Rapid Fire Dec. 19, 2012: British Reform, Nuclear Deterrent

* The British government submitted its 2012 report [PDF] to parliament on the future nuclear deterrent, noting the ramp up in public and private resources via an Integrated Programme Management Team (IPMT). * Lord Levene, a former chief of defence procurement now at the UK’s House of Lords and Chairman of General Dynamics UK, submitted a report [PDF] that notes strong progress from the Ministry of Defence against recommendations [PDF] made in favor of defense reform 18 months ago. * General David Richards, Chief of the Defence Staff [UK MoD] in a speech at the Royal United Services Institute: “[A]s spending has tightened, we must be ruthless in our requirements and getting the most from them. Effectively targeting limited resources is, in large part, the art of military command in war and in peace through force design. The new UK Joint Expeditionary Force is an expression of this. The JEF promises much greater levels of integration than previously achieved especially when combined with others, as is already happening with our French allies in the Anglo/French Combined JEF. […] Though more conceptual work is needed, given the importance of the region and clear Prime Ministerial intent, I envisage two or more […]