In response to a parliamentary question from Rebecca Paul MP (Conservative, Reigate), the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has detailed its approach to replenishing stockpiles of precision-guided munitions and enhancing domestic production capacity.
Maria Eagle, Minister of State for Defence, stated: “The Ministry of Defence is carefully investing to improve the health of our munitions stockpiles, including precision-guided munitions, within the available financial envelope.”
Eagle highlighted that the MOD’s investment aims to not only rebuild stockpiles but also strengthen the UK’s resilience and self-reliance, boost sovereign defence industrial capacity, and support exports while creating high-quality jobs.
She added: “Through investing in munitions, we seek to grow domestic production, strengthen our resilience and self-reliance, boost our sovereign defence industrial capacity, increase our exports and create good jobs in the UK.”
The MOD is aligning its approach with the outcomes of the ongoing Strategic Defence Review, which will shape future defence priorities and investments. Eagle concluded: “The Department will continue to develop our approach as the outcomes of the Strategic Defence Review become clear.”
In response to a parliamentary question from Rebecca Paul MP (Conservative, Reigate), the Ministry of Defence (MOD) detailed its approach to replenishing stockpiles of precision-guided munitions and enhancing domestic production capacity.
Maria Eagle, Minister of State for Defence, stated: “The Ministry of Defence is carefully investing to improve the health of our munitions stockpiles, including precision-guided munitions, within the available financial envelope.”
Eagle highlighted that the MOD’s investment aims to not only rebuild stockpiles but also strengthen the UK’s resilience and self-reliance, boost sovereign defence industrial capacity, and support exports while creating high-quality jobs. She added: “Through investing in munitions, we seek to grow domestic production, strengthen our resilience and self-reliance, boost our sovereign defence industrial capacity, increase our exports and create good jobs in the UK.”
The MOD’s written evidence to the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee Ukraine Inquiry further elaborated on the strategic importance of replenishing munitions. It stated: “Defence’s lethality will only be sustained through investment in munitions stockpiles for sustained, high-end warfighting. The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the need for sufficient stockpiles of munitions to maintain operations.”
The evidence highlights the £1.95 billion allocated in the 2023 Spring Budget to address challenges in defence resilience. This funding has been directed toward building munitions and medical stockpiles, enhancing critical infrastructure, and purchasing essential weaponry, including munitions and missiles.
Additionally, efforts include supply chain mapping, wargaming, and reviewing mass expendable weapon systems, complex weapons, general munitions, and operational spares. The MOD highlighted the need for a clear and coherent demand signal to industry to increase production capacity and resilience: “Critically, we must provide industry with a coherent demand signal to increase industrial capacity and resilience.”
Eagle concluded that the MOD’s approach will evolve as the outcomes of the Strategic Defence Review become clear.
“ within the available financial envelope.”
Has anyone noticed the threat level?
If the statement was
“commensurate with the current threat level it would be more plausible….”
Unfortunately HMG has not actually bothered with “threat level” funding since 2002 when the war on terror kicked off and the Labour government did not up the funding to cover the expenses of 2 major wars…just cut capabilities to pay for it..then Cameron came in and a o it spending even as the threat started to go through the roof.
Politicians safeguard their electoral prospects by shifting Defence spending to social provision and even war in Europe hasn’t enabled them to pivot back to Defence spending the first responsibility of the nation state.
They believe that there are no votes in Defence. Thus the CDS nudge statement that we are in a pre-war phase and conscription is to be expected. Did the voters notice and understand that they pay now (Deterrence) or pay a lot more blood and treasure later (War).
Rememberance Sunday is a national reminder of the cost of freedom however many voters pay no attention and the mainstream media prefer to monetize attention while ignoring their business dependence on freedom.
In essence if they keep talking about it the longer a decision will be made on replenishment of stocks. That and capability gaps.
Eagle is rightly talking up the uk production potential
“within the available financial envelope.” 😐😐😐😐😐😐😐
The governemnt and the treasury containing to ignore the growing threats. Rumours are a new Chief of the Defence staff can’t even be found, because of this shocking lack of urgency to give defence the funding it needs.
SDR is working with 2.75% GDP by 2030 however that can’t fix 25 years of hollowing out.
No mention of the demand based on threat assessment.
Well if “Eagle” says it must be a load of cadswallop.
Good things do happen 😏
I always thought we needed a second day capability. It’s great to have expensive day 1 facilities to knock the door down but no one can afford that level expenditure for a thousand days.
Seems like FPV drone will become that capability. We need to be able to mass produce these domestically with a minimal supply chain footprint.
It begs the question what were they spending ‘the financial envelope’ on before or is this actually a normal amount of spend dressed up as something else, are we spending more on munitions now than say 2019
Does the RAF use glide bombs? Glide bomb kits is one of the things needed given their relative low cost. Mass is important it seems.
Apparently private industry developed a kit for Paveway, but it’s never been taken up by any air force. 8 think we should be jumping on it personally, and clearing them on both Typhoon and F-35.
It would appear we are heading for another round of austerity.. So the envelope may be the size of a stamp!
Lord Robertson who leads SDR told the Defence Select Committee that 2.75% GDP was the spending target by 2030, so an HM Treasury inspired number.
The threat assessment derived budget was not mentioned to that Committee and nobody asked why SDR starts from a target number instead of working from the demand.
Anything bae wants bae gets
For a long time BAE didn’t get many contracts! The expression was ‘anyone but BAE’ for years.
If you have no industrial strategy don’t be surprised that you have no capacity when you need to start or ramp up production. It costs people, time and money to have such capacity even assuming you have the capability.
Guff.
What was the missile we were meant to be replacing the stormshadow with.? I think it was possibly an Israeli one with longer range.