• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Excelitas Qioptiq banner

BATTLESPACE Updates

   +44 (0)77689 54766
   

  • Home
  • Features
  • News Updates
  • Company Directory
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media Pack 2022

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

September 2, 2003 by

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS FROM PS2 THE LEADING U.K. GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMPANY
Contact:

Oral evidence
Taken before the Defence Committee on Wednesday 25 June 2003
Members present:
Mr Bruce George, in the Chair
Mr James Cran
Mr Gerald Howarth
Mr Kevan Jones
Jim Knight
Mr Frank Roy
__________
Witnesses: LORD BACH, a Member of the House of Lords, Minister for Defence Procurement, SIR PETER SPENCER KCB, Chief of Defence Procurement, and LIEUTENANT GENERAL ROB FULTON, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Equipment Capability), examined.
Q217 Chairman: Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming. I can recall once a team from MoD admitting that on procurement issues their “A” team was going to the Public Accounts Committee. They did not quite state it as boldly as that. However, we cannot complain on this occasion on procurement issues. Minister, we are very grateful to you and to Sir Peter Spencer and Lieutenant General Fulton. Thank you for coming. We have an interesting and demanding agenda. Perhaps, Lord Bach, you have a few opening remarks?
Lord Bach: I have a few remarks, if I may. I am delighted to be back before the Committee to discuss progress on delivering our equipment programme, and of course the MoD very much welcomes this Committee’s continued and valuable interest in the critical element of our overall defence capability. May I briefly introduce the other witnesses? I am joined today by Sir Peter Spencer, the new Chief of Defence Procurement, whom you have in the very recent past already questioned, and by Lieutenant General Rob Fulton, who took up his post as Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Equipment Capability), in other words the equipment customer, at the beginning of June. Chairman, when I was here in May last year, and as part of your Committee’s 2002 survey of major procurement projects, I was very much the junior member among the witnesses before you. One year on, I find myself in the opposite position and to this extent, that compared to the witnesses who were also here, I am the witness longest in post. But this is a strong and expert team that I have with me. You know, I think, already the considerable experience in the acquisition area that Sir Peter brings to his new portfolio; he has a lot of experience in the procurement field. General Fulton is also known to this Committee from his previous role with the Equipment Capability Customer area as Capability Manager (Information Superiority) and for his work in particular in shaping and articulating the concept of Network Enabled Capability. This is a particularly interesting time perhaps to review where we have got to in a range of key equipment projects and in our acquisition and industrial policies. Much has happened in the last year. There have been a number of important developments in the projects covered by your survey, including: the adoption of an “Alliance” approach to the future aircraft carriers; contract signature on two collaborative projects, Meteor and A400M; and the agreements reached with BAE Systems earlier this year on the way forward for Nimrod and Astute. I have some encouraging news to report to you on Typhoon. There is also a number of broader factors which today together provide an unusual context for this year’s review. Let me very briefly highlight two key issues. First, of course, the UK’s armed forces have just taken part in decisive war-fighting operations in Iraq. Our servicemen and women have of course again demonstrated those qualities of professionalism, courage and humanity for which they are renowned. The battle-winning quality of their equipment also made an important contribution to the rapid success of the campaign. We are now, as you know, in the process of identifying and learning the lessons from Operation TELIC. Emerging findings will be published next month before the summer break. The more detailed points will take a little longer to digest. I do not want to pre-empt that work, but I have

Primary Sidebar

Advertisers

  • qioptiq.com
  • Exensor
  • TCI
  • Visit the Oxley website
  • Visit the Viasat website
  • Blighter
  • SPECTRA
  • InVeris
  • Britbots logo
  • Faun Trackway
  • Systematic
  • CISION logo
  • ProTEK logo
  • businesswire logo
  • ProTEK logo
  • ssafa logo
  • DSEi
  • Atkins
  • IEE
  • EXFOR logo
  • KME logo
Hilux DVD2022

Contact Us

BATTLESPACE Publications
Old Charlock
Abthorpe Road
Silverstone
Towcester NN12 8TW

+44 (0)77689 54766

BATTLESPACE Technologies

An international defence electronics news service providing our readers with up to date developments in the defence electronics industry.

Recent News

  • EXHIBITIONS AND CONFERENCES

    May 20, 2022
    Read more
  • MANAGEMENT ON THE MOVE

    May 20, 2022
    Read more
  • CONTRACT NEWS IN BRIEF

    May 20, 2022
    Read more

Copyright BATTLESPACE Publications © 2002–2022.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. If you continue to use the website, we'll assume you're ok with this.   Read More  Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT