Tag: Ministry of Defence

• More than £650 million allocated to continue development of next generation fighter jet
• Programme to support thousands of jobs across the country as it expands with GCAP partners Japan and Italy
• UK focused on aircraft’s 2035 in-service date to ensure the UK Armed Forces remain a step ahead of adversaries

As part of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) – a trilateral collaboration with Japan and Italy to develop the next generation of fighter jet – the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded the major contract to BAE Systems on behalf of British defence firms; Leonardo UK, MBDA UK and Rolls-Royce, to progress the design and development of this aircraft. Tempest is the UK name for the aircraft in development under GCAP.

The contract will build on the ground-breaking science, research and engineering already completed. The UK MOD and our industry partners are working in close collaboration with GCAP partners Japan and Italy. Together, the partners will now progress the maturity of more than 60 cutting-edge technology demonstrations, digital concepts and new technologies.

These are critical to the UK’s sovereign defence capability and will help shape the final requirements with Japan and Italy for the combat air platform, due to enter service by 2035.

The aircraft is designed to be an innovative stealth fighter with supersonic capability and equipped with cutting edge technologies, including state-of-the-art sensing and protection capabilities. This will make the aircraft one of the world’s most advanced, interoperable, adaptable and connected fighter jets in service globally.

Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace said:

The next tranche of funding for future combat air will help fuse the combined technologies and expertise we have with our international partners – both in Europe and the Pacific – to deliver this world-leading fighter jet by 2035, protecting our skies for decades to come.

This investment forms part of more than £2 billion worth of UK Government spending on the project up to May 2025, announced in the 2021 Defence Command Paper.

Delivering on the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy, creating better-paid jobs and opportunity right across the UK, GCAP will span several decades, creating thousands of jobs and economic value to the UK. There are already more than 2,800 people working at the UK partners and wider industry, with almost 600 organisations on contract across the UK, including SMEs and academic institutions.

A 2021 report by PWC suggested the UK taking a core role in a combat air system could support an average of 21,000 jobs a year and contribute an estimated £26.2 billion to the economy by 2050.

Across UK industry, work on this programme is driving investment in new digital technologies, tools and techniques, including model-based systems engineering with open architectures, digital twins and virtual environments. This will ensure the next generation combat aircraft will be delivered more rapidly and more cost-effectively than previous combat air programmes.

Herman Claesen, Managing Director, Future Combat Air Systems – BAE Systems Air, said:

This contract reflects the continued commitment by the UK Government and ensures we continue to mature this significant programme and the vital technology pipeline that will drive innovation into – and beyond – the combat air sector for decades to come.

This important work is at the core of the newly created Global Combat Air Programme; a major international partnership and ambitious endeavour between the UK, Japan and Italy with the shared goal to deliver the next generation of combat air fighter jets by 2035.

The announcement follows the UK, Japan and Italy joining forces at DSEI Japan to showcase GCAP publicly for the first time since it was announced by the Prime Ministers of the UK, Japan and Italy late last year. In March, the Defence Secretary visited Tokyo to view some of the leading technology that is driving this unique programme.

By combining forces, the UK and our partners will deliver the military capability we need to overcome fast evolving threats, share costs and ensure the RAF remains interoperable with some of our closest partners.

The ten Chiefs of Defence from the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) nations met in Helsinki today (12 April), hosted by Finland’s Chiefs of Defence, General Timo Kivinen. UK Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin attended the meeting.

The Chiefs of Defence discussed Baltic Sea and the High North security, the future development of the joint force and the groups’ commitment to wider regional stability.

The JEF is a group of like-minded, northern European nations: the UK, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

The Chiefs agreed to continue the enhanced programme of JEF exercises and activities in the High North, Baltic Sea and North Atlantic region. Recently, forces from JEF nations have taken part in operations and exercises together, including in the Baltic Sea and Exercise Joint Viking in the arctic circle in Norway.

UK Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said:

The past year has demonstrated that the security of Europe can never be taken for granted, but it was also the year when the Joint Expeditionary Force came of age. While President Putin has sought to divide, this ten nation partnership is another example of just how strong and united we have become.

It was therefore excellent to meet with my counterparts in Helsinki for the first time since Finland joined NATO.  We discussed how the JEF can continue to complement NATO through its focus on the security of the North Atlantic, High North and Baltic Sea, and we considered how we may better coordinate future exercises and operations”.

Finland Chief of Defence General Timo Kivinen said:

JEF’s agile way of planning and operating enhances security in Northern Europe. JEF’s combined capacity and capability is a clear sign of how we stand together, providing reassurance to our populations and deterrence to any would-be adversaries.

In the last year, the JEF has also deployed forces and provided defensive assurances to Finland and Sweden during their accession to NATO. The Chiefs welcomed the news of Finland’s accession to the Alliance last week and committed steadfast support to Sweden becoming full members of NATO. The JEF continues to play an active role in promoting regional security, complementary to NATO’s defence and deterrence posture and international partnerships.

Recent developments in Ukraine and the continued support to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity was also discussed. JEF member nations have made significant commitments and provisions of aid to Ukraine in the last year. Seven JEF partner nations are supporting the training of Ukrainian volunteers in the UK – Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and the UK.

JEF Defence Ministers are expected to meet in Amsterdam, Netherlands in June 2023, where work is expected to be progressed further.

Established in 2020, the National Cyber Force (NCF) is a partnership between GCHQ and the Ministry of Defence which carries out cyber operations on a daily basis to protect against threats to the UK, further the UK’s foreign policy, support military operations, and prevent serious crime.

Following the publication of the Government’s Integrated Review Refresh (IRR) last month, the publication of a new document titled ‘NCF: Responsible Cyber Power in Practice’ today delivers on the commitment in the IRR to be as transparent as possible about the NCF’s cyber capabilities and provide clarity on how the UK acts as a responsible and democratic cyber power.

The UK is reiterating its commitment to international stability and security, and illustrating how states can act responsibly in cyberspace through demonstrating how the NCF’s operations are accountable, precise and calibrated. This contrasts with the reckless and indiscriminate activities of those who would do harm to the UK and its allies.

All of the NCF’s operations are conducted in a legal and ethical manner, in line with domestic and international law and our national values. The operations are based on a deep understanding of the cyber environment, which enables NCF to design, time and target them with precision.

Central to the NCF’s approach is the ‘doctrine of cognitive effect’ – using techniques that have the potential to sow distrust, decrease morale, and weaken our adversaries’ abilities to plan and conduct their activities effectively. This can include preventing terrorist groups from publishing pieces of extremist media online or making it harder for states to use the internet to spread disinformation by affecting their perception of the operating environment.

The NCF’s work is covert and we therefore do not reveal details of individual operations. Indeed the intent is sometimes that adversaries do not realise that the effects they are experiencing are the result of a cyber operation. This ambiguity can help to amplify the cognitive effect.

Despite the necessary level of secrecy, in line with our commitment to being a responsible cyber actor, we have disclosed that over the last three years the NCF has delivered operations to:

• protect military deployments overseas;
• disrupt terrorist groups;
• counter sophisticated, stealthy and continuous cyber threats;
• counter state disinformation campaigns;
• reduce the threat of external interference in democratic elections; and
• remove child sexual abuse material from public spaces online.

Through ‘NCF: Responsible Cyber Power in Practice’, the UK is reiterating its commitment to international stability and security, and illustrating how states can act responsibly in cyberspace, in line with domestic and international law.

Director GCHQ, Sir Jeremy Fleming, said:

In an increasingly volatile and interconnected world, to be a truly responsible cyber power, nations must be able to contest and compete with adversaries in cyberspace. In the UK, the National Cyber Force complements the UK’s world class cyber resilience to give the country operational cyber capabilities at the scale needed to protect our free, open, and peaceful society.

Building upon two decades of experience, the dynamic new partnership has countered state threats, made key contributions to military operations, and disrupted terrorist cells and serious criminals including child sex offenders.

With the threat growing and the stakes higher than ever before, we hope this document provides a benchmark for the UK’s approach and a basis for like-minded governments to come together internationally to establish a shared vision and values for the responsible use of cyber operations.

General Sir Jim Hockenhull, Commander of Strategic Command, said:

The National Cyber Force is a crucial tool in our integrated approach to national security and our defence of the UK.

Working across Government and with our international allies is vital. There is a power in partnerships, and we must go further to out-cooperate and out-compete states that are driving instability.

The NCF is also today avowing its Commander for the first time, as part of the Government’s commitment to provide transparency about how the UK conducts responsible cyber operations.

James Babbage, a GCHQ intelligence officer for nearly 30 years, has led the NCF since its inception in 2020, scaled its operations and led efforts to integrate it effectively with a broad range of other agencies and partners.

He has spent most of his career at GCHQ, with a secondment to the Ministry of Defence and a tour as a liaison officer in the US.

The first ever UK trial of heavy uncrewed ground systems (H-UGVs) has taken place, with companies from the Human-Machine Teaming framework winning an invitation to put their vehicles through their paces and demonstrate their capabilities to the British Army.

Held over two weeks at the Armoured Trials and Development Unit in Bovington, Dorset, the H-UGVs underwent stringent trials to test their effectiveness in battlefield situations.

In this case “heavy” is defined as anything weighing over five tonnes which is remotely controlled by humans.

The trial, the first of its kind in the UK, was organised by Defence Equipment & Support’s Future Capability Group (FCG), and saw three companies selected to take part to showcase their platforms:

• Elbit with its Robust
• Milrem and its Type X
• Rheinmetall with its Wiesel

The H-UGVs were tested against a range of criteria including speed, how they coped with difficult terrain and communication systems.

Lieutenant Colonel James de St John-Pryce, Commanding Officer of ATDU, said:

It’s been a fascinating experience to test these platforms, see what they can do and what could potentially be achieved on the battlefield with crewless vehicles in the next 10, 20 or 30 years.

Make no mistake, we are at step one of a very long journey. But I am excited by what we witnessed during the trials which were a great example of collaboration between the Army, FCG and our industry partners.

James Gavin, head of the Future Capability Group, said:

Over the two weeks of trials and demonstrations we have had the door opened to where we may one day go with these vehicles.

This has been about drawing industry and the Army and together to put these platforms through their paces and see what they can do now, and what might be possible in the future. Next, we will look at the data generated during the trials to see what worked, what needs more thought and where we could go next.

While we are only at the very early, tentative stages of this process, the H-UGV trials have been a success in that they have opened our eyes further to what capabilities can be achieved by uncrewed ground vehicles in the decades to come.

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) is paving the way for culture change across the Army through its transformation programme, which began back in September 2022 under Commandant Major-General Zac Stenning. This transformation, part of wider changes taking place across Defence, has seen changes to the policies on alcohol, the creation of the sexual harassment task force and a new code of conduct.

As part of the drive by Defence to stamp out unacceptable behaviours and improve the experience for women in the Armed Forces, the Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, visited the prestigious academy today (30 March), which trains officers for the British Army. Over a 44-week course RMAS provides a unique environment for future officers to learn and grow as leaders, with an emphasis on developing leadership skills, fostering teamwork and collaboration, and promoting a strong sense of duty and service to the country.

Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, said:

Vital work has been done to create a more diverse, inclusive and supportive culture at Sandhurst and across our Armed Forces.

From the creation of the Defence Serious Crime Unit, to zero tolerance policies for sexual misconduct, attitudes are changing and so is our response – transforming the experience and opportunities for all our personnel.

One of the key areas of focus during the visit was the improvement of the experience for women across defence. The wider changes taking place across Defence include the introduction of improved uniform for women, free childcare for service families and the creation of the Defence Serious Crime Unit, an independent serious crime investigation capability for Defence.

Other changes in Defence include allowing serving personnel to give evidence to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee, the introduction of last summer’s zero tolerance policies and a clampdown on sexual relationships between instructors and trainees across all training establishments.

Commandant Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Major General Zac Stenning, said:

I am resetting the culture and transforming the training at Sandhurst to deliver the highest quality leaders who can fight and win wars on the Land. Sandhurst will be an inclusive, empowered and learning organisation, staffed by outstanding role models who exemplify the British Army’s Values and Standards.

Servicewomen’s Network representative Lieutenant Colonel Elisabeth Roberts said:

Having served in the Army for 25 years I can honestly say that I have witnessed more progress in the last two years than any time before it. There’s still plenty to do but I am confident we are moving in the right direction and that this will not just benefit women, but the whole of Defence. I also see servicemen now having the confidence to share their vulnerabilities.

This can only be a positive thing, building trust and mutual understanding across teams and enhancing operational effectiveness and I genuinely believe that we have a leadership at the top who are committed to positive change.

These changes recognise that our Servicewomen are an integral part of the Armed Forces and play a vital role in protecting the nation. Following the opening up of all roles in the military to women in 2018 the priority now is to ensure that all personnel feel valued and are supported to be able to have long fulfilling careers.

• London hosts NATO Defence Innovation HQ in partnership with Estonia.
• Opened by UK Defence Minister and NATO Deputy Secretary General.
• Leading innovation across the NATO Alliance to deter and defend against future threats.

The first Regional Office of NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) was opened in London today, with a further hub in Tallinn due to open later this year.

Located at the Imperial College London Innovation Hub (I-HUB) in the White City Innovation District, the regional office was opened by the UK Minister for Defence Procurement, Alex Chalk KC and the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoană on a visit to the site.

Delivering on the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy, the DIANA programme aims to support the foundation, growth and success of start-ups working to drive innovation and forward-thinking in Defence. Bringing together industry, government and academia from across the Alliance, DIANA will help enable NATO Allies to develop and integrate advanced dual-use technologies to address critical defence and security challenges, at pace.

Essential to delivering the NATO 2030 vision, the programme will ensure the Alliance develops the defence capabilities needed to deter and defend against existing and future threats, enhancing security within the Alliance and beyond.

Minister for Defence Procurement, Alex Chalk KC, said:

Combining the brightest and best from our thriving tech industries, government and academia, the UK’s first DIANA office will be a world-leading innovation hub to support future military technologies.

DIANA will operate to unite the best and brightest innovators across the Alliance to ensure that we are well-prepared to protect all Allied nations and nearly one billion citizens.

Mircea Geoană, NATO Deputy Secretary General, said:

DIANA is a game-changer for driving NATO’s innovation agenda forward. I am delighted that Imperial College’s White City Campus will host the first of DIANA’s regional offices. Imperial’s Innovation Hub already co-locates major defence contractors, innovators and researchers alongside UK and US government defence innovation accelerators, making it the ideal place to start this exciting new initiative.

The programme will support all nine of the key emerging and disruptive technologies that NATO has identified as priorities: artificial intelligence, data, autonomy, quantum-enabled technologies, biotechnology, hypersonics, space, novel materials and manufacturing, and energy and propulsion.

David van Weel, Interim DIANA Managing Director said:

Technology has never been as prominent on the NATO agenda as it is today. This location here in London on the Imperial College campus is a fantastic marker of our ambition. We want to bring NATO closer to the best and brightest of our innovators. Leading the establishment of DIANA has been a great pleasure over the past months. Now it is an honour to hand over to Professor Chana, who will be taking DIANA to new heights and launch DIANA’s first pilot activities in June.

Ranked in the world’s top ten innovative universities, Imperial College London will bring together academia, industry and government to host the HQ in a space shared with the UK’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), Major Defence Contractors and the US Department of Defense’s Tri-Service Office.