MPs warn armed forces operating “at the limits”
The Commons Defence Select Committee has warned the Government that the UK’s armed forces have been “operating at the limits of what they can achieve” over the past six years.
In its assessment of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), the committee said that the “planning assumptions provided relatively little resilience to enable the services to re-orientate when called upon to do so.”
“We believe work on dealing with excess stretch is urgently required and represents one of the greatest weaknesses of the Strategic Defence Review implementation to date.”
It says that the 2003 Defence White Paper lacks “essential details” on its proposal to shift the focus to high tech, fast moving, expeditionary forces rather than heavy landbased forces.
In starkly worded criticism the MPs say: “We are disappointed that an important policy document has been presented with little or no information on the relevant procurement decisions, funding questions or likely changes in force structures.”
They warn that: “A policy of reducing or restructuring existing forces in advance of acquiring new capabilities is potentially dangerous.”
“We are not convinced that mass “effect” alone will be enough in meeting the challenges faced by the UK, since in many situations the UK will still require the capacity for mass “presence” as well.”
Concern is also raised about the Military of Defence’s (MoD) approach to fighting the threat of terrorism at a distance. The MPs warn that this “ultimately assumes that terrorists will agree to fight on our terms and in places of our choosing. As UK ministers and officials regularly warn, they may choose to bring the campaign closer to our region, or indeed to the UK itself.
“In the context of repeated attacks on the UK we do not think that MoD’s assumption would be sustainable.”
The Liberal Democrats defence spokesman, Paul Keetch, said: “This stinging criticism is unprecedented. The committee echoes what we have been saying for some time – the MoD has got its priorities badly muddled up.
“The MoD has neglected to look after regulars and reservists. Instead of increasing numbers to relieve over-stretch, the MoD has been encouraging people who’ve signed off to leave early.
“Urgent action is needed to get all the services back up to strength.”
The critical report comes in advance of the Chancellor’s Comprehensive Spending Review on July 12th. The Ministry of Defence has said that detailed plans about their vision for the armed forces will be published after then.
