The criticism of British procurement is that investment in research repeatedly postpones the decision to buy equipment. The defence investment plan is described as including roughly £5 billion of unassigned investment over the following years. Orders for uncrewed combat assets are expected to slip into the next Parliament, with the next general election placed in 2029. These are expectations stated during the lecture. Type 83 uncertainty, changes to the proposed Anglo-Dutch amphibious ships, and Type 45 life extensions illustrate the difficulty of maintaining a coherent replacement programme. The concern is that research spending adds little immediate naval presence while new ships and systems remain unordered.
Notable Point · 2:39:05-2:41:34
Research spending and delayed British equipment orders
The criticism is that repeated research spending and postponed orders leave gaps in replacing existing equipment.