MoD should spend less on hardware

8 Nov 07
The Ministry of Defence spends too much of its budget on military hardware and not enough on the armed forces' pay and housing, a think-tank has reported.

09 November 2007

The Ministry of Defence spends too much of its budget on military hardware and not enough on the armed forces' pay and housing, a think-tank has reported.

A study by Demos, published on November 5, concludes that defence spending has not kept pace with the forces' needs.

The report, Out of step, claims that 'defence planners have become preoccupied with the acquisition of expensive, high-tech equipment', for example.

'[This] has diverted resources away from where they are really needed – specifically in areas such as pay, recruitment and training, and the welfare support (including housing) of the armed forces.'

Report author Timothy Edmunds warned that troops could become demotivated, and unwilling to serve, unless the situation changed.

The study also calls for a wide-ranging review of the MoD's role in protecting national security, in light of the changing security threats to the UK and the increasing focus on anti-terrorism.

'The armed forces cannot be expected to do everything and the government should not shy away from reducing capacity in those areas – such as anti-submarine warfare – that are of marginal relevance,' Edmunds reports.

Following widespread criticism of the war in Iraq, he also notes that society's support for the armed forces cannot be taken for granted.

PFnov2007

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