Security Council permanent member justifies arms exports
WHY EXPORT DEFENCE GOODS AND SERVICES?
Defense Export Service Organisation (UK)
http://www.deso.mod.uk/policy.htm
Our tasks involve:
- Giving assistance to company-led marketing campaigns, by way of:
- Nurturing relations with key decision-makers in overseas Governments;
- Harnessing other parts of MoD, the Armed Forces and Whitehall to support industrx’s efforts;
- Negotiating and supporting Government-to-Government agreements;
- Supporting MoD?s defence diplomacy efforts
- Advising DTI and Industry on export licence applications; and
- Making sure that Government policy on defence exports is reflected in MoD?s work on acquisition and other policies and activities; and vice-versa.
Defence exports help support a strong UK defence industry and contribute to the security of our friends and allies overseas.
The Government supports the right of all countries, as sovereign states, to defend themselves from attack, as embodied in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. We claim this right of self-defence for ourselves and we cannot deny it to others. Nations have a legitimate defence requirement, but not all nations have the industrial infrastructure to produce their own equipment.
The importance of defence exports for the security of both ourselves and our allies was underlined by Foreign Secretary Robin Cook when he told the House of Commons:
"The Government is committed to the maintenance of a strong defence industry which is a strategic part of our industrial base as well as our defence effort. Defence exports can also contribute to international stability by strengthening bilateral and collective defence relationships with the right of self-defence recognised by the UN Charter. But arms transfers must be managed responsibly, in particular so as to avoid their use for international aggression or internal repression".
The Defence Industrial Base
A strong defence industrial base is important for the United Kingdom’s defence. It enables us to manufacture the equipment to meet our armed forces’ requirements, including the development of future systems and the regeneration of capability at times of crisis. The skills of our defence industry workers are themselves a valuable defence resource.
Defence exports over the period 1998-2002 account for an average of