Lords Committee to question former Chief of the Defence Staff on the UK’s defence policy

In the evidence session the Committee will continue its assessment of the Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper, which were published whilst General Carter was Chief of the Defence Staff, and ask his views on whether, one year later, the ambitions of the two documents are still feasible. In an additional session the Committee will probe maritime defence experts on the role of the Royal Navy in the Government’s defence and security ambitions.

The sessions will run from 10.30am on Wednesday 25 May and will be available to watch live or on demand on Parliament TV or attend in person in Committee Room 4, Palace of Westminster.

Giving evidence will be:

10.30am

• General Sir Nick Carter, Former Chief of the Defence Staff, 2018-2021.

11.30am

• Dr Sidharth Kaushal, Research Fellow, Sea Power, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI); and
• Nick Childs, Senior Fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Security, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

Questions may include:

• Does the UK have adequate resources, including money, equipment and people, to translate all of the ambitions of those the Integrated Review and Defence Command paper into effective policy? If not, what should we focus on?
  
  
• The Defence Command Paper announced a further reduction to the size of the Army to 72,500. Is this an adequate size for the challenges the UK faces? Does the UK need to reconsider the role and purpose of the Army in light of its reduced size?
  
  
• The Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper gave the Royal Navy a leading role in the UK’s security posture. Are the objectives set out by both documents achievable? Are the Royal Navy’s current capabilities – including its fleet, weapons, and enablers – sufficient to meet these ambitions?
  
  
• What are the immediate and longer-term maritime security threats that result from the war in Ukraine and broader NATO-Russia confrontation? How well is the Royal Navy prepared and equipped to address them? Do such Euro-Atlantic threats jeopardise the ambition for an Indo-Pacific ‘tilt’?
  
  
• How would you interpret the ‘Persistent Engagement’ model as mentioned in the Defence Command Paper? What might such a model look like, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, and what is your assessment of such an approach? What would be the role of UK maritime forces?
  
  
• What are the practical implications of the trilateral deal between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States (AUKUS) for the Royal Navy and UK maritime sector?