1 Introduction
1. The last Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was
held in 1998. Our predecessor Committee analysed the outcome of
the Review in several reports.[1]
The previous Government began preparing for the next SDR by producing
a Green Paper outlining the relevant issues in February 2010.[2]
Between publication of the Green Paper and the General Election,
the Ministry of Defence (MoD) followed a twin track approach.
The first involved a range of preparatory studies of issues flowing
from the Green Paper and in the second, in parallel with these
studies, the MoD sought to engage the expertise of the wider defence
academic and specialist community. The Department also worked
on developing modelling and costing techniques, reviewing its
strategic planning process and methodology to put in place a streamlined
system to support the review and its implementation, and conducted
studies to understand the financial and industrial consequences
of making changes, particularly to the equipment programme.[3]
2. Following the General Election, the new coalition
Government changed the scope of the SDR to embrace broader national
and international security concerns, and to involve other Government
departments. The Government also established a National Security
Council (NSC) chaired by the Prime Minister and responsible for
all strategic issues of national security. The NSC led on the
development of a new National Security Strategy (NSS). It was
also responsible for steering the Strategic Defence and Security
Review (SDSR), under the direction of the Prime Minister, and
the MoD was but one of a number of significant players in this
process.[4] In addition,
the Prime Minister appointed Sir Peter Ricketts KCMG, a former
Foreign Office Permanent Secretary, to the newly created post
of National Security Adviser.
3. On 15 September 2010, we published a Report
on the processes followed in the development of the SDSR.[5]
The Government's response to the Report was published on 6 December
2010.[6] In addition, we
held one-off evidence sessions on matters relevant to the SDSR
with representatives from defence industries and with academics
on 8 September and 15 September 2010.[7]
4. The National Security Strategy was published
on 18 October 2010. The conclusions of the SDSR were published
as a White Paper on 19 October, when the Prime Minister also made
a statement to the House of Commons. The Comprehensive Spending
Review (CSR) was published on 20 October. After publication of
these documents, we considered it important that we looked at
the outcomes of the SDSR within the wider context of the NSS.
5. We announced our inquiry on 13 January 2011
with the following terms of reference:
The Committee will examine whether the Government's
decisions truly fulfil the stated intention of the SDSR as "set[ting]
out the ways and means to deliver the ends set out in the National
Security Strategy". The inquiry will also inform future inquiries
looking at individual areas in more detail.
The Committee was particularly interested in establishing:
- how the NSS and SDSR related
to each other as strategic and coherent documents and what added
value the establishment of the National Security Council had brought
to strategic defence and security policy;
- the role of the Ministry of
Defence, including the Defence Reform Unit, and other Government
departments, the National Security Council, the Armed Forces and
other agencies in the development and implementation of the NSS
and SDSR, including areas that stretch across Government such
as the UK's increased role in conflict prevention;
- what capability gaps would
emerge due to the SDSR, including how these were assessed as part
of the development of the strategies and what impact this might
have on the UK's defence planning assumptions and the ability
to adapt to changing threats or unforeseen occurrences;
- whether the prescriptions of
the SDSR would allow the MoD to balance its budget and make the
required efficiency savings;
- whether a funding gap still
remained, how significant was it and how would it impact on defence
capability;
- how the implementation and
success of the NSS and SDSR would be measured;
- the success of the Government
in communicating the outcomes of the NSS and SDSR to the Armed
Forces and the UK public, particularly in relation to current
and future operations; and
- the timing of future SDSRs
and the ability to plan for the medium to long term, and the process
for renewing and updating the NSS, including the regeneration
of lost capabilities.
6. We received 65 pieces of written evidence
and held seven oral evidence sessions, commencing on 16 February
2011and ending on 22 June. We are grateful to all those who have
submitted evidence to this inquiry. We are also grateful for the
assistance of our Specialist Advisers during this inquiry.[8]
We also discussed the outcomes of the NSS and SDSR with UK Armed
Forces during our visit to Afghanistan in January 2011 and with
senior US politicians, officials and military personnel during
our visit to the USA in April 2011.
7. During our inquiry we have looked at whether
the establishment of the National Security Council has given a
more strategic and coherent focus to national security issues.
We were particularly keen to examine whether this was demonstrated
in the outcomes of the National Security Strategy and the Strategic
Defence and Security Review. We have also examined whether the
SDSR and NSS relate to each other and together form a coherent
narrative on the national security challenges facing the UK and
the means of meeting them. The availability of MoD resources to
implement the SDSR was examined in this context.
8. At the outset, we wish to pay tribute to
the UK Armed Forces and associated civilian staff. They have continued
to serve their country with distinction and dedication, especially
operationally in Afghanistan, Libya and elsewhere, during an unsettling
period of a major defence review and the major reform and restructuring
of the Ministry of Defence.
1 For example see: Defence Committee, Eighth Report
of Session 1997-98, The Strategic Defence Review, HC 138;
Defence Committee, First Report of Session 1998-99, The Strategic
Defence Review: Territorial Army Restructuring, HC 70; Defence
Committee, Seventh Report of Session 1998-99, The Strategic
Defence Review : Defence Medical Services, HC 447. Back
2
Ministry of Defence, Adaptability and Partnership: Issues for
the Strategic Defence Review, Cm 7794, February 2010 Back
3
Defence Committee, First Report of Session 2010-11, The Strategic
Defence and Security Review, HC 345, Ev 14-15 Back
4
HC (2010-11) 345, para 4 and Ev 13 Back
5
HC (2010-11) 345 Back
6
Defence Committee, Fourth Special Report of Session 2010-11, The
Strategic Defence and Security Review: Government response to
the Committee's First Report of Session 2010-11, HC 638 Back
7
Defence Committee, The Strategic Defence and Security Review,
Oral and Written Evidence, HC 451-i-ii Back
8
The Specialist Advisers' declarations of relevant interests are
recorded in the Committee's Formal Minutes which are available
on the Committee's website. Back
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