“No embarrassment” in promoting arms sales says Minister

A Government Minister has declared that senior members of the Government will promote arms exports to compensate for budget cuts at the Ministry of Defence. Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) says that this brazen support for the arms trade by the new Coalition Government will result in even more suffering as a result of military sales and arms companies gaining ever greater influence over government.

Peter Luff, Defence Equipment Minister, is reported to have said: There will be a very, very, very heavy ministerial commitment to the process. There is a sense that in the past we were rather embarrassed about exporting defence products. There is no such embarrassment in this Government.

CAAT says that the statement is unusual in its frankness but, in reality, there is little difference from the policies pursued by the Labour Government. Government support for the arms industry already runs into billions of pounds per annum, including Research & Development spending, generous procurement arrangements and government-backed insurance. Arms exports receive disproportionate support from the special sales unit in UK Trade & Investment Defence & Security Organisation (UKTI DSO).

Successive Governments justify such measures as necessary to retain high quality jobs in engineering and science. However, only 0.2% of the UK workforce is employed in arms export jobs and arms comprise just 1.5% of total exports. CAAT estimates that each arms export job is subsidised to the tune of £9,000.

Unsurprisingly, the arms industry welcomes Peter Luff’s statement. Alan Garwood, group business development director at BAE Systems, was quoted by The Times as saying: We are very encouraged by the explicit support for defence exports which the new Government has set out.

Speaking on behalf of CAAT, Kaye Stearman said:

The government should be deeply embarrassed by Peter Luff’s statement because, apart from the ethical problems posed by ministers acting as salesmen, flogging weapons to abusive and undemocratic countries, it is based on the false premise that arms sales benefit the economy and create jobs. They don’t. Rather, arms exports only increase the profits and political influence of globalised arms companies and waste resources that could be used to support greater security and economic well-being.

Notes

1. Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) works for the reduction and ultimate abolition of the international arms trade together with progressive demilitarisation within arms producing countries. Around 80% of CAAT’s funding comes from individual supporters and CAAT is strictly non-violent in all its work.
2. Peter Luff is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Mid-Worcestershire and was appointed as Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology in May 2010.
3. UKTI’s Defence & Security Organisation (DSO) provides support for arms companies in their export-related activities. This includes promoting weapons sales worldwide, including to countries in conflict and regimes with a documented record of human rights abuse. Until March 2008 DSO’s role was carried out by the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO), housed at the Ministry of Defence. The disbandment of DESO, after a sustained campaign by CAAT, and its transferal to UKTI was supposedly to bring all export functions under one ministry, enable greater transparency around arms sales, and give better value for taxpayers.
4. In November 2008 CAAT launched its UKTI: Armed and Dangerous campaign with a demonstration outside UKTI’s headquarters in London. It is currently urging supporters to sign a demolition order for UKTI DSO as an unsafe structure. Read more about the campaign and Stop Week activities on UKTI:Armed & Dangerous
5. CAAT has outlined the case against government arms selling in its recent briefing paper, Private gain, public pain the case for ending the Government’s arms selling. See Public pain, private gain. The briefing can be requested by emailing enquiries(at)caat·org·uk.

ENDS