The Island makes its contribution to defence by maintaining the Jersey Field Squadron – the cost is estimated at just over £1m next year in the Business Plan – but Chief Minister Frank Walker says they are trying to cut the bill.
‘We have got to ensure that we maintain a viable Jersey Field Squadron – that is our commitment,’ he said.
‘But there is a fairly strongly held belief that we could do that in possibly a more effective way, but in a lower cost way.’ The Business Plan lodged with the States last month calls for £1.13m worth of spending on the Jersey Field Squadron with an objective of ‘strong frontier protection against threats to the security, social and economic integrity and environment of the Island that balances the need to maintain Jersey as a competitive location in which to do business’.
