UK MoD Equipment Plan is affordable, but watchdog warns of risks
The NAO said the MoD's multi-year spending settlement gave it a good opportunity to reset the Equipment Plan. (Photo: UK MoD/ Crown Copyright)
The National Audit Office has warned that the MoD’s 10-year Equipment Plan could be ‘over-optimistic’.
The MoD has released its 2021-2031 ten-year Equipment Plan, the first to be deemed affordable in many years; even so, the National Audit Office (NAO) warned once again of risks to affordability.
According to the Equipment Plan, the MoD plans to spend £238 billion (about $323 billion) throughout 2021-2031, a record £48 billion increase from the £190 billion previously detailed in the 2020-2030 Equipment Plan.
By April 2021, the MoD assessed the Equipment Plan to have £4.3 billion worth of headroom over the next decade compared to a £7.3 billion black hole in the previous year’s plan.
Commenting on the report, the
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Ukraine turns legacy Kongsberg land turrets into semi-autonomous USV weapons]()
Ukraine turns legacy Kongsberg land turrets into semi-autonomous USV weapons
The company told Shephard that Ukraine is operating modified Protector weapon stations originally supplied for armoured vehicles, with human operators authorising engagements from hundreds of kilometres away.
-
![UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour]()
UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour
A report from the Council on Geostrategy argues the UK should move away from a traditional balanced force and shift investment to naval, air and space capabilities, backed by a larger fleet of attack submarines and deeper AUKUS integration.
-
![Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era]()
Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era
At its technology summit in London, attended by Shephard, Thales UK examined the importance of speed to delivery, the growing focus on cross-domain capabilities and how procurement reform could be crucial for future battlefield advantage.
-
![Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain]()
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.
