Former UK defence chiefs warn of significant capability gaps

14th November 2017 - 16:34 GMT | by Alice Budge in London

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Assumptions made by the UK Ministry of Defence during the 2010 and 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Reviews (SDSR) could leave the country exposed to significant capability gaps, experts have argued.

Air Marshal Barry North, former deputy commander (personnel) at RAF Air Command, told the House of Commons Defence Committee that assumptions relating to the capabilities of the UK’s allies, which were made in 2010 and 2015, now needed to be reviewed as part of the government’s latest national security capabilities review.

While the debate continues to rage around the government's defence spending and acquisition programmes, North emphasised that …

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