Senior officials from the Ministry of Defence to give evidence to Lords Defence inquiry
Tuesday 25 October 2022
Tomorrow, Wednesday 26 October the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee will hear from senior officials from the Ministry of Defence in a session that will consider the use of scientific discoveries to enhance the UK’s military capability and hear evidence on technological innovation within the defence sector.
The session will start at 2.00pm and will be available to watch live or on demand on Parliament TV or attend in person in Committee Room 3, Palace of Westminster.
Giving evidence will be:
2.00pm
- Dr Rob Johnson, Director of SONAC, Ministry of Defence;
- John Ridge, Director of Defence Innovation, Ministry of Defence and;
- Dr Nicholas Joad, Director of Defence Science and Technology, Ministry of Defence.
Questions will include:
- In your view, is the bet to rely on technological innovation and sophisticated science to deliver military power, rather than force size an appropriate one. What are the opportunities and risks? Or is it unfair to characterise such a choice as a gamble?
- How will SONAC interact with the MOD’s pre-existing analytical capacity, such as the Development, Concepts, and Doctrine Centre, and the analysis teams at DSTL? How does SONAC’s role differ? How will you avoid duplication? Is SONAC adequately resourced, financially and intellectually, and how can you best access a wider range of expertise from within and beyond government?
- How good is the UK at making scientific discoveries and converting them into strategic advantage? Is this an area of UK relative strength over our potential adversaries, or are we on the back foot?
- How good is the Ministry of Defence at nurturing, absorbing, and utilising scientific discoveries for the development of military capability? Does the MOD need additional resources to invest in and support the UK scientific base? Are there any cultural or procedural obstacles to the positive flow of scientific ideas in and out of Defence?
- How good is the Ministry of Defence at innovation already? How can it be made better? Are the obstacles to further innovation predominantly financial, cultural, scientific, intellectual, or something else?
