ISSUE 154 | JUNE 2021 AN INSIDE LOOK INTO LIFE AT DEFENCE EQUIPMENT & SUPPORT DE&S STRATEGY REVOLUTIONARY ROBOTICS CHALLENGER 3 Our vision for 2025 Maintaining operational advantage Cutting-edge upgrade 2 desider June 2021 desider June 2021 3 In this issue ForewordBY SIR SIMON BOLLOM SENIOR DE&S LEADER4 6STRATEGY COMMENT DELIVERING TRANSFORMING CHALLENGER 8INNOVATIVE 10DEFENCE 312 UPGRADE CAPABILITIES The 2021 Integrated Review (IR) set out a DE&S to be recognised leaders in the delivery feedback on our strategy, which has been MODERNISING vision in which our future armed forces will of military equipment solutions for the overwhelmingly positive. In the coming weeks, 16CHINOOK be more persistently engaged worldwide, information age. we aim to make sure that everyone has a equipped with integrated and modern high- Our strategy is built around five strategic chance to understand what it means for them tech capabilities. We have just launched priorities, which are described in more detail personally and translate the strategy into a our DE&S 2025 strategy, ‘Delivering the in this edition of Desider. We must increase plan. I encourage you to read it for yourself, edge through people, technology and the pace and agility we deliver to our clients, to watch the supporting videos, or to follow innovation’. It’s our response to the significant maximise the availability of our operational us on social media to find out more. It falls to opportunities and challenges provided by platforms and systems, and rapidly pull through all of us to promote and drive our strategy in the IR and one that builds heavily on our new technology so provide our armed forces our everyday activities – but together, working recent successes. with an ‘operational edge’. We must also remain with our partners, I’m confident we can ensure Over the last five years we have gone through focused on delivering financial and social value DE&S is fit for the future, delivering the edge a major transformation programme to improve through the contracts we deliver and the way for our armed forces. In the words of the MOD’s delivery of equipment and support to the we operate. We will achieve these outcomes new Permanent Secretary, David Williams, frontline military operators. We have focused through greater use of digital solutions, both in our DE&S strategy is now all about delivery, extensively on growing our people, tools and the battlespace and our workplace. We will work delivery, delivery. processes to achieve better programme delivery ever closer with our industry and international and performance. In my view, and those that partners, capitalising on the opportunities NHS EXPEDITIONARY NEW BOXER I speak to, we have made significant progress presented in the new Defence and Security 19PARTNERSHIP ROBOTICS20 FACILITY24 towards building the foundations required of a Industrial Strategy (DSIS). And, importantly, we modern professional delivery organisation. Of will continue to invest in the skills, capability CENTRE course, there is still much work to be done to and leadership of our people to ensure we improve, but I am confident we are now ready to have a diverse and professional workforce, deliver the further step-change in performance empowered and equipped to deliver excellence. demanded by the IR. Our new strategy details Our people are what makes this work. how we will achieve it. It sets the course for I’ve been really pleased with the initial Cover: An F-35 Lightning Pilot, photo by Sgt Rachel Malthouse RAF 4 desider June 2021 SENIOR LEADER COMMENT Krishna Dhanak, Director Strategy and Corporate Operations Talks to Desider about DE&S’ identity, journey and future following the launch of the new DE&S strategy. SENIOR LEADER COMMENT On joining DE&S a year ago, I said that of legislative reform, policy changes and equipment solutions at pace, while maximising my first and biggest priority was to develop transformation that together aim to improve value in our products and the way we operate, a strategy for DE&S. One that built on the the speed and simplicity of procurement, requires us to truly embrace digital solutions. successes of our internal transformation provide more flexible approaches to the way we We need to be thinking how we can use new programme, but which also recognised that procure and support capability, and stimulate technology to reduce the time and cost it the environment in which we operate is technology exploitation. It will ensure the UK takes to field capability, for example, in the changing rapidly. continues to have a competitive, innovative use of digital trials and evaluation, through Since that time the Integrated Review (IR) and world-class defence industry that to monitoring and predicting the operational and Defence Command Paper have been underpins our national security and drives performance of our deployed systems. published, supported by a new Defence and prosperity and growth. Delivering the right solutions means they must Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS). Whether you The DE&S 2025 strategy is our response. be able to talk to each other – integrated and have poured over the detail, or just read the We listened to what our clients and partners safe and secure by design. headlines, you’ll appreciate that the programme wanted from us in the future, and the areas that We must all be digitally savvy to transform to build one of the most integrated, digital and our people needed us to focus on. There was the way we work, speeding up our processes agile armed forces in the world is ambitious a clear appetite for something new; for DE&S and reducing bureaucracy. And we can’t and challenging. It’s why this is such an to leverage its role as a professional delivery do this alone – we are dependent on the exciting period for all of us who have a role in organisation to lead the way in supporting wider professionalism and commitment of our people making that happen. Defence to deliver IR and DSIS. The core ideas and partners, to bring this together through the The IR calls for acquisition to be more were developed with our leadership community right skills, drive and innovation. agile and responsive to the changing nature and subject matter leads; specialists who And then there’s that well known saying that of operations, pulling on technology. It also know their area of the business the best. We people like to share with me - culture eats expects our capabilities to be more persistently tested our approach as we went along with our strategy for breakfast. And it’s true; no matter engaged – to be routinely forward deployed strategy challenge group - a cross-section of how strong your strategic plan, it’s the people around the globe, sometimes indefinitely, our passionate people who offered invaluable and culture who will make the difference in requiring us to think differently about support. diversity of thought and constructive feedback. making it happen. We must deliver those solutions at pace to keep It was a federated, one team effort, and The launch of the DE&S 2025 strategy marks our armed forces ahead of their adversaries. I’m grateful to everyone who spared their the end of the start – it’s now down to all of us DSIS provides us with the means; a new time to contribute. to play our role in delivering it. strategic approach to the UK’s defence and While the strategy is built around five distinct security industrial sectors. It includes a package priorities, they are intrinsically linked. To deliver 6 desider June 2021 desider June 2021 7 FEATURE DELIVERY THROUGH PEOPLE Our people are critical to our successes. We are dependent on their commitment and professionalism. We will empower our people to help us achieve our mission, DE&S 2025 nurturing the diversity of skills and experience we need DELIVERING THE EDGE THROUGH PEOPLE, to solve our toughest challenges. We will increase opportunities for learning and development, invest in our TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION leaders and new technologies for smarter working, and deliver our Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing The DE&S strategy sets out our vision for 2025 - to be recognised leaders in the delivery of military Strategy. This will help us create and sustain a culture equipment solutions for the information age. which will be critical to our success. It ensures we can rise to the challenges set out in the Integrated Review, and seize the opportunities presented in the Defence Command Paper and Defence and Security Industrial Strategy. Our strategy provides a roadmap for ACCELERATED DIGITAL our organisation over the next four years so that we can deliver safe, secure and innovative solutions at greater SOLUTIONS pace. We will achieve this through our five strategic priorities: Digital technology is increasingly central to the capabilities we deliver. We will therefore drive digital solutions for business PACE AND AGILITY FOR OUR and battlespace advantage. While our traditional focus on large platforms remains critical, we will also embrace new ways FEATURE CLIENTS of integrating systems and data across the battlespace. We will pool expertise in cross-cutting specialisms and improve We will maximise the availability of our operational platforms and FEATURE the pull-through of new and emerging technologies into our systems by implementing optimised support solutions. These will procurement and support solutions. Advanced business tools, blend state-of-the-art processes with the increased exploitation of automation and a digitally savvy workforce will transform the data, modelling and artificial intelligence. We will improve our ability way we support capabilities and operate our organisation. to deliver performance and solutions at pace, responding faster to emerging priorities. Working ever more closely with our clients we will look for opportunities to pull through new technology and software releases quicker, improve the integration of capabilities DELIVERY THROUGH across domains, and bring professional expertise and innovation in PARTNERS procurement and support.