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‘Unbelievable’ waste and inefficiency at MoD, says ex-defence minister Al Carns

The Guardian World Tuesday 16 June 2026, 05:17 UTC By Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor 1 min read
Key Points

Exclusive: Carns, who quit last week, says he was angered by unwillingness to confront sunk costs of legacy programmesThere is “unbelievable” waste and inefficiency at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the former armed forces minister Al Carns has said, adding that every time he would “turn a stone over” he would get another shock. Carns said that during his time as a defence minister he had been angered by the unwillingness to confront the sunk costs of legacy programmes – and suggested...

Exclusive: Carns, who quit last week, says he was angered by unwillingness to confront sunk costs of legacy programmes

There is “unbelievable” waste and inefficiency at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the former armed forces minister Al Carns has said, adding that every time he would “turn a stone over” he would get another shock.

Carns said that during his time as a defence minister he had been angered by the unwillingness to confront the sunk costs of legacy programmes – and suggested mismanaged programmes such as tanks investment should be scrapped in favour of new technology.

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MoD (ORG) Al Carns (PERSON) Carns (PERSON) the Ministry of Defence (MoD (ORG)
Originally published by The Guardian World Read original →

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