Could poor quality management be the Achilles’ Heel of the UK’s Strategic Defence Review?

Quality management techniques used in the UK automotive and motorsport sectors should be central to the implementation of the long-awaited Defence Industrial Strategy, according to Harry Pickett, Business Development Manager at international quality management group G&P.

Responding to the publication of the UK Strategic Defence Review in June, the former Military Adviser for NATO welcomed the planned increase in miliary spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, but expressed concern about the comparative lack of quality management systems adopted by the Defence sector.

Having worked with some of the biggest names in European car manufacturing and motorsports engineering, G&P is working with MAKE UK Defence to encourage positive change within the industry.

Harry Pickett said: “Having split my career between MoD and defence industry roles, I can see both sides of the argument when it comes to procurement. While governments, technologies and external threats change over time, the one thing that remains constant is the need to provide our forces with modern, safe and reliable equipment, weapons and vehicles. To do this while demonstrating value for money, we need to change our culture to focus on a ‘zero-defect’ ethos.

“The engines that power Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFV) are, in many instances, very similar to the engines found in commercial Heavy Goods Vehicles. However, the mean time between failures (MBTF) of the engine in an AFV can be as low as 2,000 kilometres. The reasons for this have included inadequate filtration systems, and while these issues have been retrospectively eradicated, the adoption of quality excellence modelling would have predicted such issues. It’s this kind of thinking we want to see adopted across the defence supply chain.”

G&P is based in Birmingham and has strong links to the UK defence sector. In 2025, the business became a signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, which demonstrates its commitment to supporting veterans and their families.