Committee to ask former US Army General for American perspective on UK defence capabilities, academic experts on funding and procurement
This week the Committee will continue taking evidence for its “Defence concepts and capabilities: from aspiration to reality” inquiry
The meeting will commence with a panel of two academic experts who will respond to questions on defence funding and procurement, exploring subjects such as the relationship between the MoD and the Treasury, the consequences of the UK’s limited defence spending and the Government’s ambitions to streamline processes with the new Procurement Bill.
In the second panel the Committee will pose questions to the former Commanding General of the US Army in Europe, exploring an American perspective on the Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper, US global defence commitments in Europe and Asia as well as the challenge posed by threats below the threshold of war.
Meeting details
Possible Questions:
- What is your assessment of the role of HMT when it comes to defence policy? What are its concerns with regard to defence spending, and how justified are they?
- How can the UK’s limited defence spending deliver optimal strategic effect? Are there areas where spending can deliver outsized gains and/or others that could be prudently reduced?
- What is your assessment of the Government’s defence procurement policy so far? Is the Procurement Bill adequately addressing current and future challenges?
- Are the aspirations outlined in the Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper realistic and achievable? Or do you believe that, considering finite resources, the UK should focus only on some of them?
- How should Washington prioritise its global commitments? And given such prioritisation, what should Americans expect allies like Britain to do for themselves?
- How would you define threats falling below the threshold of war? What defence and security capabilities will be required to respond effectively to these challenges?