The UK has no national defence plan in the event of a war, says head of Armed Forces

In his first appearance since becoming Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton stunned MPs on the defence committee when they asked him if the UK had a national defence plan – and he replied, "no".

It was in response to a question by a former Army officer, Mike Martin, who questioned why the UK does not have one.

Sir Rich said: "I think it's a manifestation of the peace dividend… since the end of the Cold War, we have not prioritised those matters, and so, as a consequence the government for many years, of many hues, has not focused its efforts on developing that kind of plan."

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It was a similar response when Sir Rich was asked how the NHS proposed to deal with mass casualties.

"We don't have a holistic national plan for how we mobilise the NHS in times of all-out war in Europe," the CDS replied.

Sir Rich said the government has committed to having a national defence plan, and the job of overseeing work on it is being conducted by the Cabinet Office, involving the whole of the government.

'Don't put words in my mouth'

It is not often you see the Head of the Armed Forces in a tense exchange, but he seemed more than a little frustrated when pressed over reports by MPs that he warned the Prime Minister that defence has a £28bn hole in its budget between now and 2030.

"What you have to do is make judgements about what you prioritise," he said.

Derek Twigg tried to get to the bottom of potential cuts to military programmes and warned that without cutting them, there is no way you can avoid a funding shortfall. 

Sir Rich replied: "That's not what I said, you just put words in my mouth. What I said is could we deliver the whole of the programme we currently have and do all of the things we want to in the SDR (Strategic Defence Review) with the money we have got."

DIP delay 

Sir Rich also said there is no date set for the publication of the delayed Defence Investment Plan – or the DIP, as it is known – when politicians will decide what will be funded over the next few years. 

It was initially due to be delivered before Christmas, but the Times reports it may now be delayed until March. 

Sir Rich told MPs the department was working "flat out" to deliver it.