Shadow defense minister says UK military risks downsizing to Belgian status

September 7th, 2009 | DSEI 2009 | Posted by Tom Kington

In a stinging attack on the defense policy of the UK’s governing Labour Party, shadow defense minister Gerald Howarth warned on Monday that the UK military risks shrinking to become a force on par with the Belgian army.

“Some question whether we can afford to carry on as a global player, given the Gordon Brown legacy,” he said in a speech to defense and industry officials in London, which he released for publication.

“Do we really want to drop down into the Third Division of nations alongside, say, Belgium?”

As the UK nears a general election next year, the opposition Conservative Party is beating the incumbent Labour Party in opinion polls.

Howarth said it was “unacceptable” that the government had not yet published the findings of a report on UK defense procurement written by businessman Bernard Gray, despite the leaking of it to the UK press.

“The process is far too cumbersome and bureaucratic – apparently described by Bernard Gray as ‘sclerotic’,” said Howarth, adding that the UK current procurement program outstretches resources and that the top 20 programmes have experienced historic cost growth of £2.95 billion and suffered total delays of 483 months.

In his speech, Howarth spelt out the main tenets of his party’s defense policy, starting with maintaining an independent nuclear deterrent and operating aircraft carriers.

“We are committed to maintaining a vibrant defence industrial base in the UK,” he added.

“Under Labour there has been investment in immediately required kit to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq, but the Royal Navy has been hollowed out, the RAF is saddled with a ridiculous PFI for air-to-air refuelling, and the Army has had to manage with 40 year old armoured vehicles,” he said.

Tags: howarth, procurement, UK

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