New military weapons watchdog will be brought in to equip Armed Forces properly while cutting waste
A NEW military weapons watchdog will soon be brought in to cut waste.
Work is under way to appoint a National Armament Director to equip the Armed Forces properly without any unnecessary spending.
It was part of Labour’s manifesto and comes days after hard-up defence chiefs wrote to major industry suppliers to identify opportunities for budget cuts.
Industry sources told The Sun the NAD appointment could not come soon enough — as it would bring much-needed clarity.
One insider said: “Right now, there’s a lot of confusion about who’s in charge, which is causing delays and mixed messages.
With a National Armament Director, it would make it easier to coordinate and cut costs without lowering the quality of the equipment.”
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It is in line with Defence Secretary John Healey’s goal of a more “economic” MoD.
The appointment of the NAD will be made through a fair and open competition which will begin shortly.
But former Tory Armed Forces minister Mark Francois said: “We are not going to deter the likes of Vladimir Putin by cutting our defence spending — whether we have a new National Armament Director or not.”
New Army chief General Sir Roly Walker said there was “just enough time” to tool up to deter enemies such as Russia.