Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 18 of the Defence Command Paper 2023, what criteria his Department has developed for determining cases in which there is an essential national security requirement for certain industrial capabilities to be available onshore within the UK.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The 2023 Defence Command Paper reinforces a key message of the 2021 Defence and Security Industrial Strategy: the need for our investment decisions to take into consideration any implications for the UK’s Operational Independence.
Our considerations include identifying the industrial capabilities required to support and upgrade in-service equipment (including manufacture of the most critical components); the ability to conduct military operations as we choose; and, the ability to respond to urgent operational requirements arising during operations.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Defence Command Paper 2023: Defence’s response to a more contested and volatile world published in July 2023, what steps his Department is taking in its procurement process to ensure that the UK has access to (a) key materials, (b) components and (c) critical technology.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) operates a range of initiatives to identify and address threats to our supply chains, including access to materials, components and technology. We are developing an extensive MOD-wide Supply Chain Resilience Programme, which aims to prioritise the mapping of our most critical supply chains. In addition, through the Defence Suppliers Forum Supply Chain Resilience Working Group, we work closely with industry and maintain an open dialogue to identify and put in place the measures needed to protect the supply chains of our key programmes, whilst maintaining the resilience of the UK’s industrial and technology base.