The UK’s lack of ability to replenish its dwindling munitions stockpile is placing nationwide safety in danger, MPs have warned.
The UK and its NATO allies have allowed reserves of ammunition to fall to “dangerously low levels” whereas supporting Ukraine in its defence towards Russia, in keeping with the Commons Defence Committee.
And it may take not less than a decade to rebuild provides after the warfare has ended, the committee has warned.
It comes after Sky News revealed final month that the UK is to conduct a overview of its ammunition stockpiles, amid fears it now not has sufficient munitions to safe its personal defences.
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman stated it was persevering with to “place orders to replace ammunition given to Ukraine and (we) have an extra £560m to increase stockpiles”.
The Commons Defence Committee has urged the MoD to attract up an motion plan to chop the time wanted to revive the UK’s munition stockpiles.
“It is clear that the UK and its NATO allies have allowed ammunition stockpiles to dwindle to dangerously low levels,” the committee warned in a report on Tuesday.
“Whilst Russia is also facing the diminution of its stockpiles, other adversaries are able to maintain and potentially increase their own.
“This lack of ability to replenish UK stockpiles subsequently places in danger not simply our capability to resupply Ukraine, but additionally to counter any risk to our personal safety.”
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Armed forces have been ‘hollowed out’
The committee’s warning echoes issues expressed by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who has stated that armed forces throughout Europe have been paying the value for years of “hollowing out”.
Whitehall and defence trade sources additionally informed Sky News final month that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had uncovered how previous assumptions on what could be wanted to combat a warfare had been far too small.
They urged Rishi Sunak to spice up navy spending to fund a large growth in whole munition shops or else threat now not with the ability to help the Ukrainian armed forces on the degree wanted to maintain their warfare effort, not to mention safe Britain’s personal defences.
NATO allies urged to step up manufacturing
The authorities’s technique earlier than Russia’s invasion had been to carry a restricted variety of warfighting provides – it prices cash to maintain in storage issues like ammunition and spare components – and depend on trade to ship extra in a disaster.
However, the sheer quantity of apparatus wanted to maintain a warfare effort like Ukraine’s has demonstrated that this plan wouldn’t work in apply, in keeping with the sources.
Last month, NATO secretary basic Jens Stoltenberg urged allies urgently to step up manufacturing, because the Ukrainians had been burning up munitions sooner than the West was in a position to hold them provided.
The Commons Defence Committee stated it was important that the UK’s defence industrial capability was each “resilient and scalable” if it was to have the ability to ramp up manufacturing.
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“The MoD produced a strategy aimed at improving the way that it engages with industry and allies almost two years ago and yet we have been told it will take at least a decade to replenish (and then increase to a sustainable level) UK ammunition stockpiles,” it stated.
“We therefore recommend that the department produce an action plan of how it intends to grow defence industrial capacity and reduce the time taken to replenish UK stockpiles.”
Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood stated Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “should be a wake-up call for the West”, whereas Labour’s shadow defence secretary John Healey accused the federal government of performing “too slowly” to replenish provides.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman stated: “We remain fully engaged with industry, allies, and partners to ensure both the continuation of supply to Ukraine and replenishment of UK stock as quickly as possible.”
Source: information.sky.com”