UK defence capability at risk from poor maintenance and under-investment

Despite plans to sell 25% of the defence estate by 2040 - including two barracks in York - the National Audit Office (NAO) says there is still an £8.5bn shortfall in the funding needed to maintain and update facilities over coming decades.

In a damning report, the organisation has advised the Government to take further action to balance the books or risk further closures and a knock-on effect on staff moral.

It has also called for Parliament to be kept up to date with its efforts, in order to provide “focus” and allow MPs to monitor its progress.

Commenting on the findings, NAO auditor general Amyas Morse acknowledged the MoD has made some recent improvements to its handling of the defence estate.

But he suggests the department is a long way from providing an estate that was both affordable and meets military needs.

He said: “The [department’s] strategy and current funding levels only allow for a partial reversal of the decline in the condition of the estate.

“[It] has not yet set out how it will fully address the significant challenges it faces sustaining the whole of the estate and resultant risks to military capability.”

Coming off the back of last week’s announcement of 56 new MoD site closures, the Delivering the Defence Estate Report highlights several cases where a lack of investment has resulted in operational issues.

This includes a failure to fix a leaking roof at the medical centre at RAF Valley in Anglesey, which led the building to deteriorate so badly it had to be demolished.

It also references the closure of fuels infrastructure at RAF Brize Norton - home of the air-to-air refuelling fleet - because of lack of maintenance.

And it suggests the operation capabilities of the Royal Navy’s two new aircraft carriers is under threat because of a failure to replace 80-year-old power cables at the Portsmouth Naval Base.

The NAO claims financial pressures have meant that since 2009 the MoD has been forced to abandon its programme of improvement works, reducing service levels to those needed to keep the estate “safe and legal”.

Its adds that there is “a significant risk that the poor condition of the estate will affect the department’s ability to provide the defence capability needed”.

It recommends the department develops “detailed plans that set out how [it] will close the gap in funding to sustain the estate to an acceptable level of risk to military capability”.

“In the longer term, the department should work out what the estate should cost in the context of the military capability it needs to deliver its strategic commitments and a plan to achieve this estate,” it states.

Responding to the findings, an MOD spokesperson said: “This is an important report and we are determined to deliver a better defence estate.

“That’s why we’ve outlined a long-term, military-led strategy, to invest £4 billion in: training facilities fit for our strong and modern armed forces and better accommodation to deliver more stability for military families.”