Defence news today includes the first meeting of the newly-formed Defence External Innovation Advisory Panel, and reporting on British Army recruitment.
Defence Innovation Panel
World class innovators including astronaut Tim Peake and former McLaren Chairman Ron Dennis gathered at the MOD today for the first meeting of the new Defence External Innovation Advisory Panel. Announced by the Defence Secretary in Oxford in February, the Panel will be charged with driving forward the MOD’s Innovation Initiative, which aims to encourage imagination, ingenuity and entrepreneurship, in pursuit of maintaining a military advantage in the future.
Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said:
Our £800 million Innovation Initiative will help our Armed Forces maintain their edge into the future, where ever-evolving technologies present new challenges and opportunities. That’s why we have committed to spending 1.2% of our £36 billion growing defence budget on science and technology.
The Innovation Panel will help meet the complex challenges of the 21st Century, while delivering the high-wage, high-skills jobs of the future; and it’s particularly fitting that we welcome astronaut Major Tim Peake as I announce the UK’s leading role in cutting-edge satellite research.
Read more about this here.
Army recruitment
Reporting is carried today in The Independent, Daily Mirror and Daily Record on Army recruitment, with articles suggesting the service faces challenges over new Regulars and Reservists joining up. Coverage refers to recently published Armed Forces Service Personnel Statistics.
An Army spokesperson said:
Armed Forces recruitment levels are good and the Army has enough people to perform its operational requirements that help keep Britain safe.
University Officer Training Corps
The Times follows up reporting from the weekend that a Freedom of Information request has shown the Army spent £700,000 on foreign trips for students in the University Officer Training Corps.
An Army spokesperson said:
The officer training corps helps us raise awareness of the rewarding career the Army can offer after university and supports the development of future officers. Adventurous training is a cost-effective way of providing talented young people with valuable skills that the Army needs, like teamwork, endurance, communication, awareness and courage.
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