MPs to examine defence manufacturing and cyber security in Wales
The Welsh Affairs Committee has today launched a new inquiry examining defence manufacturing and cyber security in Wales.
There are over 160 companies supporting the defence sector that are based in Wales including Airbus, Kent Periscopes, Raytheon and Qioptiq.
Wales’ defence sector is enhanced by the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Defence and Electronics Components Agency (DECA), based in north Wales, which has a £0.5 billion contract with the US Department for Defense.
There are concerns that a decrease in investment from the MOD will erode the prominence of Wales’ defence sector.
In recent years, the number of jobs and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the sector has declined and MOD spending in Wales has fallen by £300 million since 2018.
The Committee will examine trends in defence spending and how SMEs can benefit from available opportunities.
Growth
Over the course of the inquiry, MPs will look at how important the sector is to the Welsh economy, investigate the opportunities for growth and examine the role of the UK Government in further promoting the defence sector in Wales.
Welsh Affairs Committee Chairman, Stephen Crabb, said: “From maintaining fighter jets to hosting one of the most advanced aircraft surveillance and intelligence systems in existence, in Wales we have a ground-breaking defence sector that is routinely punching above its weight.
“However, MOD investment in Wales has decreased, as have the numbers of jobs and SMEs in the Welsh defence sector. Over the course of our inquiry, we will be considering the future opportunities and challenges to ensure defence industries in Wales – from defence manufacturing to cyber security – thrive.
“The defence sector is a major employer and helps support local economies across our nation and it is in all our best interests to support Wales’ defence prowess.”
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This asks a couple of basic questions, Nuclear or Renewable, Arms manufacturer or Cheese maker…a country that ‘punches’ above its weight or one that is admired for its ethical ambitions for an independent future…
Switzerland ssms to be able to combine cheese making and arms manufacture.Lucky that the Ukraine is able to punch above its weight,although perhaps they should have made this clearer to Russia,however if they had we would have the likes od Mab Meirion accusing them of aggression and provocation.
That is unfair and not correct, I merely posed a question. Switzerland also bankrolled the right wing group in power in a part of Europe for a decade…
That right wing group attracted funding from most of the modern day “west” including dear old USA and the UK when it was losing weight fast. Soppy old Lloyd George declining with age was an admirer of Adolf and plenty of others in UK Cabinets of the 30’s felt the same way..
So we are comparing Putin to Hitler? That’s crazy because it’s Zelensky who have been carrying out G*nocide since 2014. From what I can make out about the History of the region…Russia are the rightful owners of Kiev as It was founded by a Russian. A bit like how London was founded by the Britons, but ofcourse unlike Russia, we are complicit in our take over by the Anglo Saxon English. We allowed the Germanics to take everything from us, even down to our Identity. Well, Russia will not abide by the Wests plans to do the same to them.… Read more »
Wonder what the Russian speaking Ukrainians who have had Democracy B*mobs dropped on them since 14’ think of this post. The fact is, Ukraine exists because of N*Zi Germany and their wish to break up Russia. How they are demonised to such agree, I’m starting to believe they may have well Won WW2, Atleast it seems, their ideals well and truly survived. Russia is carrying out an actual Intervention that is aimed at protecting Russian speakers, bit different to invading a nation for Oil, based on a lie.
Most of the defence sector in Wales is foreign owned. It is more important as an employer than a creator of real wealth. Real wealth creation will come only when we have a strong indigenous owner population built on a broad mix of activity. As MM suggests food manufacture has bags of scope for development as do many other value adding activities. Indeed we might retain some of those defence sector activities as some might even decide to buy components from Welsh engineers. All this depends of course on having a government in Cardiff that engages seriously with rebuilding and… Read more »
are you muddling up our “defences” with our “attacks”?
So we aren’t able to defend our own country, because we are too small, and need another nation to do it for us (the country that has been the only one in existence to actually invade us) But we are able to created defensive measure for them, to defend us with! Makes little to know sense that. We. Are. Special.
No place in Wales for foreign owned arms manufacturing,