Today’s defence related news includes coverage of the Defence Fire and Rescue Service and the RAF Voyager contract.
Defence Fire and Rescue Service
The FT reports that the contract award for the Defence Fire and Rescue Service has been suspended after an objection from rival Serco.
An MOD spokesperson said:
We can confirm that we have received notification of a legal challenge to the contract award for the outsourcing of the Defence Fire and Rescue Service to Capita. The contract award has been suspended until the legal challenge to the procurement is resolved.
It is not uncommon for there to be procurement challenges.
Voyager PFI Deal
The Daily Telegraph and The Times both follow up on yesterday’s Mail on Sunday story, focusing on the news that holiday firms are using three of the aircraft to fly thousands of people to holiday destinations.
An MOD spokesperson said:
Voyagers are playing a key role in protecting British airspace and the fight against Daesh, and whilst our core fleet is doing the job we need it to, we can call in the extra aircraft at short notice if we need them to help us defend the nation. When we’re not using them, it makes sense to have them performing other roles as that reduces our costs and means they can be ready for operations quicker than if they were held in storage. This is a cost-effective deal that is delivering an outstanding service for the RAF and has met all major project milestones on time and to budget.
Pension fraud charges
The Times reports that former soldier Alan Duncan is three weeks into a hunger strike in protest over charges that he defrauded the Army over his pension payments.
An MOD Spokesperson said:
This case is currently with the Procurator Fiscal for consideration and therefore it would not be appropriate to comment.
Image of the day
