02 Jun 23. Armed Forces Readiness inquiry holds first evidence session. On Tuesday 6 June, at 10.30, the Defence Committee will kick off its inquiry into Armed Forces Readiness with its first evidence session, hearing from academics and experts. The session will establish how readiness can best be measured and cover a range of topics, including the greatest challenges to the readiness of each of the Services, the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and potential lessons learned, as well as the effect of Multi-Domain Integration. Experts from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and Kings College London will give evidence.
Tuesday 6 June, 10.30:
- Dr Simon Anglim – Teaching Fellow at Kings College London
- Professor Justin Bronk – Senior Research Fellow at RUSI
- Nick Childs – Senior Fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Security at The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)
01 Jun 23. Lord Peter Levene and industry leaders gave evidence on defence procurement. On Wednesday 7 June, at 09.00, the Defence Sub-Committee held an evidence session, as part of its inquiry into Defence Equipment and Support. The Sub-Committee will hear from Air Chief Marshal (Retd) Sir Stephen Hillier and Lieutenant General (Retd) Sir Mark Poffley. Questions may cover how individual services interact with the procurement processes and the potential impact of procurement on operations.
For the second panel, the Sub-Committee will speak to representatives of industry leaders Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems, likely on the issues of procurement delays, how to improve these delays and how to strengthen the relationship between industry and Government.
Lord Peter Levene, author of the Defence Reform report and former Chief of Defence Procurement, will appear for the third panel. This panel is likely to cover topics such as the effect of handling over procurement to Services and sanctions for overspending.
Wednesday 7 June, 09.00:
- Air Chief Marshal (ret’d) Sir Stephen Hillier – former Chief of the Air Staff
- Lt. Gen (ret’d) Sir Mark Poffley – former deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Financial and Military Capability)
10.00:
- Herman Claesen – Managing Director Future Combat Air System, BAE Systems
- Paul Livingston – Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin UK
11.00:
- Lord Peter Levene – author of Defence Reform 2011