The UK National Audit Office (NAO) has delivered a scathing evaluation of the MoD's Equipment Plan for 2023–33

Professor Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director-general of the UK-based thinktank RUSI, echoed Healey’s comments, noting: "This is the most damning NAO report on the MoD budget I have seen since these reports began." Chalmers told Shephard that the finding "suggests that the government has given up on balancing the defence budget, leaving it until after the election to make the hard decisions". "[The gap] means that the MoD is going to have to secure more funding than currently assumed or face significant capability cuts," Chalmers remarked.