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Time for MoD to fundamentally change the way it operates, says PAC

3 February 2023

  • Ministry must quickly demonstrate new urgency and realism
  • MoD has struggled to bring digital defence systems into modern era for years
  • Two critical IT projects now rated unachievable

The Ministry of Defence must fundamentally change the way it operates to implement its new digital strategy at the necessary pace and scale, but still does not have a delivery plan that will allow it to do this.

In a report today the Public Accounts Committee says the MoD has been struggling for years to deliver the major programmes necessary to replace over 2,000 systems and applications for 200,000 users, ranging from administrative and back-office IT to military platforms such as ships and satellites – much of it outdated legacy systems.

The rapid deployment and exploitation of new technology is now at the very heart of the defence of the realm, with the urgency of this challenge demonstrated by the current conflict in Ukraine. But of the defence IT projects large and critical enough to have their performance reported publicly by the Infrastructure Projects Authority, three had significant issues and two - the New Style IT Base and MODNet Evolve - were assessed as ‘unachievable’.

The Committee says MoD must make a ‘down payment’ on a whole new way of operating in its digital action plan, now expected in April 2023. It must display a genuine sense of urgency to address these serious issues, accompanied by a thorough, realistic and costed programme for doing so.

Chair's comments

Dame Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Committee, said: “The MoD as it currently operates is frankly not up to the task it faces. The scale and nature of the challenge of modern warfare is accelerating away from the Ministry, while it’s bogged down in critical projects that are years delayed and at risk of being obsolescent on delivery. Two of its major digital transformation projects have been written off as ‘unachievable’ by the oversight body. There is no world in which that is an acceptable situation at the heart of our national defence.”

Lead PAC Member

Lead PAC Member Mark Francois MP said: “The war in Ukraine brutally illustrates why we need advanced digital capabilities now, rather than many years from now. What more will it take for MoD to step up and acknowledge the procurement weaknesses which the PAC has, quite literally, been highlighting for decades now? The time for the usual MoD platitudes is over - we now need to see MoD radically reform its procedures, to provide equipment - including crucial digital systems - in a timely and cost-effective manner, before it’s too late.”

Further information

Image: MoD