Russia: Vostok 2018 Military Exercises

Lord Davies of Stamford Excerpts

Thursday 13th September 2018 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Goldie]

My noble friend asks a specific question to which I do not have any answer, specific or otherwise, so I shall have to undertake to write to him.

[Lord Davies of Stamford (Lab)]

My Lords, according to press reports the latest Russian tank has a range 500 metres longer than that of Challenger 2. If that report is true, it means that Challenger 2, despite the considerable improvements in its turret that have been made over the years, would be quite useless on the battlefield and would instead be simply a death-trap for its crew. Are those reports true? If they are, what are the Government doing about it?

[Baroness Goldie]

My Lords, I point out that good progress has been made since we launched the Modernising Defence Programme in January. I described in my earlier response what the two key aims of that programme are. We have reviewed our existing capability plans, we have begun to shape new policy approaches and to identify some investment priorities, and we have developed a blueprint for a major programme of top-down, transformative reform of defence. This is a holistic exercise, and one in which the MoD is carefully engaging to ensure that the vital needs I have already referred to can be met.