02 Oct 20. Defence Committee to hold session on progress delivering Armoured Vehicle capability.
On Tuesday 6 October, at 14.30, the Defence Committee will hold its first evidence session in its inquiry into Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs). The session will discuss the progress being made in delivering current AFV programmes, the lessons learned from the last two decades of AFV procurement, the current status of the Challenger 2 upgrade programme, the viability of the UK AFV industry and future developments in AFV technology. Witnesses include: Francis Tusa, Nicholas Drummond, Peter Hardisty, Carew Wilks and Lee Fellows.
The first panel will hear from Francis Tusa and Nicholas Drummond. Francis Tusa is an experienced defence journalist, having worked for RUSI and with media outlets such as the Times, the BBC and CNN, and as a regular contributor to Sky News. Nicholas Drummond is a former British Army officer and now works as a strategic consultant serving the Defence Industry with clients in the EU and USA. Mr Drummond currently acts as an advisor to Krauss Maffei Wegmann (KMW) which is a shareholder in the Joint Venture (ARTEC) that is under contract to supply Boxer armoured vehicles to meet the Army’s Mechanised Infantry Vehicle requirement.
The second panel will include Peter Hardisty, Carew Wilks and Lee Fellows. Peter Hardisty is currently the Managing Director for the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) joint venture business. He was the Managing Director of Rheinmetall Defence UK and Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles UK, two of the UK subsidiaries of Rheinmetall, a large German defence firm. Carew Wilks is Vice President of General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), having working in both infrastructure and equipment acquisition roles; as Director of Army Infrastructure in Army HQ and finally as Director Land Equipment in DE&S, with responsibility for the acquisition and support of all the Army’s equipment. Lee Fellows was appointed Vice President and Managing Director of the LMUK Ampthill business in 2020.
Tuesday 6 October, 14.30:
Panel 1
- Francis Tusa – Editor, Defence Analysis
- Nicholas Drummond – Director, AURA Consulting
Panel 2
- Peter Hardisty – Managing Director, Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL)
- Carew Wilks – Vice President, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS)
- Lee Fellows – Vice President and Managing Director, Lockheed Martin UK Ampthill (LMUK)
House of Commons and House of Lords Hansard Written Answers
Question
Fleet Solid Support Ships
UIN 95742, tabled on 25 September 2020
Stephen Morgan
Labour
Portsmouth South
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date he plans to announce the procurement timetable for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s planned Fleet Solid Support Ships.
Answer
Answered on
30 September 2020
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence said during Defence Oral Questions on Monday 21 September 2020, the procurement timetable for the warships will be announced in due course, after market testing has completed. We are open to the principle of international partners working alongside UK firms for the bid.
Question
Daniel Zeichner
Labour
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the acquisition of Arm by US company Nvidia.
Answered on
30 September 2020
Caroline Dinenage
Conservative
Gosport
Ministers have regular meetings and discussions with their ministerial colleagues, on a range of issues. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website. As you would expect, it would not be appropriate to comment on any national security concerns we may or may not have. However, we will be scrutinising the deal in close detail.
Question
The Marquess of Lothian
Conservative
Life peer
Lords
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of (1) Turkey, and (2) Greece, (a) to de-escalate the dispute over maritime rights in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and (b) to enable exploratory talks to resume between the two on the…
Answered on
1 October 2020
Baroness Sugg
Conservative
Life peer
Lords
The UK is in regular contact with Turkish and Greek partners with regard to the ongoing tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean and we welcome the announcement that Greece and Turkey will resume exploratory talks. The Prime Minister discussed this with Turkish President Erdogan on 28 September. The Defence Secretary discussed this with the Turkish Defence Minister on 28 August. The Foreign Secretary also raised the matter with the Turkish Foreign Minister on 8 July. The Minister for European Neighbourhood and the Americas has spoken to both her Turkish and Greek counterparts in recent weeks. Officials continue to raise the issue with the parties concerned. We believe it is critical for stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and for the integrity of the rules-based international system that tensions be reduced and disputes resolved through dialogue and in accordance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).