Prime Minister Statement on Integrated Review - 16 Mar 21

[History_Man]

Just read it.

The Army has nothing mentioned by name, whereas both RN and RAF do.

Possibly because the Army had to re-show homework in the run-up to this?

 

[Yokel]

Just read it.

The Army has nothing mentioned by name, whereas both RN and RAF do.

It also mentions that:

NATO will remain the foundation of collective security in our home region of the Euro-Atlantic, where Russia remains the most acute threat to our security.

Think we have to wait for next week for that. But a claim of 24 frigates by the end of the decade is interesting. T26/31/32 or did he mean 24 Escorts which would in clufe the T42s, which would suggest around 5 T32s unless they bump up the numbers on the existing programs

By the end of the decade - hmm!


I wonder if they forgot to consult @PhotEx?

 

[medwaymud]

We always did, and always could. EU procurement rules only ever required that any competion held must be open and transparent

So that one British yard could compete fairly against another British yard ?
And no other EU countries could compete ?

Genuine questions.

 

[kinross_special]

So that one British yard could compete fairly against another British yard ?
And no other EU countries could compete ?

Genuine questions.

complex warships have always been built in UK yards. it's allowed. RFAs are not complex warships (and more particularly not designated as such by HMG) so have to go to commercial tender. Hence some of them being built recently in Korea. Worth noting there though that every UK yard was full and so no one wanted to build them in Britain...

But warship has always equalled UK build. In practice virtually all UK yards are in the hands of BAE or Babcock, which means the level of genuine intra-UK yard competition is low (though does happen) - essentially all warships go or will go to one of 2 UK players - with the exception of the two noted upthread:

Magpie is a highly specialist GRP survey vessel and was built by a yard in Cork, and Protector was an off the shelf purchase of an ice breaker from the sort of yard that enjoys building that sort of thing (i.e. Skandiwegian, as was her predecessor Endurance).

 

[rampant]

So that one British yard could compete fairly against another British yard ?
And no other EU countries could compete ?

Genuine questions.

If there were sufficient shipbuilders yes, but we only had one for a long time. But along with the free and fair competition rule, members could prevent building going on outside the UK company for strategic reasons. Which is why, with the exception of the two ships mentioned above, we have never built warships outside of the UK (days of Empire excluded). Competition only applies if the the contract is going out to tender, then all applicants must be subject to the same transparent criteria.

 

[medwaymud]

complex warships have always been built in UK yards. it's allowed. RFAs are not complex warships (and more particularly not designated as such by HMG) so have to go to commercial tender. Hence some of them being built recently in Korea. Worth noting there though that every UK yard was full and so no one wanted to build them in Britain...

But warship has always equalled UK build. In practice virtually all UK yards are in the hands of BAE or Babcock, which means the level of genuine intra-UK yard competition is low (though does happen) - essentially all warships go or will go to one of 2 UK players - with the exception of the two noted upthread:

Magpie is a highly specialist GRP survey vessel and was built by a yard in Cork, and Protector was an off the shelf purchase of an ice breaker from the sort of yard that enjoys building that sort of thing (i.e. Skandiwegian, as was her predecessor Endurance).

Many thanks.

 

[medwaymud]

If there were sufficient shipbuilders yes, but we only had one for a long time. But along with the free and fair competition rule, members could prevent building going on outside the UK company for strategic reasons. Which is why, with the exception of the two ships mentioned above, we have never built warships outside of the UK (days of Empire excluded). Competition only applies if the the contract is going out to tender, then all applicants must be subject to the same transparent criteria.

And many thanks .

 

[British_And_Proud]

Radar upgrade for Typhoon as well committed too, from what I remember reading the report earlier. I take it that will be the AESA radar?

 

[Flight]

Reading the report it makes a lot of historical sense...

People tend to forget that when Xerxes invded Greece in 480BC and eventually lost to the Spartans he could instead have taken out Crete whose army had been eradicated to make it leaner and more efficient, but didn't due to their fearsome commitment to biodiversity, women's rights and Greta Thunberg.