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Defence ministers have been accused of losing almost £175mn on exterior recommendation on a brand new communications system for the British military that’s already mired in delays and isn’t attributable to enter service till the following decade.
The following-generation system, often known as Morpheus, had been attributable to substitute the present Bowman radio expertise, which was first launched greater than 20 years in the past, from 2026. Bowman, nevertheless, has needed to be upgraded a number of occasions attributable to persistent delays within the procurement of Morpheus.
James Cartlidge, defence procurement minister, stated in a letter to John Healey, shadow defence secretary, in March that the Ministry of Defence had spent “c. £174mn on exterior help” for the Morpheus programme from 2015 to the top of December 2023.
The revelation will gas issues over the MoD’s poor file on procurement and add to questions over the sum of money spent on Morpheus regardless of the shortage of progress. The division admitted final December that it had already spent just below £770mn on it.
Morpheus is the “newest in a line of failures that has seen Tory ministers blowing tens of millions while hollowing out our armed forces”, stated Healey.
“Since 2010, the Conservatives have wasted not less than £15bn of taxpayers’ cash, didn’t ship main defence initiatives, and shrunk the British military to the smallest measurement since Napoleon,” he added.
The revelation additionally provides to issues over the reliance on exterior recommendation in authorities. Ministers’ use of advisers has risen to file ranges because the final election and each of the primary events have given manifesto pledges to chop their utilization over the following parliament.
In his letter, which was a response to a parliamentary query put ahead by Healey about using exterior consultants on Morpheus, Cartlidge stated “no exterior consultants” had been employed.
The MoD instructed the Monetary Occasions that “exterior help” lined issues like technical help. It was completely different from exterior consultancy because it was to do with supply fairly than technique or administration. The £174mn spent was a part of the general £766mn spent on Morpheus to this point, it added.
Defence analysts, nevertheless, dismissed the excellence. “Whether or not it’s consultants or exterior help — it’s nonetheless the identical safety blanket: if doubtful, get exterior advisers who will validate what you’re doing,” stated Francis Tusa, an analyst and editor of the Defence Evaluation e-newsletter.
Morpheus has been described because the “mind” of the military’s future armoured autos and a wider community linking infantry with commanders, sensors and weapons. The brand new system entails the event of each software program and {hardware}, together with battlefield radios.
Its exact future, nevertheless, is now in query after the MoD final December admitted that the challenge had “fallen brief” of expectations and that it was chopping its losses on one of many primary contracts. It stated it was ending a £395mn contract with Normal Dynamics of the US to design an open structure programme for the transition from the Bowman system.
It’s the second problematic procurement that Normal Dynamics has been concerned in with the MoD. Additionally it is the lead contractor for Ajax, the British Military’s long-delayed armoured car programme.
The continued delays meant that the military is in a “actually unhealthy place”, stated Tusa. The pressure must convey new autos resembling Challenger 3, Boxer, Ajax and different autos into service with Bowman, which is “outdated”. Tusa estimates that it may price a “minimal of £1bn in further expenditure” to transform the autos.
