Defence
Baroness Neville-Jones attacks governments cyber security policies
In a speech later on today the Conservatives will expose the Government’s ignorance when it comes to cyber-security.
Appearing at Cityforum’s ‘Nations and Cyber Warfare’ event, the first round table discussion aimed at examining how vulnerable the UK is to cyber attacks, the Shadow Security Minister will say:
“Cyber attacks are happening at this very moment and the UK is incredibly vulnerable to them. The Government is failing to recognise the extent of the threat of these cyber attacks. It must immediately face up to it and take urgent action. For our cyber defence to be effective it must involve offensive tactics.”
Fox calls for Brown to be recalled by Chilcot
The Shadow Defence Secretary has written to Sir John Chilcot calling for him to recall Gordon Brown. His comments come after two former Chiefs of the Defence Staff and a former Chief of the General Staff called into question Brown’s evidence to the inquiry.
In his letter Liam Fox says following their comments at the weekend, “there is a strong case for you to recall Gordon Brown for further testimony in front of your inquiry after the upcoming General Election.”
Speaking to The Times on Saturday Admiral Lord Boyce, the Chief of the Defence Staff up to the start of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, said about Brown:
Hague demands explanation from Miliband on FCO budget cuts
William Hague has written to David Miliband asking him to explain the effect of the falling pound on counter-terrorism spending.
The letter says:
“I am writing to seek urgent clarification of the impact of currency fluctuations on the FCO’s expenditure on counter-terrorism overseas. Baroness Kinnock told the House of Lords yesterday that the Foreign Office’s programmes for “counterterrorism and counter-radicalisation in Pakistan have all been cut” and that “the list” of programmes affected “goes on.”
“Can you urgently confirm whether there has been any cut to FCO spending on counter-terrorism or counter-radicalisation programmes elsewhere, in particular in countries such as Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq and North Africa as a whole, where there is a serious threat from Al-Qaeda and its affiliates?
“Will you list all the countries where FCO programmes in the areas of counter-terrorism or counter-radicalisation have been cut, that Baroness Kinnock referred to, and the amount and nature of the funding cut in each case?
“Baroness Kinnock also said that “counter-narcotics programmes in Afghanistan ….have been cut”. Given the close links between narcotics and terrorist activity in Afghanistan has any assessment been made of the potential security impact of these reductions, both on British efforts in Afghanistan and further afield?”
The full letter can be downloaded here.
Lidington: Government is negligent towards UK’s global interests
In the wake of Baroness Kinnock’s revelation yesterday that UK counter-terrorism projects in Pakistan were being cut back as a result of exchange rate changes, the Conservatives secured an emergency statement from the government this morning.
Speaking in the Commons, Chris Bryant insisted that the government made no “attempt to obfuscate or hide from the House” the cuts in counter-terrorism funding brought about by the weak pound.
Responding to Mr Bryant statement Shadow Foreign Office Minister David Lidington said:
“This Government is cutting Foreign Office expenditure on counter-terrorism programs in Pakistan and anti-narcotics programs in Afghanistan, not from any reassessment of strategic priorities, but because of the movement of exchange rates and the Government’s overall debt crisis, which is not the way to run an effective foreign policy.
“Yesterday we had the spectacle of Gordon Brown standing up in the House of Commons talking about fighting terror, while in the House of Lords his Minister was admitting that we are cutting spending thanks to Labour’s debt crisis. It suggests that we have a government, and in particular a Prime Minister, which is indifferent to the point of negligence towards the global interests of the United Kingdom.
“How did the Government get itself into this mess? Did ministers not understand at that time what harm might be done to Britain’s international interests and why did the present Foreign Secretary allow this to happen on his watch?
“Isn’t it time for the Government to come clean about what it is doing and make public a full list of the cuts which it is imposing as a result of its exchange rate policy? What are ministers’ intentions for the future? I have seen an internal FCO memorandum which says that “further cuts could and should not be achieved by salami slicing” but instead by stopping activity, closing posts and reducing staff numbers. Did the Minister and his colleagues approve this strategy? In particular how far has work now proceeded on a contingency list of British posts overseas which might be closed?”
The government insists that it is actually increasing overall spending on counter-terrorism over the last few years. Mr Bryant told MPs that spending in Pakistan stands at £35 million in 2008/09 and £36.9 million in 2009/10. But with inflation at around 25 percent in Pakistan any increase in the in-country budget actually represents a significant decrease.
Hague condemns cuts to counter-terrorism work in Pakistan
Following the announcement today from Foreign minister Baroness Kinnock that the Foreign Office has been forced to cut back on counter-terrorism work in Pakistan because of the pound’s fall in value, Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague issued the following statement:
“The cuts that Baroness Kinnock mentions are the direct consequence of Labour’s decision to remove the FCO’s protection against exchange rate movements.
“This momentous decision happened on David Miliband’s watch and the buck rests with him. There has never been a full explanation of how this happened and whether Foreign Office Ministers took their eye off the ball. It is time that the truth is known and the full extent of the damage done to British diplomacy overseas laid bare.
“Pakistan has been identified as one of the major sources of the terrorist threat to this country. Cutting FCO expenditure on counter-terrorism programmes in Pakistan because of the movement of exchange rates is clearly not the way to run an effective foreign policy.”
Asked by Labour’s Lord Acton if cuts to counter-terrorism operations in Pakistan were wise, Lady Kinnock replied: “It is a fact that counter-terrorism and radicalisation projects in Pakistan and elsewhere have been the subject of these cuts that the Foreign Office has been obliged to make.”
The Treasury’s decision to remove the Overseas Price Mechanism, which protects against fluctuations in exchange rates, from Pakistan was taken four months after David Miliband became Foreign Secretary.
Giving evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on 9th December 2009 Sir Peter Ricketts, Permanent Under Secretary at the FCO, said that because of huge budgetary pressures the Foreign Office would “have to stop a lot of activity this year”, has “stopped most training” and “cut into our travel and our hospitality for posts overseas”.
His dramatic evidence revealed that “local staff have not had overtime payments or, in some cases, pay rises, and some are on involuntary unpaid leave or four-day weeks”. He concluded that “we have a real problem within the budget” which “put a question mark over whether we can maintain the number of people we have abroad”.
Tories to give scholarships to children of war dead
George Osborne has revealed that a Conservative government would give the children of British service personnel killed in action university scholarships worth £8,210 a year. The new package of support also introduce additional education scholarship to cover college fees.
The new measures would be made available to the children of all 588 men and women killed in service since 1990. As well as covering the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, it would be offered to the children who’s mother or father was killed on peace keeping operations in Sierra Leone, the Balkans and Cambodia. Northern Ireland is also included.
Announcing the plan in an interview with the News of the World the shadow chancellor said: “I’ve just visited our brave men and women serving in Afghanistan, and witnessed their commitment and determination at first hand.
“That’s why I’m so determined to provide more help for the families of military personnel who have lost their lives serving our country. These university and college scholarships will provide financial help for the families of fallen servicemen and women – and will be a lasting tribute to their bravery and sacrifice.”
With plans to implement the scheme on day one of the Tory administration it is estimated to cost £1.5 million a year, which would come from the Higher Education Funding Council’s £455 million Widening Participation budget.
Osborne and Hague in Afghanistan
There was much speculation today when it emerged that George Osborne would not be taking part in the Pre Budget Report debate, instead leaving Philip Hammond to face off against Liam Byrne, now we know why. He and the Shadow Foreign Secretary were in Helmand, Afghanistan visiting British troops.
CCHQ Have just released these images on Flickr.
And from Benedict Brogan’s Telegraph blog:
MoD announces 22 new Chinooks
The Ministry of Defence has announced the purchase of 22 Chinook helicopters, which will eventually see the UK’s fleet grow from 48 to 70 airframes.
However, the first ten of the new Chinooks will not be delivered until 2013.
The MoD says the announcement is part of its new Future Helicopter Strategy, aimed at delivering a 40 per cent increase in the number of lift helicopters available for use on operations in extreme conditions such as those in Afghanistan.
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said: “Our forces on the frontline in Afghanistan repeatedly tell me that Chinook are indispensable on operations. I am therefore delighted to announce plans to deliver more of these robust, effective and proven battle-winning helicopters.
“Helicopter capability has already doubled in the last three years and this future strategy builds on this, ensuring that our Armed Forces have the very best resources at their disposal.”
Commander Joint Helicopter Command, Rear Admiral Tony Johnstone-Burt, said:
“The superior lift performance of the Chinook has proved invaluable on operations. This new strategy will dramatically increase our military capability on the battlefield for many years to come.”
The new strategy will see the ageing Sea Kings taken out of service early. The Navy’s future helicopter requirements will be met by a combination of the Merlin fleet and new Wildcat.
The Army will also operate Wildcat alongside the Apache. When Puma helicopters are retired in 2022, the UK’s armed forces will operate four core helicopter fleets of Chinook, Apache, Wildcat and Merlin – each of around 65-75 aircraft.
NAO: defence budget ‘unaffordable’
Ministry of Defence spending is unaffordable, with many major projects arriving over budget, below specification and years late, according to a report from the National Audit Office.
The NAO’s Major Projects report 2009, which examined 30 MoD projects in the financial year 2008/2009, found that a shortfall of between £6 billion and £36 billion remains, despite a reduction in the defence deficit of around £15 billion
Commenting on the report Shadow Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox said: “This constant failure to contain cost and keep to timetable means that taxpayers’ money is being wasted and our armed forces are being denied vital equipment which has meant a reduction in capability. It is shambolic.
“We have now had a succession of reports describing disastrous project management and shocking incompetence with taxpayers’ money, as well as a preoccupation with the short term which threatens our long term security. We need a new government willing to conduct radical reform of the whole procurement process to ensure that taxpayers and the armed forces get value for money.”
The shortfall is in part due to the MoD’s decision to reduce the size of some of its orders and let others ’slip’, slowing production down and allowing delivery at later dates. These measures create short term savings, but will lead to longer-term cost increases.
The report says: “In 2008-09, costs on the 15 major defence projects examined by the NAO increased by £1.2 billion, with two thirds of this increase (£733 million) directly due to the decision to slow projects.
“Attempting to save money in this way does not address the fundamental affordability problems, increases through-life costs and represents poor value for money on the specific projects affected.”
The report singled out the slowing of the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier project, which was forecast to save £450m in the next four years. The delays will add £1.124bn in costs over subsequent years, resulting in a net increase of £674m.
The NAO also slammed the decision to cut the number of Lynx Wildcat helicopters ordered from 80 to 62. This 23 per cent reduction in numbers will result in Wildcat flying hours dropping by a third.
“The Ministry of Defence has a multi-billion pound budgetary black hole which it is trying to fix with a ’save now, pay later’ approach,” said Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office.
“This gives a misleadingly negative picture of how well some major projects in MoD are managed, represents poor value for money and heightens the risk that the equipment our Armed Forces require will not be available when it is needed or in the quantities promised.”
The NAO found that the current cost of 15 major military projects has risen by £3.6 billion, compared with the expected costs when the investment decisions were taken. The total slippage, averaged over the 14 major projects with in service dates, is over two years per project.
The report warns that: “Unless the MoD addresses the underlying budgetary and governance issues it will not consistently deliver value for money nor, vitally, will the operational benefits of expensive new capabilities be available to the armed forces in a timely manner or in the numbers originally planned.”
Although MoD procurement did not come out well in the report, the NAO said there were some “signs of improvement in project cost control, with innovative decisions being taken to ensure progress”.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies warned last week that the MoD could be facing deep cuts after 2011 in the wake of Chancellor Alistair Darling’s Pre-Budget Report decision to squeeze spending while protecting funding for schools, hospitals and policing.
At least one RAF base is reported to be set for closure, with cuts also predicted to the MoD Police and back office functions in a move to save hundreds of millions of pounds.
