Jump to content

Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

TheStrategic Defence and Security Review 2010was announced by the formed Conservative-Liberal Democratcoalition governmentof the United Kingdom in May 2010, and published on 19 October 2010.[1]The previous major review of UK defence strategy was theStrategic Defence Review,published in 1998, and updated in 2003 by theDelivering Security in a Changing Worldwhite paper.

As well as wanting an updated security policy, both theConservativesandLiberal Democratswanted the £38 billion overspend in theMinistry of Defence(MoD) procurement budget addressed.[2]With the government committed to reducing the national budgetdeficit,theTreasuryasked the MoD to draw up options for a 10–20% real-terms cut in its budget.[3]The final amount was a 7.7% reduction over four years.[4]

Formation[edit]

Further information:Adaptability and Partnership: Issues for the Strategic Defence Review

Summary[edit]

The number ofChallenger 2tanks would be cut by 40%.

All three of Britain's armed forces would take cuts in manpower. Overall, the largest overseas deployment was expected to be not more than 30,000 personnel, including maritime and air force units. This compares to the 45,000 involved in the2003 invasion of Iraq.[5]In November 2010, the MoD released its plan to implement the changes.[6][7]

Royal Navy[edit]

See also:Future of the Royal Navy
HMASChoules,previously RFALargs Bay,was sold to theRoyal Australian Navyfollowing the SDSR.

Carrier Strike[edit]

TheHarrier GR9was retired in order to maintain theTornadoas the RAF's main strike aircraft until theTyphoonmatured. The latter and the Lockheed MartinF-35 Lightning IIwould constitute the RAF's fast jet fleet in the future.

The SDSR called for the almost immediate decommissioning of the Royal Navy flagship aircraft carrier,HMSArk Royal,rather than in 2016 as scheduled. This occurred on 11 March 2011.[12]

The Report also announced the early retirement of theJoint Force Harrieraircraft, theHarrier GR7/GR9.Both of these measures were to save money for the purchase of theQueen Elizabeth-classaircraft carriers.[3]The Harrier fleet made its last operational flights in December 2010.[13]In 2011 72 British Harriers were sold to the United States to be used for spares.[14]

The SDSR proposed that one of the twoQueen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers currently under construction would be certain to be commissioned, with the fate of the other left undecided. It had been suggested that only one carrier, routinely equipped with 12 fast jets, was to be in service at any one time, with the other carrier held in extended readiness. These plans were to be reviewed in 2015.[1]However, in May 2014 it was announced byPrime MinisterDavid Cameronthat the second carrier,Prince of Wales,would be brought into service alongsideQueen Elizabeth.He confirmed the second vessel was already 40% built.[15]

The SDSR announced the government's intention to switch its purchase of F-35Bs to the carrier-variant F-35C to allow for a wider range and weapons to be used.[1]However, in May 2012 this decision was reversed, and the F-35B was chosen instead, as the previous government had intended. This was because the cost of converting theQueen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers to accommodate the carrier-variant F-35C had risen to twice the original estimate.[16][17]

British Army[edit]

See also:Army 2020
  • Personnel to be reduced by 7,000 to 95,500 by 2015.[11]To take place within the overall mandate of reducing the army's size to 82,000 regular personnel and 30,000 reservists by 2018.[18]
  • The withdrawal of all 20,000 British troops frombases in Germanyby 2020.[19]
  • The number ofChallenger 2tanks to be cut by 40% to just over 200.[11]
  • The number ofAS-90self-propelled heavy artillery guns to be cut by 35% to an estimated 87.[11]

Royal Air Force[edit]

TheNimrod MRA4was cancelled and all airframes scrapped.
See also:Future of the Royal Air Force
  • Personnel to be reduced by 5,000 to 33,000.[11]
  • After long delays, technical difficulties, and a total cost of £3.2 billion, theNimrod MRA4maritime patrol aircraft project was scrapped.[20]RAF Kinloss,where the aircraft were to be based, ended its 73-year association with the RAF on 26 July 2012 when it was transferred to the Army.[21]
  • Future Strategic Tanker Aircraftprocurement to go ahead, to replace the ageingVC10andTriStars.[1]The VC10 made its final flight in RAF service on 20 September 2013.[22]
  • The purchase of 22Airbus A400Mmilitary transport aircraftwas confirmed, with the aircraft to operate alongside the RAF's eightC-17s.[1]
  • TheC-130Jfleet to be retired by 2022, ten years earlier than planned.[1]
  • The proposed purchase of 12 additionalChinookhelicopters – a cut to the original order for 22.[11][23]However, in 2011 the Ministry of Defence signed a contract for 14 Chinooks.[24]
  • The RAF's future fast-jet fleet to be based on theTyphoonand theLockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II,with the latter also to be flown by the Royal Navy.[1]
  • TheSentinel R1ground surveillance aircraft would be retired when it was no longer required to support forces in Afghanistan.[1]The utility of the aircraft in deployments over Libya and Mali has led to some calls for the retention of the aircraft.[25][26]

Criticism[edit]

On 3 August 2011, theHouse of CommonsDefence Select Committeepublished a critical review of the SDSR. The review had led to wide-ranging cuts to the Armed Forces, which were widely criticised for damaging the capabilities of the British military.[27]The review was subsequently criticized for leaving Britain unprepared in a changing international environment, particularly in relation to its ability to retain trained personnel. In 2018, a report by the National Audit Office found that the numbers of trained regulars had fallen from some 180,000 personnel in 2010 to fewer than 140,000 in 2017/18. The numbers in 2017/18 were some 8,200 people below the stated requirement.[28]In 2015, the House of Commons defence committee again concluded that “The UK’s current defence assumptions are not sufficient for [the] changed environment... Now there is a requirement to support stability in a dozen different theatres simultaneously, and to engage with both unconventional and conventional threats.”[29]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdefghijklm"Securing Britain in an Age of Uncertainty: The Strategic Defence and Security Review"(PDF).HM Government. 19 October 2010.Retrieved18 November2018.
  2. ^Taylor, Claire; Lunn, Jon (13 October 2010)."Strategic Defence and Security Review (research note)"(PDF).House of Commons Library. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 5 November 2010.
  3. ^abc"Q&A: Strategic Defence and Security Review".BBC News. 18 October 2010.Retrieved19 October2010.
  4. ^Watt, Nicholas (17 October 2010)."Next Generation of Nimrod 'Spy in the Sky' Surveillance Planes to be Scrapped".The Guardian.London.Retrieved22 October2010.
  5. ^Mulholland, Helene (19 October 2010)."UK Can No Longer Mount Military Operations Like Iraq Invasion, Government Decides".The Guardian.London.Retrieved22 October2010.
  6. ^"Business Plan 2011-2015 - Ministry of Defence"(PDF).8 November 2010.Retrieved9 November2010.
  7. ^"2010-11-09".Retrieved9 November2010.
  8. ^"Statement by Lord Astor of Hever".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).House of Lords. 15 December 2010. col. WS113.
  9. ^Oakes, Dan (21 January 2011)."Navy Eyes Redundant UK vessel".The Sydney Morning Herald.Australia.Retrieved23 January2011.
  10. ^Watt, Nicholas (19 October 2010)."David Cameron to Delay Trident Replacement".The Guardian.London.Retrieved10 November2015.
  11. ^abcdef"Cameron Reveals 42,000 Job Cuts in Defence Review".defencemanagement.com. 19 October 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 9 July 2011.
  12. ^"Final Farewell for Decommissioned Warship HMS Ark Royal".BBC News. 11 March 2011.Retrieved11 March2011.
  13. ^"Last Trip for One of Britain's Iconic Aircraft".BBC News. 15 December 2010.Retrieved21 January2014.
  14. ^"UK Sells 72 Retired Harrier Jump Jets for $180m to US".BBC News. 24 November 2011.Retrieved21 January2014.
  15. ^"NATO Summit 2014: Speech by David Cameron".HM Government. 17 September 2014.Retrieved10 November2015.
  16. ^Norton-Taylor, Richard (10 May 2012)."UK Sells 72 Retired Harrier Jump Jets for $180m to US".The Guardian.London.Retrieved21 January2014.
  17. ^"Defence Secretary gets Update on Aircraft Carrier Project".Ministry of Defence. 1 December 2014.Retrieved1 December2014.HMS Prince of Wales, which only started assembly in September here in Rosyth, is now more than 40% complete.
  18. ^"Army to Reduce by 23 Units".Ministry of Defence. 5 July 2012.Retrieved10 November2015.
  19. ^"Defence Review Ends Iraq-sized Ventures".Financial Times.Retrieved22 October2010.
  20. ^Hope, Christopher (19 October 2010)."Defence Review: £3.6billion Nimrod Programme Scrapped".The Telegraph.London. Archived fromthe originalon 21 October 2010.Retrieved1 November2010.
  21. ^"RAF Colours Come Down at Kinloss Airfield".BBC News. 26 July 2012.Retrieved21 January2014.
  22. ^"Vickers VC10 Jetliners Fly Last Mission from RAF Brize Norton".BBC News. 20 September 2013.Retrieved20 September2013.
  23. ^"Defence Review at a Glance".BBC News. 19 October 2010.Retrieved22 October2010.
  24. ^"MoD to Buy 14 New Chinook Helicopters in £1bn Deal".BBC News. 22 August 2011.Retrieved10 November2015.
  25. ^Hoyle, Craig (10 July 2013)."RAF Lifts Lid on Sentinel's Role in Mali".Flightglobal.Retrieved10 November2015.
  26. ^Wyatt, Caroline (11 May 2011)."On Board the RAF's Sentinel R1 Spy Plane over Libya".BBC News.
  27. ^The Defence Committee (10 July 2011)."Strategic Defence and Security Review (sixth report)"(PDF).parliament.uk.Retrieved10 November2015.
  28. ^Ensuring sufficient skilled military personnelnao.org.uk April 2018
  29. ^"British defence plans fail to meet new threats - MPS".Reuters.24 March 2015.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Strategic_Defence_and_Security_Review_2010&oldid=1148341222"