§ Lord Astor of Heverasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which section within the Ministry of Defence has responsibility for systematically reviewing existing platforms and systems, and for considering whether it would be more cost effective to enhance and extend the life of such systems as an alternative to introducing new platforms and systems. [HL134]
§ Lord BachCapability requirements are identified during the course of the Ministry of Defence's equipment planning round. When a capability gap is identified and a decision taken to fill it, the best method of delivering that capability is adopted. As part of this process, decisions are taken either to extend the life of existing equipment or procure new equipment.
The equipment capability customer (ECC) has responsibility for identifying the capability required to meet the United Kingdom's defence objectives, for translating those requirements into an approved equipment programme and for acting as lead customer for the requirement until it enters service. The ECC works closely with "customer 2", the frontline and logistics organisations, who are responsible for converting the capability provided by the ECC into a military capability, managing the equipment in-service and for providing relevant advice and expertise to support the ECC's remit to optimise future capability.