In his reaction to the recent PAC and NAO reports on the UK carrier strike capability Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond today in London disclosed that his ministry is tackling the inherited black hole in the Defence budget saying earlier this month, the National Audit Office (NAO) rightly recognised the work that the Government is undertaking to bring the Department’s finances back into balance.
Secretary Hammond said: “When this Government came into power, the Queen Elizabeth class carriers were already £1.6BN over budget. As part of an overall package of measures taken in the Strategic Defence and Security Review we have reduced overall spending on the Carrier Strike Programme by £4.4Bn over the next ten years.”
Hammond also said the NAO and the Public Accounts Committee had both acknowledged that their decision to build a second aircraft carrier made financial sense.
According to Hammond converting one of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers to operate the more capable Carrier Variant of the Joint Strike Fighter fast jet from 2020 will maximise Britain’s military capability and enhance interoperability with her allies.
Secretary Hammond added: “Operating the more cost effective Carrier Variant fast jet will, in the long-term, offset the conversion costs and provide us with aircraft that have a longer range and carry a greater payload. Until our new carrier capability comes into service, we can utilise our extensive basing and over-flight rights to project decisive air power, as we showed during the Libya campaign.”