Labour ‘Undecided’ on Whether National Armaments Director Will Have Any Staff – Guido Fawkes

Labour ‘Undecided’ on Whether National Armaments Director Will Have Any Staff

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The government went hiring last month for a national armaments director to earn up to £640,000. Healthy…

The NAD’s job will be to form one quarter of the “Defence Quad” (with the permanent secretary, chief of defence staff and chief of defence nuclear) to ensure UK manufacturers can supply the armed forces adequately. John Healey talked up the role as being like operating “a new FTSE 100 company within the MoD tasked…with getting the very best capabilities needed into the hands of our frontline forces.” You’d think that would need some staff…

Alongside it will sit a National Armaments Director Group (NADG) – Labour recently signalled it would not hire any new civil servants for the group but would move people around from within the MoD and departments. Now in response to a question from shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge the government admits the NADG may not have any staff at all:

“The Quad will convene as often as necessary to ensure oversight and momentum of Defence Reform. Ministers will interact with the Quad through structured engagements and briefings… It is too early to determine whether the National Armaments Director Group will have a central secretariat or continue to draw on existing capabilities in its constituent parts.”

At the same time the new “Defence Mission Board” which was enthusiastically flaunted by Reeves at the Spring Statement will actually have no staff or terms of reference and will consist of a series of meetings. Bang very much lacking for the buck on defence…