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<p>Whilst the Ministry of Defence's default approach is for open procurement, which
eases interoperability with our international partners, there are a few cases where
our objectives are served by specific sector approaches, which help either to deliver
value-for-money, operational advantage or national freedom of action. One such sector
is the high-grade cryptography required to protect our secure military communications;
this creates a sovereign requirement to control cryptographic hardware production,
deployment and support.</p><p>In addition, we continue to take a broader risk-based
approach to the provision of military capability, which includes balancing the accessibility
of widely used commercial technology, general military technology and bespoke sovereign
technology. Consequently, the acquisition strategies for military capabilities are
kept under review by the MOD's delivery agencies to ensure that they remain fit for
purpose. To safeguard national security, it would not be appropriate to identify publicly
further details of the aspects of capabilities we might regard as critical to be maintained
in the UK and how we assure them.</p>
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