UK’s refreshed Defence Command Paper earns mixed reviews
The new Defence Command Paper included no new plans for the procurement of platforms such as main battle tanks. (Photo: UK MoD/ Crown Copyright.)
Having finally published a long-awaited refreshed Defence Command Paper on 18 July, experts have weighed in on the quality of the UK’s defence plans.
Published two years after the original Defence Command Paper in 2021, the refreshed document varies little from the original defence plan but added more funding for munitions stockpiles and the promise of new career pathways.
The additional £2.5 billion ($3.27 billion) in stockpile investment recognises that stocks of essential munitions had been allowed to dwindle.
Laying out the document before Parliament, outgoing Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that previous Conservative and Labour governments had ‘hollowed out’ defence for too long.
Wallace – who will leave his post at the next reshuffle - said that the Department had not planned on
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