The British Army is facing a gap in manpower in both regular and reserve forces if current recruiting practices are continued, the National Audit Office (NAO) claims.
In its report on the Army 2020 plans, released on 11 June, the NAO has estimated that there are 3,184 regular army training places unfulfilled for 2013-14 and that Capita, which was hired to recruit reserves, has managed to fill only 1,975 places out of a requirement for 6,000.
Army 2020 plans call for a total force of 30,000 reservists that will supplement a reduced regular force of 82,500 personnel by 2018-19,
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The new artillery and howitzer factory pre-dates the emphasis on this capability from this month’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR). The first joint industry-government meeting outlined in the review took place this week.
Romania received its first Cobra MkII 4×4 light tactical armoured vehicles, ordered Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs) and VAMTAC light vehicles, and is set to invest billions-of-dollars in infantry fighting vehicles.
The Italian Army operates Pumas in 6×6 and 4×4 configurations but the platforms are ageing and numbers have fallen with obsolescence also being an issue. Any replacement is likely to have a focus on the involvement of local industry.
The VAMTAC (Vehículo de Alta Movilidad Táctico or High Mobility Tactical Vehicle) 4×4 by Urovesa is in service with or has been ordered by eight countries, the most recent being Spain this month and Romania last month.
Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is a next-generation surface-to-surface missile with the solid rocket motor (SRM) provided by Northrop Grumman. The company is working to boost its SRM production capability.
The CV90 is in service with or ordered by ten countries. The agreement between six of these countries is designed to create commonality to provide economies of scale and a reduced training burden.
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