Former Armed Forces Minister Al Carns has unleashed a blistering attack on the Ministry of Defence (MoD), branding its waste and inefficiency "unbelievable" as he called for a complete overhaul of defence spending. The explosive critique, from a man who served in the special forces, comes amid mounting concerns that the MoD is squandering millions of pounds on outdated equipment and inefficient procurement processes.
During his tenure, Mr Carns was repeatedly stunned by the "sunk costs" he uncovered, describing it as though "every time you turn a stone over, you get another shock". He now advocates for a radical shift in defence spending, arguing that hundreds of millions of pounds allocated to legacy systems – such as certain tank programmes – should be redirected towards investing in cutting-edge technologies essential for modern warfare.
The former minister has expressed fundamental disagreement with the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which outlines future defence spending. He revealed that he was only granted sight of it two weeks before his departure and described it as "deeply unsatisfactory". His resignation, he claims, was not solely a show of solidarity with former Defence Secretary John Healey but also to allow him to speak out on these critical issues.
Mr Carns's criticisms extend to the MoD's procurement processes, which he believes are marred by bureaucracy and inefficiency. He questioned whether the UK – despite having the fifth-largest defence budget globally – achieves sufficient "value for money". He stressed that a complete overhaul of procurement is urgently needed, with a significant proportion of resources allocated before 2030 to ensure the UK is adequately prepared for potential future geographical confrontations.
While government sources have suggested that new Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis will be given the opportunity to "reprioritise" aspects of the DIP, Mr Carns believes this does not go far enough. He insists on the necessity of "root-and-branch changes" to address systemic issues within the MoD. Mr Jarvis has indicated plans to publish an updated Defence Investment Plan before the NATO summit in July.