Clock is ticking on UK UOR spending

Spending on equipment for UK troops via the urgent operational requirement (UOR) process to support UK operations in Afghanistan looks set to drop significantly in the next financial year as government spending restrictions begin to bite and the tactical situation in Afghanistan changes.

Early indications from negotiations between the UK Treasury and Ministry of Defence (MoD) over the size of the UOR budget for Financial Year 2010-11 (FY10/11) suggest there will be no more spending on large numbers of new vehicles and big items of equipment. Up to now the UOR budget has been funded by the Treasury over and above the MoD's core budget.

According to MoD officials, the Treasury has said the UOR budget cannot exceed this year's figure of GBP736 million (USD1.21 billion), with the expectation that next year's spending will be significantly less than this amount.

The Treasury is also insisting that the MoD take over funding much of the support costs for existing UOR equipment into its core budget. This is forcing the ministry to consider delaying or cancelling other projects not connected with the Afghan campaign.