A parliamentary committee has warned the Ministry of Defence that it must fix or scrap its troubled Ajax armoured vehicle programme this year or risk compromising national security.
The Ajax programme has been running for 12 years at a cost of £3.2 billion ($4bn) and is aiming to provide a state-of-the-art reconnaissance vehicle for the British Army, but it has so far failed to deliver a single deployable vehicle.
Ajax has been repeatedly delayed since 2017 due to what the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has described as “a litany of failures” including noise and vibration problems that injured soldiers testing the vehicles.
In a report published on Friday, the committed said that the ministry still did not know when Ajax would enter service or whether the noise and vibration issues could even be fixed two years after they were first raised.
The committee said management of the programme had been “flawed from the outset” and the ministry had “made fundamental mistakes” in planning and managing the major equipment programme.
As a result, the committee said that the ministry was “failing to deliver” the vehicles the army needed “to better protect the nation and meet Nato commitments”.
“Enough is enough — the ministry must fix or fail this programme before more risk to our national security and more billions of taxpayers’ money wasted,” said chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier.
“These repeated failures are putting strain on older capabilities which are overdue for replacement and are directly threatening the safety of our service people and their ability to protect the nation and meet Nato commitments.”
The ministry said any delays would not come at extra cost to the taxpayer due to the nature of the contract and added that no further payments would be made to manufacturer General Dynamics until the department was “satisfied with the future trajectory of the programme”.
The committee's report said delays to the Ajax programme had forced the army to make “operational compromises” including prolonging the use of the Warrior armoured vehicle, which entered service in 1987.
Although the army is “cautiously optimistic” that Ajax can enter service by 2030, the committee said that any further delays would increase the risk of missing even this target and urged the ministry to explore alternatives should the contract with General Dynamics collapse.
The ministry agreed a fixed-price contract with General Dynamics worth £5.5bn ($6.9bn) for 589 Ajax armoured vehicles, but so far, only 26 have been delivered and these can only be used for training purposes.
The committee said it doubted that the programme could be delivered within existing arrangements and that it expected a decision on whether to persevere with Ajax or scrap the programme entirely by the end of the year.
“The UK contributes more than its force requirements and readiness levels asked of it by Nato,” said a ministry representative.
“The defence secretary has been clear that Ajax is a troubled programme. We agree with many of the committee’s recommendations and are actively taking steps to correct these.
“Our firm price contract means any delays will not cost the taxpayer more. General Dynamics have received no payments under the contract in 2021 and 2022. No further payments will be made until we are satisfied with the future trajectory of the programme.”
General Dynamics has been approached for comment.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
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Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
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Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
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