DefenceSynergia has noted that MOD officials, possibly not the NAO, are confident that the Dreadnought (Successor) Programme is on budget. Reading the MOD report one cannot but be mesmerised by some of the slick wording…“In Summer 2017, the Department completed a baseline review of the submarine portfolio that confirmed the programme remains within its estimated Continue reading
DefenceSynergia (DS) is relieved that the Secretary of State for Defence has at long last published the Ministry of Defence (MOD) report entitled ‘Modernising Defence Programme’. At this early stage it is difficult to comment in depth about a report that has taken so long to produce so little albeit that DS takes heart that within Continue reading
DefenceSynergia Critique of the Human Security Centre Paper: ‘Fire and Ice A New Maritime Strategy for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Northern Flank DefenceSynergia(DS) is grateful to Dr Rowan Allport and the Human Security Centre(HSC) for permission to publish and review their paper ‘Fire and Ice – A New Maritime Strategy for the North Atlantic Continue reading
The Speech Good evening – it’s a great privilege to be with you this evening to give my first annual Chief of the Defence Staff lecture precisely six months after I started in the job. And without getting overly excited I guess there’s never been a better week for a CDS to be controversial …but Continue reading
DefenceSynergia is grateful to one of our founding members, David Graham, for his insights below into the potential but ignored threat of mining of British Ports. David first wrote on this subject in 2010 since when the Ministry of Defence has reduced Mine Counter-Measures Vessels from 16 to 13. To assess the ability or otherwise Continue reading
Link to summary : http://www.defencesynergia.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/The-Equipment-Plan-2018-2028-Summary-.pdf DS notes that the NAO must have been briefed on the potential direction of MDP because they mention it in the Summary thus: “6 The Department aims for the MDP to resolve its affordability challenges. As part of the MDP, announced in January 2018, the Department will consider its future Continue reading
DefenceSynergia is most grateful to Professor Dr Julian Lindley-French for permission to reproduce his speech on board HMS Nelson in Portsmouth at the Trafalgar Night dinner given by the ancient Royal Navy Club of 1756 and 1785 in commemoration of Admiral Lord Nelson’s famous victory and untimely death off Cape Trafalgar on October 21st, 1805. Continue reading