Queen’s Speech

Lord Luke Excerpts

Thursday 17th May 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Luke]

My Lords, I am honoured to be able to contribute to the defence part of the debate on the Queen’s Speech. I am becoming much more positive about the direction in which British defence is going. Far too much money was wasted under the previous Administration, and I am pleased to see the coalition taking a common-sense approach to procurement and making sure that the defence of our country and protection of our brave service men and women are always our first priority.

I applaud the MoD’s recent decision to carry on building both aircraft carriers for the Navy. We never know what the threats of the future may be and, as we know from the past, warfare is changing all the time. Ensuring that we have the capability to fend off any situation thrown in our direction is imperative. Therefore, having two carriers is a must. No matter how sophisticated the weapon, all such apparatus requires maintenance and, eventually, major refits.

In the case of a carrier, it is vital that maintenance is thorough and not rushed. Great care must always be taken, and while one carrier is out of action, there must another one to plug the gap. Will the Government confirm that both carriers will come into commission more or less simultaneously? I know that it is hard to be precise, but can the Minister tell us the latest estimated cost of these carriers up to date and what the eventual total might be?

Can my noble friend say a little more about the interoperability of these carriers with the French and, indeed, with the Americans? Can he confirm that the initial three Joint Strike Fighters scheduled to be delivered to us will all be the STOVL versions? The right honourable Secretary of State, in his Statement on the 10 May, said that the relatively short range of the STOVL JSF would be less important because of the use of air-to-air refuelling. Where will the tanker aircraft fly from? And what tanker aircraft will we have in eight years’ time, when we should be able to start using the carriers?

How many JSF fighters do we have on order and how many will we eventually be able to deploy? How many will be usually stationed on each carrier? How are we going about training personnel for all this new equipment, so that as soon as the carriers and the JSFs are ready, time is not wasted with training? Have we indeed started, as I think I have read, sending key personnel to America to begin to learn the ropes on the American carriers?

Can my noble friend tell me the latest estimated date for the first JSF fighter being delivered and, therefore, when training can begin in the United Kingdom? What thought has the Minister had for the future of these carriers and the types of equipment that we may have to accommodate as warfare changes? I imagine that, as the years pass, warfare is bound to become even more technical and space on these carriers will be needed to accommodate new and developing technology over their 50-year life expectancy. Will the Minister ensure that there is spare room available to accommodate extra gear if required? I look forward to the Minister’s response.

Queen's Speech

Lord Luke Excerpts

Wednesday 26th May 2010 Lords Chamber

[Lord Luke]

My Lords, if your Lordships have read the newspapers over the past few years, you could be forgiven for believing that we had an army, possibly a small air force, but probably no navy. Yet our Armed Forces, as we all know, are an integral whole and are always dependent on each other for support in the various diverse circumstances when they may be called upon to fight for Queen and country. In the future this is likely to be even more the case. It is therefore absolutely essential that all three services are ready and fully equipped to meet whatever contingency may arise at any time in this uncertain world. We must now naturally look first to Afghanistan where our forces are fighting a particularly unpleasant war very bravely and with great competence. But are we winning? If not, why not? What can we do now to rectify the situation and at the same time always try to avoid heavy casualties by constantly improving equipment and perhaps changing practices?

One of the key items in our armoury is the Chinook helicopter. We have all heard a great deal about it in the past few years. It is a staple in our Army, as it is in that of the United States. It is truly a maid of all work. It has saved, is saving and will go on saving many lives just by transporting troops by air without the risk of roadside bombing. It is, of course, large, expensive and extremely reliable. Do we have enough? Are the seven Chinooks that were being renovated by Boeing now in service? I know that some of them are; I am not sure whether they all are. What about the 22 new Chinooks that we have heard about? When will they start to be deployed in Afghanistan?

Our medical and recuperative services are without doubt the best in the world. We must strive to maintain them as such and improve them if possible. Our Army in Afghanistan comes first and rightly so, but the future is upon us and I should like to know how the aircraft carrier project, which is so vital for the Royal Navy in particular, is proceeding. The two great ships will allow the Navy to project power across and around the world. What would they then do? They would protect our sea lanes and therefore our trade. They would enable us to keep the peace merely by the threat that they would convey. They would be a very important factor in conveying humanitarian aid to any part of the world, as has been very recently demonstrated in Haiti. What is the latest in-service date for each carrier and will it coincide with deliveries of the Joint Strike Fighter, which will provide both defence and assault facilities for the carriers? Are we retaining flexibility in the construction of the carriers so as to encompass conventional takeoff and landings as well as short takeoff and landings? Do we have the prospect of enough trained soldiers to man both great ships as well as they should be, as well as new destroyers and RFAs coming on stream? The carriers will carry aircraft, helicopters—assault and rescue and transport—marine commandos and landing craft and have an enormous capability for the 21st century. We must have two; we cannot get by with one. Of course, we might sometimes be in a position to lend one to France. We need to retain and provide enough destroyers to protect them and the RFA vessels required in theatre maintenance. In current circumstances, that is a big ask, but essential.