Introduction
The Department’s Equipment Plan report 2019 to 2029 (the Plan) sets out its spending plans for the next 10 years on projects to equip the Armed Forces. This currently amounts to £181 billion of equipment and support projects (42% of its entire budget). The Plan also assesses whether its equipment and support projects and programmes are affordable. The Department needs to manage this expenditure effectively to ensure the Armed Forces can secure and maintain all the equipment that they need. It introduced the Equipment Plan in 2012 after identifying a significant gap between funding and forecast costs across the defence programme.
Equipment delivered through the Plan is key to meeting the Department’s strategic requirements and objectives. In order to fully deliver the capability, it also needs sufficient trained personnel, information technology, and logistics and maintenance support. The Department estimates that around 20,000 civilians and military personnel within the Department are involved in delivering such capabilities. The Department has historically struggled to deliver new or replacement capabilities on schedule and in a fully functioning state.
Published: 15 July 2020