69

Allocated funds for stockpile replenishment at risk of diversion to offset MOD funding shortfalls.

Conclusion
The Government has previously pointed to its successes in signing contracts—in June 2022 it noted that it had secured “contracts for Next Generation Light AntiTank Weapons, Starstreak High Velocity Missiles, Lightweight Multirole Missiles, Archer 6X6 Artillery 132 Q406 133 Q406–7 134 Q453 135 Q213; 220; 237; 322 136 Ammunition supply chain crisis: Ukraine war tests Europe in race to rearm, Financial Times, 7 February 2023 137 Alex Vershinin, The Return of Industrial Warfare, RUSI Commentary, 17 June 2022 138 Oral evidence taken on 5 September 2023, HC (2022–23) 1804, Q29 139 Q76; 162 140 Oral evidence taken on 6 July 2021, HC (2021–2022) 166, Q282; Oral evidence taken on 19 April 2022, HC (2021– 2022) 608, Q93 Ready for War? 29 Systems and Carl Gustaf recoilless rifles”.141 In addition to the £560 million announced at the Autumn Statement in 2022, the IR23 had announced £1.95 billion to replenish stockpiles in 2023–24 and 2024–25 “and to increase them in line with a reassessment of appropriate levels … and to invest in the resilience of the UK’s munitions infrastructure”142 and DCP23 a further £2.5 billion on “replenishing—and augmenting—” munitions and stockpiles “through the coming decade”143. However, the NAO’s recent report on the Equipment Plan 2023–33 found that the £1.95 billion allocated in the IR23 (and then the Spring Budget 2023) was not ringfenced and so the MOD “is considering using it to help offset its funding shortfall in 2023–24 and 2024–25”.144
Government Response

A response document is linked to this report, dated 25 April 2024. Response attribution to this conclusion has not been verified. Read the response document.

Addressee Bodies
Ministry of Defence
Timeline
Recommendation age 2.6 yrs
Report published 04 Feb 2024