He attempted to recreate the general staff to unify the divergent views and create a more focused, efficient decision-making body. General Sir Nick Carter went on to discuss his efforts to resolve these issues during his tenure as the Chief of the General Staff (CGS). He explained, “ I felt that some of the tribal dynamics that underpinned the way the Army did its thinking were at the heart of an argument between the armoured corps and the infantry about what the requirement was.” In addition to changing requirements, General Sir Nick Carter also pointed to internal divisions within the Army as a contributing factor. Did we want a bit of kit that you could stick on the back of a C-130? Did we want a bit of kit that could go head to head?” he asked rhetorically. He used the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) as an example to illustrate his point: “ FRES was a classic example of the Army as a service vacillating between requirements. He agreed that the constantly changing requirements, in particular, posed a major challenge. General Sir Nick Carter responded by acknowledging the Army’s part in the issue.

Francois posited, “Is it not true that one of the problems was that the Army kept changing its mind about what it wanted?” Mark Francois, a member of the Defence Committee, initiated the discussion by referring to a 2021 report titled “Obsolescent and outgunned.” This report examined in fine detail the Army’s AFV programmes, noting that there hadn’t been a major new AFV brought into service for 20 years leading up to 2021. The candid discussion painted a picture of an institution grappling with evolving warfare requirements, internal divisions, and procurement difficulties. In a recent appearance before the Defence Select Committee, General Sir Nick Carter, the former Chief of the General Staff, laid bare the challenges that the British Army has faced in its efforts to modernise its armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) programmes.

British tank destroyers modern