12 Apr 17. Defence Committee. New Inquiry: SDSR 2015 And The RAF. The Defence Committee has launched its inquiry into the SDSR 2015 and the RAF. This inquiry follows on from the Committee’s work on the ‘SDSR 2015 and the Army’ and ‘Flexible response? An SDSR Checklist of potential threats and vulnerabilities’ and will assess how effectively the RAF is implementing the ambitions outlined in the SDSR and its ability to meet ongoing and potential future strategic challenges.
The Committee is seeking written submissions on the following questions:
• Does SDSR 2015 outline a credible and clear strategic vision for the future of the RAF and, if not, what should a vision for the future of the RAF entail?
• How, if it all, does the SDSR equip the RAF to meet the potential threats and vulnerabilities outlined in our report Flexible response? An SDSR checklist of potential threats and vulnerabilities?
• What impact did SDSR 2010 and the Future Force 2020 programme have on the capabilities of the RAF?
• What progress has been made in the delivery of the Future Force 2020 programme?
• Whether the RAF will be able, by 2025, to deliver two F35 squadrons jointly with the Royal Navy, and to deliver seven Typhoon squadrons as part of the 50,000 strong force envisaged by SDSR 2015?
• How adequately does the 2016 Equipment Plan equip the RAF to meet the requirements of the Joint Force 2025 and other changing strategic circumstances, and establish the extent to which the RAF will procure Ground Based Air Defence equipment for the Army to man as part of Joint Force 2025?
• What provision is being made to insure the commitments made in the SDSR against further depreciation in the value of the pound and a failure to realise estimated savings?
• To what extent does the RAF have the levels of regular and reserve personnel and the skills required to meet its current and future commitments, including Joint Force 2025?
• What capabilities are the RAF developing in respect of unmanned aerial vehicles and are they sufficient to meet ongoing and potential future strategic challenges?
Written submissions for this inquiry should be submitted via the inquiry page on the Defence Committee website. The deadline for written submissions is 23 May 2017.
Submissions should state clearly who the submission is from e.g. ‘Written evidence submitted by
Submissions must be a self-contained memorandum in Word or Rich Text Format (not PDFs). Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference and the document should, if possible, include an executive summary.
Submissions should be original work, not previously published or circulated elsewhere. Once submitted, your submission becomes the property of the Committee and no public use should be made of it unless you have first obtained permission from the Clerk of the Committee.
Please bear in mind that the Committee will not consider individual cases or matters currently before a court of law, or matters in respect of which court proceedings are imminent. If you anticipate such issues arising, you should discuss with the Clerk of the Committee how this might affect your submission.
The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to publish the written evidence it receives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure; the Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence.
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