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## Ajax Programme: A Reckoning Looms as Defence Chief Demands Clarity
The beleaguered Ajax armoured vehicle initiative has reached a critical juncture, with the Defence Secretary asserting it must now either be definitively salvaged or permanently abandoned. In a stunning admission, the Secretary conceded that ministers were deprived of essential facts before pivotal decisions regarding the programme’s future were made.
### Fury Over Withheld Information
Appearing before the House of Commons Defence Committee on Tuesday, Defence Secretary John Healey expressed his “profound outrage” that crucial information was deliberately kept from ministerial oversight, particularly concerning the ill-fated assessment of the programme’s initial operational readiness.
Healey informed Members of Parliament that it was unequivocally clear ministers lacked a comprehensive understanding when earlier judgments were passed. He stated, “It’s undeniable we didn’t possess the complete picture leading up to the choices made about the initial operating capability,” a status which has since been formally rescinded.
### Army Stripped of Control
In a significant shake-up, Healey confirmed that the Army’s direct management of the Ajax programme has been entirely withdrawn. Responsibility has instead been transferred to a newly appointed, senior accountable officer. “The Army is no longer at the helm of this programme. A new senior responsible officer has now taken charge,” he declared.
### The Ultimate Choice: Commit or Cancel
The Defence Secretary further revealed that intensive efforts are now underway to arrive at a conclusive decision on Ajax’s trajectory. He stressed that the government is confronted with an unavoidable binary choice. “I have made it unequivocally clear: we must either fully endorse its continuation or consign it to history,” Healey conveyed to the committee, underscoring that the safety and protection of military personnel would be the paramount consideration in any final outcome. “My foremost concern will always be the safety and well-being of our armed forces members.”
### A Decade of Disarray and Billions Squandered
The Ajax project has already consumed a staggering multi-billion-pound investment and has been plagued by incessant delays, persistent technical malfunctions, and profound governance failures for years. It has rightfully earned its reputation as one of the most contentious defence procurement sagas of recent memory. During the session, Defence Committee chair Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP starkly characterised the programme as an “unmitigated disaster,” pressing ministers relentlessly for accountability regarding its systemic shortcomings. While Healey refrained from attributing personal blame, he acknowledged that the flawed intelligence reaching ministers had critically undermined the decision-making process at crucial junctures.
### The Path Forward
An ongoing comprehensive review will now ascertain whether Ajax can be credibly and safely deployed, or if the programme, after more than a decade of tumultuous development, will ultimately face outright cancellation.