Skills shortage hinders UK Defence Ministry technology programme

New programme will enable ministry to exploit data in military operations across land, air, sea and space as well as online

The National Audit Office said the ministry was struggling to recruit and retain the skilled staff it needed. Getty Images

A shortage of skilled staff is hampering the Ministry of Defence’s ability to exploit new digital technology, the Whitehall spending watchdog has said.

Over the next decade, the ministry is expecting to spend £11.7 billion ($13bn) updating or replacing its digital systems as part of a “fundamental reset” to enable it to keep pace with potential adversaries.

The programme aims to transform the armed forces’ use of technology so that they can seamlessly share and exploit data in military operations across land, air, sea and space as well as online.

However, the National Audit Office said the ministry was struggling to recruit and retain the skilled staff it needed — in part because it could not match the pay on offer in the private sector.

“Technologists see the MoD as bureaucratic and the hiring process — including getting security clearance — as too lengthy,” it said.

“The shortfall of technical skills is affecting the delivery of both individual programmes and the strategy.”

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The National Audit Office said the programme faced further challenges due to the nature of the ministry's business, requiring the use of technology in hostile environments with limited connectivity, such as at sea.

The ministry has three security classifications — Official, Secret and Above Secret — which sometimes require separate digital systems, adding to the complexity.

The chair of the Commons Public Accounts, Dame Meg Hillier, said the ministry needed to address “the all-too-familiar delivery risks” if the programme is to succeed.

“The MoD is not alone in facing these challenges, but it urgently needs to develop a realistic plan if its armed forces are to be equipped for the modern battlefield,” she said.