MoD has 'lost' £700m worth of firearms and radios
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Military chiefs have "lost" firearms worth more than £500m and radios valued at almost £200m, a report by MPs into financial mismanagement at the Ministry of Defence has disclosed.
The Commons Defence Select Committee expressed its alarm that the department could not account for equipment totalling £6.3bn in value. It includes £568m of firearms and £184m of radios.
For the fourth year running, the National Audit Office has qualified the accounts of the MoD, which this year has a budget of £33.8bn. The committee urged the MoD to speed up moves to solve problems with its stock-control system.
It said: "There are security, as well as financial, implications associated with losing equipment such as radios. Having an effective audit trail is the only way to ensure that all radios are accounted for."
The committee said the department's inability to keep track of its equipment made it harder to request extra cash from the Treasury. The MoD expects to take four years to fix its stock problems.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments