Following the news that thousands more army positions are in the firing line as the Ministry of Defence agrees its fourth and final round of budget cuts, there is concern that the UK’s defence capabilities are being put at risk with threats to both equipment and manpower.
Below is an insightful comment by Ali Zarkesh, Business Development Director, Vislink, about how the MoD can do more with less without compromising on technology, results or safety.
“Cuts to the MoD’s budget will be felt across the department, but particularly in those areas where troop numbers have already depleted. In future theatres of war, the military increasingly has to do the same amount of work with less people – a situation that looks set to continue with the biggest cuts in spending coming from service personnel and manpower. This means that the MoD needs to provide those on the ground with the right equipment to get the job done, and get it done quickly and safely.”
“What’s more, while the defence equipment budget is set to rise by one percent, this is unlikely to cover the expensive bespoke military equipment that forces have traditionally been used to purchasing. However we’re already seeing a growing trend towards off the shelf equipment that can be retro-fitted and adapted to meet specific needs, and this looks set to continue. Recent technological advances mean that in areas such as satellite communications, bespoke military grade portable equipment is now available for the price of off-the-shelf equipment, enabling the military to better meet budget cuts without compromising on technology, results or safety.”
“Modern satellite data terminals can operate effectively in high temperatures or inhospitable conditions, to satisfy the increasingly varied environments found on today’s battlefields. In addition, technology such as the Mantis MSAT, the world’s smallest and lightest satellite data terminal at just 12.5kg (27.5 lbs), can be deployed by just one man within minutes to provide high bandwidth voice, video and broadband data communications, allowing high-definition visual assessments to be delivered quickly, without the need for existing infrastructure.”