Defence minister Luke Pollard has told MPs that the Government will take “whatever decisions are required to end this saga one way or another” once inquiries into the troubled Ajax armoured vehicle are completed.
Three separate investigations are now under way: one by the Defence Accident Investigation Branch, one by the Army Safety Investigation Team, and a ministerial review.
Army Halts Use After More Soldiers Injured
The Army suspended Ajax operations last month after 31 soldiers became unwell with noise and vibration-related symptoms during Exercise Titan Storm on Salisbury Plain, where crews spent up to 15 hours inside the vehicle.
Mr Pollard, the Defence Readiness and Industry Minister, said he was “disgusted” by the injuries, particularly as he had declared the vehicle safe only weeks earlier.
Ajax, originally intended to enter service in 2017, has faced repeated delays due to long-running concerns over excessive noise and vibration affecting test crews. Despite this, the fleet, made up of six vehicle variants built on a common chassis, was granted Initial Operating Capability (IOC) last month, meaning it could be deployed operationally.
Assurances Given, and Now Under Scrutiny
Mr Pollard said his safety declaration had been based on written assurances from senior defence figures, including General Sir Roly Walker, Chief of the Defence Staff, and former national armaments director Andy Start.
Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said he had also been told Ajax was safe when he served as procurement minister and said he was “furious” to have seemingly received false assurances.
He told MPs that the 22 November exercise, which resulted in more than 30 casualties, showed that noise and vibration issues remained “strikingly similar” to the problems he had previously been assured were resolved.
Mr Cartlidge said: “The minister and I may have our political differences but… we have something in common. We have both been misled about the viability of the Ajax programme.”
Investigations Continue, ‘Facts, Not Speculation’
Mr Pollard declined to comment on possible causes or outcomes while the three probes continue. He said the investigations would include input from an external organisation experienced in diagnosing noise and vibration issues.
He confirmed that Government officials had been meeting daily with manufacturer General Dynamics since the day the injuries occurred.
Procurement Changes Could Follow
Mr Pollard also hinted that the Ajax crisis could trigger wider reforms in defence procurement, saying current processes were “too expensive” and did not support the “spiral development” needed for modern platforms.
He noted that Ajax had been procured using a “novel” model in which the platform was bought and brought into service before capability upgrades were retrofitted, a system he said he is now reviewing.
Mr Pollard said he hoped to make a further statement on Ajax before Parliament’s Christmas recess on 18 December.
