Defence Procurement Minister speech on sustainability at Farnborough International Airshow
Defence Procurement Minister Jeremy Quin at Farnborough International Airshow on sustainability in Defence
I was grateful to speak at last year’s virtual Connect event but let’s face it… standing alone in the MOD’s media suite can’t quite match the buzzing atmosphere of the first air show for four years.
Having launched Defence’s sustainability strategy in March last year, I was delighted to see that sustainability is a core theme of this show and, have a chance to share our vision.
The first and most important preoccupation with defence is as ever, the safety and security of the United Kingdom, our people and overseas territories, our allies and friends. As the Integrated Review made plain we are living in a more dangerous and competitive world. And climate change and its implications are one of the greatest threats we all face.
Extreme weather and damaged environments are affecting global peace and security. Whether it’s the desertification of eastern Africa, triggering conflict over water, food and scarce resources or mass migration or whether it’s the melting ice in the High North opening up new sea routes, creating a flashpoint as nations vie for control.
And now Russia’s appalling and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has reminded us of the strategic vulnerability that comes with a dependence on fossil fuels. And indeed, the wider impact on supply chains and food.
As many of you in this room know, by 2050 It’s estimated that climate change will push 720 million people into poverty. More than 216 million could be forced to migrate within their own countries. The number of people who lack sufficient water will rise by a billion and we will need to produce almost 50% more food to meet global demand, despite Chatham House predicting a 30% drop in yields.
What will that mean for defence?
We are already in the midst of transforming our forces thanks to a £24 billion pound increase in defence budget last year, allowing us to invest in modern cutting-edge capabilities from drones to Dreadnought submarines. But our young recruits understand perhaps better than anyone that defence of the realm means protecting us from all threats and they recognise the seriousness of the impact on our country and our allies of climate change.
It is intrinsically linked to everything we do.
And we know we won’t succeed unless we ensure our personnel can compete in climate changed world. That means not just adapting our capabilities and platforms for the changing physical environment but making sure that the infrastructure and supply chains which underpin them are equally resilient.
We also know future operations in more unforgiving and hostile environments will demand smarter approaches, innovative designs and new skills.
So how are we going to succeed?
Our approach is threefold.
First, we need to integrate sustainability into our decision-making at all levels, from the factory to the frontline.
Sustainability can’t be an afterthought; it needs to be embedded right from the start. It needs to be mainstream.
That’s why it was great to see more than 30 International Air Chief’s signing a declaration of intent on climate change collaboration at last week’s Global Air Chief’s conference. At the heart of that agreement is an understanding that adapting our people, aircraft, equipment, critical resources and supply chains will take decades. So we need to start by putting the in the hard yards now.
I similarly welcome the Aerospace Growth Partnership’s new Net Zero Transition Plan – which focuses on the development of sustainable technologies and it’s also great to see sustainability forming such a key part of the conversations here in Farnborough.
In the MOD, we’ve set up a new climate change directorate to spearhead this drive and it has already begun to lay the firm foundations for our ongoing response.
We’re developing a Sustainable Support Strategy focused on operational self-sustainment, resilience of the supply chain and reducing the lifetime impact of defence commodities.
We are working on an Operational Energy and Fuel strategy setting out how we power our ships, aircraft and vehicles in the future.
And we’ve also updated our Built Estate policy to ensure new builds have a higher standard of energy efficiency.
Lastly, in our procurement processes we already think about the environment, but we now also have social value measures and most of the companies here today have published your own approaches to sustainability.
Make no mistake, helping the UK reach its legally binding 2050 net zero target will be one the biggest challenges we face.
But we believe with great challenges come great opportunities. And the opportunity I’m referring to in particular is the chance to spearhead that sustainability revolution.
This is our second key objective.
By embracing the principles of a circular economy and becoming more self-sufficient, we can deliver major operational advantages. Some of you may have experienced personally who have served, the logistical hell of transporting fuel in Afghanistan and Iraq and the staggering cost per gallon. Not only financially but more importantly in terms of casualties sustained.
By exploring technology such as solar and, as they evolve, electric vehicles, we may be able to reduce the risks associated with logistics.
And there are myriad great examples of where we’re already adopting this approach across the domains.
On the ground, we’re testing hybrid electric drives in battlefield vehicles, which reduce noise and increase stealth.
We’ve opened a solar farm at Leconfield which can cut CO2 emissions by 700 tonnes and save the Army more than £250,000 in energy costs a year – with plans to do the same at 80 more sites.
And we have Project Kelpie - a thermal battery storage pilot at Duke of Gloucester Barracks in South Cerney.
At sea, we’re exploring the use of hybrid powertrain technologies that could power Royal Navy vessels and reduce carbon emissions.
We’re also fitting Selective Catalytic Reduction units to ships which reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide by up to 97%.
And I was in Portsmouth last month to open the Navy’s first net zero building, which will help service and kit out our carriers prior to deployment.
Lastly, never one to be outdone by the other services, the Royal Air Force trailblazers are leading the way in embedding sustainable behaviour in mission planning and in-flight fuel management.
They’re fully behind the government’s wider JetZero strategy, which is aiming to ensure all domestic flights and airports in England achieve net zero by 2040.
They’re also expanding the living lab concept exemplified at RAF Leeming to test and prioritise de-carbonisation and wider sustainability interventions.
And let’s not forget, our Future Combat Air System is providing brilliant opportunities to innovate low-carbon technologies and pioneer climate mitigation methods.
But perhaps their most impressive work can be found here on a stand between halls 1 and 2.
The Ikarus C42 microlight may not look like much compared to some of the other awesome aircraft on display today.
But it is a record-breaker… with the potential to transform the entire air power industry.
That’s because last November at Cotswold Airport, that plane completed the world’s first flight using synthetic fuel.
The team have been widely recognised and that is well deserved. That fuel which is manufactured by extracting hydrogen from water and carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide is NetZero were made using renewable energy and entirely eliminated reliance on fossil fuels.
So I am delighted to today announce the next phase of plans to fast-track the use of synthetic fuels in RAF aircraft.
This exciting new phase will involve research into scaling up the technology and producing more fuel for certification and testing.
It may take some time to come to market, but the point is that we’re seeing firms responding to and accelerating sector decarbonisation in a way we would never have thought possible 12 months ago.
And that’s not all.
I can also today announce the next phase of Project PICASSO, our breakthrough waste fuels recycling programme.
Just as Picasso was rather good at breaking down the core components of his artistic subjects, this project is about breaking down and recycling the core components of our waste aviation fuel.
And this month we are set to sign a new contract with Northern Engineering Solutions to further research and develop the bioprocessing procedure.
The aim is to install a test rig at RAF Brize Norton which, if successful, can then be copied at other major air bases at home and overseas.
So, we’re making great progress… but to truly succeed in seizing the opportunities we need to go further still.
We need to change our culture. How? By being a fast follower, yes, but also by adopting our own risk-taking mindset.
Taking risks and being forward-leaning on this critical agenda will bring dividends for defence.
That is why our third and final objective is to work with partners in industry, academia and overseas to find the best sustainability solutions possible and to inspire others.
It’s why we’re here today, surrounded by all this fascinating, cutting-edge kit.
It’s also why we ensured collaboration was at the heart of our Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS), published last year.
DSIS essentially provides a framework for greater partnerships with industry, helping firms understand Defence’s needs at a much earlier stage while supporting them to sell their innovative products abroad.
As part of our DSIS commitments, we’ve updated commercial policies so that every procurement decision is now scrutinised for wider social value… and one of the top priorities is, of course, fighting climate change.
We’ve also established a Climate Change and Sustainability steering group within the Defence Suppliers Forum - through which we are working with industry on net zero plans.
And a big part of that is incentivising suppliers to work on the technologies of the future like hydrogen engines and ammonium.
We’re also working with partners and allies on the international stage to build a shared understanding of how climate change is reshaping the global security landscape.
There are many things we don’t yet fully understand about how a nationwide – or even global – switch to a low carbon economy will impact us in Defence.
How might electrification affect the demand for critical minerals and future prices?
How can we incentivise industry to reuse and recycle through commercial models, and help them recruit and retain the right staff?
Would standardising parts for our capabilities help to reduce the costs and environmental impact of through-life maintenance?
What can we learn from the UK Net Zero Strategy’s decarbonisation approach that we could emulate in Defence?
The point is that working together will allow us to understand each other’s needs, anticipate the challenges that lie ahead and mitigate the impacts.
I’m delighted that we have such fulsome support from our defence industry and academia in addressing the defence needs of the nation including direction in helping us address climate change.
So to conclude, we all collectively have a mammoth task.
We have an historic mission, to work together for the benefit of this future security of our country, the world and future generations. I’m convinced that we can make this work.