The Ministry of Defence has said it is continually reviewing command arrangements for the UK’s ground-based air defence as part of wider efforts to protect critical national infrastructure, while declining to provide detail on how planned Integrated Air and Missile Defence spending will be divided between interceptors and supporting systems.
In a series of written answers to questions from Luke Akehurst MP, the government confirmed that responsibility for protecting critical national infrastructure remains a priority and that command arrangements are assessed on an ongoing basis.
Responding to a question on whether existing command structures for ground-based air defence had been reviewed, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the MOD “continually reviews its operational capabilities, including command arrangements for ground-based air defence, to ensure they remain effective and fit for purpose”.
He added that protection of critical national infrastructure involved close coordination with other government departments and agencies, with any changes informed by regular assessments, operational requirements and emerging threats.
The questions also probed how the government intends to allocate funding within its Integrated Air and Missile Defence programme. Pollard reiterated that the government has committed £1 billion to air and missile defence in line with the Strategic Defence Review, but said decisions on how that funding will be split between effectors, sensors and command-and-control systems will be set out later.
“The allocation of investment and timelines for Integrated Air and Missile Defence spending will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan,” he said.
The minister declined to comment on stockpile levels of guided weapons, citing national security considerations, but said they remain under continuous review to maintain operational readiness.
A further question asked whether the MOD had assessed the adequacy of the UK’s ground-based air defence capability in a scenario where the UK had to operate without direct United States support. Pollard responded by again pointing to ongoing modernisation efforts, including systems such as Sky Sabre, and stressed the importance of interoperability with NATO allies. He said UK air and missile defence capabilities are designed to provide sovereign national defence while contributing to NATO’s collective posture, adding that they are integrated with allied systems “to defend our homeland and contribute to the strength of the NATO Alliance”.
“Consistency”, I’ll grant them that !
Always puzzles me that even the combined efforts of the “Free World” (oh and Trumpton) have yet to make real headway in Ukraine with people freezing (and worse) due to “Critical Infrastructure” damage by Soviet era weapons.
£1,000,000,000 doesn’t seem to be that much to realistically afford the protection our massive network of “Critical!” sites would need ?
(I’m bored, waiting for the wife and off on another road trip ! )
This is typical MOD speak
In the last calendar month UKDJ has used so many words for our governments inaction to spend on much needed projects
Numerous PLANS and PLANNING TO
STUDY or STUDYING
ASSESS and ASSESSING
SEEKS TO
INTENDS TO
LOOKING AT
NO DECISISION YET
CONSIDERS or CONSIDERING
EXAMINES OR EXAMINING
DELAYS
SETS OUT TO
REVIEW or REVIEWING
TRIALS (forf ever)
DESIGNWORK (for ever)
Also RULES OUT and REJECTS which when the Treasury have their day when the DIP is finally issued will be POSTPONED for ever and CANCELLED
Yup, you nailed that !
The last calendar month… or maybe a lunar month, because by the time the MOD finishes studying it, the tides have shifted twice… 🤦♂️
In not BS speak, they haven’t got a clue.
£1 billion for air and missile defence is a joke, that will buy you a single ABM battery.
The obvious solution is to purchase SAMP/T from Italy. Their Kronos system is already integrated with CAMM and should easily adapt to CAMM MR when it’s ready. They system can fire Aster 30 block 1 and Aster 30 NT both of which are capable of dealing with IRBM’s and have proven more effective than Patriot in Ukraine.
However it’s also important to get this nonsense about protecting UK critical infrastructure from Russian IRBM’s out of anyone’s heads. This is Trump esc golden dome crap. We need ABM capability to defend key deployed military infrastructure like HQ’s or airbases.
We can’t defend every single power station in the UK from conventional ballistic missiles. The cost would be insane. If Russia starts lobbing IRBM’s at the UK then we will have to assume they are nuclear armed and act accordingly.
What “Command arrangements”?
These are well known.
The only assets we have are mostly under 7th Air Defence Group which is a Field Army asset to support 1 and 3 UK Divisions, and assigned to the ARRC.
Comprises 16 Regiment RA with a number of launchers or systems which remain ambiguous as HMG won’t say how many, but they were minimal to start with.
12 Regiment RA with HVM Starstreak, both LMM and on Stormer, which is SHORAD, it’s Batteries assigned to our Brigades, and not all are covered as there are too few.
106 Regiment RA, the Army Reserve component.
These are not for defence of fixed sites in the UK, no matter how much HMG now link them to home defence in their spin statements. They are for defence of the deployed Field Army. Removing parts for home defence leaves the Army without.
Dets of 16RA were used for the G7 meeting in Cornwall and in London during the Olympics because there was sod all else.
The RAF also has the Defence Warning and Reporting Flight and No 2 CUAS Wing RAF Regiment with ORCUS and various anti Drone systems.
And for completeness, SF probably have their own assets like Stinger and the RM have an AD Troop on LMM Starstreak.
There are rumours that 7th ADG might move to Brigade status, and get a third regular Regiment, as part of the reports from the CGS that MRAD was to double and SHORAD was to triple.
We await to see words turned into reality.
A commitment from HMG to create dedicated UKGBAD IN ADDITION TO THESE would be welcome, but with only a 1 billion budget and the usual words with no commitment, what would that actually buy?
More spin and hot air until solid action taken for me.
Waste of time as usual.
Same old awaiting that, thinking about this, might buy that, it never gets old doing bugger all. God knows why there no money the MOD have not ordered any kit new in 20 months, apart from spares etc, where has all the money gone?. DIP will be a total farce hidden in long winded whaffle and doble talk and MOD spin,
Its all fine words in a peaceful world not a war in sight, going to make the Army 10x more lethal, yes for those that serve in it as they will have no kit or clapped out kit, job done then. Promise kept.