-23 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Foreign policy has dominated successive governments' time in office and cast a consistently long shadow over British politics in the period since 1945. Robert Self provides a readable and incisive assessment of the key issues and events from the retreat from empire through the cold war period to Humanitarian Intervention and the debacle in Iraq.

Download or read book The contribution of ISTAR to operations written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010-03-25 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report recognises the efforts of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to improve the methods by which intelligence is collected, interpreted and then disseminated over the battlefield, where it can be used to best effect - a process known as ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance). However there are fears that plans for the development of ISTAR capability might be put to one side or slowed during the process of the Strategic Defence Review, due largely to financial constraints. The report warns that control of such a vital resource as ISTAR needs to be clarified to ensure proper coordination and development across the Services. The Committee has been impressed by the commitment within the MoD, the Armed Forces and within industry to improve detection of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) as a priority, and to work creatively and co-operatively to that end. The technologies and techniques refined during the current campaign in Afghanistan must be mainstreamed into future UK ISTAR capability. However the theoretical expectations of what ISTAR can contribute to minimising civilian and UK military casualties must be kept in proportion. Realism about the nature of asymmetric warfare, and what ISTAR can contribute, is essential if current and future missions are to succeed.

Download or read book The comprehensive approach written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010-03-18 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Defence Committee report recommends that when troops are committed to operations in future there must be robust plans to coordinate military and reconstruction efforts from the earliest stages. The next Government should lay out the requirements of the "Comprehensive Approach" (the combination of civilian and military actors in a counter-insurgency operation) in order better to preserve all the lessons learned in the complex operations of Iraq and Afghanistan, many of them having been painfully re-learned from Bosnia, Kosovo and even Malaya. The Committee looks to the recently formed Stabilisation Unit (owned by the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence) to maintain a capacity to deploy significant numbers of personnel for post-conflict reconstruction and to ensure that vital knowledge and skills gained during deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan are retained and built on. The Comprehensive Approach requires close work with local nationals to build up their capability and confidence in all fields including security, governance, law and order and development. This must include women at all levels. The Government needs to find better ways to draw on the expertise of NGOs without compromising the effectiveness and safety of aid workers on the ground.

Download or read book Defence Equipment 2009 written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2009 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The mission of the MoD's (Ministry of Defence's) Defence Equipment and Support (DE & S) organisation is to equip and support our Armed Forces for operations now and in the future. Support to current operations in Afghanistan and Iraq has taken priority and the organisation has performed well. The Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) system remains highly effective in enabling vital equipment to be provided quickly to the two theatres to meet rapidly changing threats, but there are concerns that UORs represent a partial failure to equip our forces for predicted expeditionary operations, and on their effects on the core budget in future years. DE & S' performance in procuring longer-term equipment declined significantly in 2007-08. The forecast costs for the 20 largest defence projects increased by £205 million and the forecast delays increased by some 100 months in the year. The improvements promised by both the long-standing application of the principles of 'smart procurement' and the more recent formation of the DE & S organisation appear not to have materialised. The FRES (Future Rapid Effect System) programme has been a fiasco, being poorly conceived and managed from the outset. The Committee condemns the failure to date to publish an updated version of the Defence Industrial Strategy and considers that its continuing absence increases the risk that the UK Defence Industrial Base will not be able to meet the future requirements of our Armed Forces. Finally, the UK's future military capability depends on the investment made today in Research and Development. Sufficient funding for defence research needs to be ring-fenced and the MoD must recognise the very high priority of research and reverse the recent cut in research spending.

Download or read book Service Complaints Commissioner for the Armed Forces written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2009-07 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this inquiry the Committee examines the effectiveness of the current Service complaints procedures based on the findings of the Service Complaints Commissioner, Dr Susan Atkins, in her first annual report. It also examines the Commissioner's evaluation of the support given to her by the Ministry of Defence during the year. The report sets out the background to the creation of the role and details the Service Complaints System that is explained to Service personnel in Joint Service Publication 831 (issued December 2008). Finally the Committee considers how the Commissioner has operated in her first year. The Commissioner has set clear aims, values and objectives for her office: understanding the environment of the three Services, delivering good customer service, ensuring widespread knowledge of the new system, establishing a reliable recording system for complaints, ensuring effective integration of the SCC and Tri-Service systems, establishing expectations and requirements, and delivering her annual report on time. The Committee commends Dr Atkins for her regular and frequent visits to military bases and to operational theatre to gain an understanding of the environment of the three Services, and how the complaints system operates in practice. Knowledge in the Services of the Commissioner and her role is patchy and more should be done by the Ministry to improve that. Staff resources should also be increased. It is still too early to decide whether the Commissioner has sufficient powers. The next annual report should be presented formally to Parliament.

Download or read book The work of the Committee in 2007 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2008-01-31 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report sets out the work of the Committee during 2007. The report highlights aspects of the Committee's working practices which depart from previous practice or which may otherwise be of interest. In particular it draws attention to the webforum held during its inquiry into Medical Care for the Armed Forces; its taking of evidence outside Westminster, in Birmingham and Edinburgh; and the growing amount of informal activities of the Committee. It also underlines the importance of visits to the Armed Forces on operational deployments. Whilst the MoD was commended for overall timeliness in responding to the Committee's inquiries, in one inquiry: 'UK Defence: commitments and resources'; there was a delay which hindered the progress of the Committee

Download or read book Readiness and recuperation of the Armed Forces written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010-02-10 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Defence Committee states that the forthcoming Strategic Defence Review should take account of the current low readiness levels of the Armed Forces and the need for their effective recuperation. The Armed Forces have been involved in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for many years while maintaining key standing tasks such as the strategic nuclear deterrent and UK air defence. They have been deployed above the Defence Planning Assumptions, the level at which they are structured and funded, for seven years. Nevertheless, the Committee considers it unsatisfactory that readiness levels have been allowed to fall to the extent that they have and recommends that the Strategic Defence Review reviews the utility and content of the Defence Planning Assumptions and readiness targets. Recuperation is the process by which force elements are returned to target levels of readiness. It involves all the underlying components: manpower; equipment; training; and logistics support. The drawdown of troops from Iraq should provide the MoD with an opportunity to recuperate the Armed Forces and to reverse the fall in readiness. But there have also been pressures on personnel, with significant numbers of the Army and the Marines and those in key "pinch point trades", such as medical personnel, being deployed more frequently than the MoD would wish - breaking harmony guidelines. If readiness is to be improved, then the Army must return to being deployed within harmony guidelines as soon as practicable.

Download or read book National Security and Resilience written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2009 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report is in response to the Government's reply to the Committee's May 2009 Report on the Defence contribution to national security and resilience. The Committee is disappointed with the content of the Government's response to its earlier Report, and challenges the Ministry of Defence to be more open in setting out its role in contributing to the nation's security. In this Report, the Committee: calls upon the Government to provide regular updates on national security to appropriate select committees; deplores the Government's failure so far to establish a Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy following the announcement of July 2008; and stresses the importance of the forthcoming defence Green Paper and Strategic Defence Review in making the necessary and important connections between national security and strategic defence capabilities. The next Government must spell out more clearly the role of the UK's defence assets in our national security.

Download or read book The defence industrial strategy written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2007-02-15 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Government's Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) was published in December 2005 (Cm. 6697, ISBN 9780101669726) with the aim of providing greater transparency to the UK's future defence requirements and, for the first time, setting out those industrial capabilities the UK needs to maintain appropriate sovereignty and operate equipment independently. Following on from its previous report on the strategy (HCP 824, session 2005-06; ISBN 9780215028594), the Committee has examined the progress made in implementing the strategy during its first year and remaining challenges. Findings include: progress in restructuring the maritime sector, both surface ships and submarines, has been disappointing and it needs to be pushed forward to avoid delays to when the new carriers and associated aircraft come into operational service; there are some practical concerns over operation of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme; the Ministry of Defence needs to improve the arrangements for long-term partnering arrangements as an alternative to competitive procurement; and adequate funding needs to be provided in the Comprehensive Spending Review if the full benefits and improvements offered by the DIS are to be realised.