Issue 9 Jan 2009.indd - Ministry of Defence

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12 comment desider ider Sir Kevin Editor: Caroline Wickham Smith 9355 68015 or 01225 468015. caroline.wickhamsmith139@mod.uk Spur 5, E Block, Ensleigh, Bath, BA1 5AB The editorial team: Steve Moore 9355 68719 or 01225 468719. stephen.moore544@mod.uk Pauline Boardman 9355 72101 or 01225 472101. pauline.boardman511@mod.uk Kevin Slade 9355 67273 or 01225 467273. kevin.slade485@mod.uk Design support: Mark Hawke 9355 68669 or 01225 468669 mark.hawke914@mod.uk Advertising: David Lancaster, Ten Alps Publishing, 9 Savoy Street, London WC2E 7HR Tel: 020 7878 2316 Distribution: If you have any queries concerning diistribution or require alterations to the number of copies you receive, please contact the editorial team on the numbers above. Printing: Corporate Document Services Ltd, 7 Eastgate, Leeds, LS2 7LY desider is distributed free of charge to DE&S employees and the equipment capability customer. Copies can also be made available to readers outside the MoD, including those in the defence industries. While the editorial team takes care to ensure that all material produced is accurate, no liability can be accepted for errors or omissions. The views expressed in desider, and the products and services advertised, are not necessarily endorsed by DE&S or the MOD. This magazine is produced on ERA silk which contains 50 per cent recycled and de-inked pulp from post consumer waste and Forest Stewardship Council certifi ed materal from well-managed forests. Please recycle this magazine looks at the challenges for 2009 Welcome back after the Christmas holiday. I hope you managed to have a good break and are returning refreshed to meet the challenges of 2009. As I look back over the time since DE&S was created I’m delighted at what has been achieved so far. In April 2007 we launched an organisation that was ‘fit for purpose’, but it was clear there was much to do in bringing the DLO and DPA organisations together into one coherent whole, which is effective and efficient in its support of operations worldwide. The direction of travel of DE&S is now set. We have one clear mission: to equip and support our Armed Forces for operations now and in the future, and two clear tasks: to deliver our mission, and to deliver it better. The latter task is our change programme, PACE. We are achieving these tasks, and now we must work on modifying our behaviours if we are to continue to improve. One of my specific personal priorities for the coming year is to improve our internal leadership. We have some very good leaders within the organisation, but staff surveys have shown this is an area where we still need to improve. I will ensure that our management receives the best training and direction, and that Board members have greater engagement and visibility within their respective areas. The staff surveys, along with feedback from team leader meetings and other focus groups, provided very useful feedback to the Main Board this year. We met recently to discuss the view that too much concurrent change was being imposed within DE&S, and we prioritised these activities to enable your Director Generals to smooth the work loading within their clusters. I also want to drive forward the capability delivery initiative across defence. We need to strengthen the relationship between the Front Line Commands, the Equipment Capability Customer, MOD Centre and ourselves so that we aren’t duplicating effort but providing a seamless and streamlined service to our customers on the front line. Equipment safety is another important area that I’ll continue to treat as a very high priority and I’m committed to ensuring our personnel at the front line can have the greatest confidence in the equipment provided to them. There is no doubt we’re operating in very challenging times in terms of finance, and I
can’t see this changing in the future. We need to exercise constant vigilance concerning costs, and it’s my aim to make sure that over the next year we work hard at bringing our inputs and outputs into balance; in other words achieving a better match of staff resources to workload. In last month’s statement about the Equipment Examination, the Secretary of State also announced that he has instituted a review to examine progress of the Defence Acquisition Change Programme. We must continue to scrutinise our performance in the acquisition area and, where appropriate, we should apply the experience we have gained from the successful and rapid delivery of Urgent Operational Requirements more widely. We have already done a great deal: upskilling, developing through life capability management, simplifying our processes and partnering with industry under the Defence Industrial Strategy, but there is more we must and can do. I consider 2008 to have been a very successful year for DE&S and, as we move forward into 2009, more challenges await us; that is the price we pay for the continued achievement of our mission – to equip and support our Armed Forces for operations now and in the future. “Showcasing our capability”: General Sir Kevin O’Donoghue and the former Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Baroness Taylor, inspect DE&S-supported vehicles at DVD 2008 January 2009 13 13 A successful year THE LATEST Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Watchkeeper, made its maiden fl ight as part of a £899 million programme. It provides real time imagery and situational awareness to operational commanders, allowing them to gather vital intelligence information. THE THIRD of the Skynet satellite constellation, Skynet 5C, was launched from French Guiana in South America. This high-tech equipment gives UK troops a huge increase in their communications capability. A CONTRACT was signed to build a new state-of-theart offi ce complex on the Neighbourhood Five site at Abbey Wood. The new offi ces will provide space for 600 people and contribute towards creating Abbey Wood as the main hub of DE&S. THE FIRST Type 45 warship, Daring, was handed over to the MOD. Her sister ships, Dauntless, Diamond, Dragon, Defender and Duncan are all making good progress. Dauntless has started initial sea trials and Dragon (left) has just been launched on the Clyde. DE&S DELIVERED the fi rst batch of new MAN recovery vehicles and trailers to the front line capable of retrieving the heaviest vehicles on operations. 250 NEW quad bikes were delivered to Iraq and Afghanistan under the Urgent Operational Requirement process. They will enable troops to carry ammunition, food, water, stores and equipment to tough terrain. They can also evacuate casualties.
Page 1 and 2: ASTOR into service Bulldog is top d
Page 3 and 4: 14 Inside cover image Every second
Page 5 and 6: Building continues as carriers’ i
Page 7 and 8: New batch on the way as boats prove
Page 9 and 10: AN UPDATED command system has been
Page 11: Bulldog is top dog! DE&S programme
Page 15 and 16: feature • • To equip and suppor
Page 21 and 22: ture must be too Do we have a just
Page 23 and 24: New system keeps Type 23 in command
Page 25 and 26: or RAF painting Surface Finishing S
Page 27 and 28: Ships cluster successes marked Reco
Page 29 and 30: MOD APPRENTICES gathered at Main Bu
Page 31 and 32: Working a different beat DE&S exper
Page 33 and 34: PACE • Performance, Agility, Conf
Page 35 and 36: PROMOTE YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE IN

Issue 9 Jan 2009.indd - Ministry of Defence

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