Future Force 2020 - Defence Committee announce inquiry

The 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review set out the Government’s plans for the Armed Forces called Future Force 2020. The Committee is particularly concerned about the relevance, size and quality of the Armed Forces. As the Chief of the Defence Staff said recently:

"Our approach has been through an equipment lens which has emphasised technical overmatch in force-on-force conflict. And whilst exquisite technology has been projected as the key to operational superiority, manpower has been seen more as an overhead and activity levels have been squeezed."

This Committee is particularly interested in examining.

• The impact on the plans for Future Force 2020 of the challenging global political and security context, including in Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa; the changing size, structures and priorities of other international forces including those of the UK’s usual allies; and decisions on Scottish independence.
• Whether the implementation of Future Force 2020 will provide the flexible, agile  and operationally capable force required, in particular, examining:

• The critical mass for each arm of Service which will ensure the maintenance of an adequate intellectual, organisational and equipment base which can be expanded as needed to meet threats as they arise, as well as providing for the deployment of an effective immediate response;
• The mechanisms and procedures which will enable the Armed Forces, in the face of a growing threat, to ramp up in capability and capacity and to ramp down when the crisis is past;
• The assessment and analysis which will give the maximum possible notice of impending threats and a command and control system to manage the whole process;
• The recruitment, retention, appointment, training and education of the appropriate number and quality of regular and reserve personnel to feed the above process;
• The integration of regulars, reservists and contractors;
• The role of the regular reserve;
• The integration of the three Services and Joint Forces Command to ensure the optimum generation and sustainment of capability; and 
• The development of the contingent capacity and overall resilience to regenerate the Armed Forces and to meet future requirements.

• The impact of the Levene Reforms on the Armed Forces, in particular, how the Joint Forces Command (JFC) will operate with the other three Services on operations and in providing contingent capability and the effect of the delegation of budgets to the three Services and JFC for equipment and other expenditure.
• The costs of the reforms.

The Committee would welcome written evidence to this inquiry. This should be sent to the Clerk of the Defence Committee by Friday 5 September 2014.

Where to submit your written evidence

Written submissions for this inquiry should be submitted via the Future Force 2020: inquiry page on the Defence Committee website.

Further information

• Inquiry: Future Army 2020
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