Minister puts blame on MOD officials over assurances he gave on safety of Ajax
The defence minister who gave repeated assurances over the safety of Ajax – the Army's new £5.5bn medium armoured vehicle – says he was acting on information provided to him by senior MOD personnel.
Luke Pollard, the Defence Readiness and Industry Minister, told reporters during an event to mark the vehicle achieving Initial Operating Capability (IOC) earlier this month that earlier noise and vibration problems had been fixed and the platform was now safe.
But since then, reports of personnel falling unwell after operating the vehicle have cast doubt on the assurances he gave.
BFBS Forces News reported that three members of the Household Cavalry Regiment are facing medical discharge due to vibration-related injuries, and The Times revealed that 31 soldiers had been taken ill during a major exercise on Salisbury Plain at the weekend.
The latest incident led Mr Pollard to issue a "do not use" order across the Army, meaning training on Ajax is now strictly prohibited while an urgent investigation is carried out.
He has also provided a written statement to MPs within which he says he "asked for and was given assurances in writing by senior Ministry of Defence (MOD) personnel that the system was safe".
The statement confirmed that the Defence Accident Investigation Board and the Army Safety Investigation Team were working with General Dynamics, Ajax's manufacturer, on an investigation into the Salisbury Plain incident "at pace".
Ajax's timeline of failure
2010
General Dynamics is chosen to deliver the Army's Armoured Cavalry Programme, with a fixed £5.5bn budget and an expectation that vehicles would be delivered by 2017.
2018
Early safety warnings emerge around the platform. A year later, those concerns intensify and it is revealed the issues are centred on noise and vibration.
2020
Noise and vibration problems remain. The MOD pauses trials on the platform and stops payments to General Dynamics until progress around crew safety is made.
2021
An internal MOD report flags potential long-term health risks linked to Ajax for personnel operating it.
2022
The National Audit Office releases an assessment saying the MOD is not demonstrating value for money in its procurement of Ajax and the process had been flawed from the start.
2023
The MOD resumes payments to General Dynamics after seeing improvements in safety.
Later that year, an independent review by Clive Sheldon KC finds problems around the culture of the programme – particularly concerning the escalation of bad news on safety, schedule and technical issues.
2024 and 2025
The Household Cavalry Regiment becomes the first unit in the Royal Armoured Corps to receive Ajax and its variant vehicles.
By January 2025, the Queen's Royal Hussars and the Royal Lancers are also in receipt of an initial tranche of platforms.
But in the summer, reports emerge of lingering vibration issues.
In early November, the MOD awards IOC status to the platform, meaning the Army would be able to deploy the vehicle on operations if required.
However, two weeks later, BFBS Forces News reports that personnel have been injured and are facing medical discharge after working on the vehicle.
Days after that, and following yet further MOD assurances that Ajax was safe, 31 soldiers from the Household Cavalry and Royal Lancers report feeling unwell after spending between 10 and 15 hours in the vehicle.
On 24 November, Luke Pollard instructs the Army to stop all training on Ajax and announces an urgent investigation. He later tells BFBS Forces News that he has written to the Commanding Officers of both the Household Cavalry Regiment and Royal Lancers – pledging to keep the units updated on safety.
What next for the Army's embattled Ajax programme?
In the immediate term, the MOD will await the outcome of the investigation into the injuries personnel sustained during the Salisbury Plain incident.
That means the "do not use" edict could remain in force for longer than the two weeks currently planned.
Mr Pollard indicated in his ministerial statement that the MOD would provide further updates in due course.
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