Ahead of the UK's political party conference season, the country's aerospace industry has called on politicians to give defence spending a higher priority because of threats from terrorism and the spread of conflicts such as the crisis in Georgia.
Calling for a new "defence debate", the Society of British Aerospace Companies says it is "critical that defence and security rise further up the political agenda" after several years in which - despite the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq - "political parties of all colours have put defence on the backburner".
Ian Godden, SBAC chief executive, says events in the Caucasus are a reminder that "we live in an uncertain world and that defence cannot be neglected as a national issue". He adds: "The party conferences should mark the return of defence as a major issue for political debate - it cannot be ignored any longer if our security, technological and industrial base, skills and economic interests abroad are to be safeguarded into the future."
In an interview with the Financial Times, Mike Turner, the retired chief executive of the UK's biggest defence contractor, BAE Systems, warned that the company could be forced to leave the UK if defence spending fell below a "reasonable level".
He also said that unless the country gave a bigger priority to defence, it risked losing its "say in the world".
Meanwhile, the SBAC says it will step up its campaign to persuade members to put robust anti-corruption policies in place following the conviction of the head of UK security company The CBRN Team on bribery charges.
Neils Tobiasen, managing director of the Amesbury, Wiltshire-based business, which provides training packages on countering chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, admitted to bribing Ugandan officials at Southwark Crown Court in London on 22 August, in a case brought by the City of London police's anti-corruption unit.
The company's web site says it provided the Ugandan presidential guard with a "complete CBRN security package" during the November 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Kampala.
Godden says the case should serve as a "wake-up call" to small defence and security suppliers that think they are safe from the risk of bribery allegations.
The SBAC and the UK Defence Manufacturers Association published a booklet in June designed to help members follow a code of practice on ethical behaviour and avoid exposure to corruption.
Source: Flight International
