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The UK’s Ministry of Defence has announced the appointment of a new national armaments director, Rupert Pearce.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has announced the appointment of a new national armaments director, Rupert Pearce. The former CEO of satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat, will have the role of ensuring British forces “have the equipment they need, on time and on budget”, Defence Secretary John Healy said.
“I am deeply honoured to be appointed as the UK’s national armaments director,” Pearce said.
“It is vital that our Armed Forces have cutting-edge capabilities at their disposal to project an effective deterrent, both alone and in conjunction with NATO and our other allies.”
The five-year fixed term role will see Pearce oversee a range of responsibilities but will have the primary role of driving defence reform and enhancing national arsenal. He will work closely with Secretary Healy to deliver the Defence Industrial Strategy, ensuring readiness of national defence supplies, and collaborate with a range of partners to “deploy best practice and investment”.
“The NAD will be a cornerstone of defence reform, positioning the UK to meet evolving global threats whilst making defence an engine for growth in communities across the nation,” Secretary Healy said.
“The threat we face is growing; this is a serious appointment to spearhead the national arsenal and help make Britain secure at home and strong abroad.”
The new appointment comes as the UK continues to undergo the largest defence reforms in 50 years with the intention of speeding up processes to achieve the best outcomes for armed forces, and the nation as a whole. It follows a strong commitment to defence spending, with the UK increasing defence spending to 2.6 per cent of the gross domestic product by 2027, the biggest expenditure on defence since the Cold War.
“To deliver this, we will transform MOD’s relationship with its industrial partners so that the UK defence industry becomes a strategic asset, innovating at wartime pace and driving economic growth. I look forward to working with all my new stakeholders to deliver on this vision,” Pearce said.
Though Pearce has no previous experience working in the defence industry, his experience in working closely with international partners and venture capital makes him “ideally suited to lead the transformation of how defence works with industry”, according to a press release.
