Desider August 2020
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www.des.mod.uk Issue 144 August 2020 the magazine for defence equipment desider and support DE&S sign contract for first three Protector aircraft am hugely impressed by in the same way to ensure we ForewordDE&S’ extraordinary flexibility provide our armed forces with I and agility as we continue the kit they need for today’s and to deliver our national security tomorrow’s warfare. outputs alongside supporting our This example also reinforces wider government responses to the importance we must continue to place with our international relationships. These relationships "With the changing nature of modern warfare, we must all are built on long-standing operational and industrial challenge ourselves and adopt agile and innovative mind-sets co-operation. With strong to protect our nation against the evolving threats" international relationships we can achieve better results for the COVID-19. Mobilising as a whole equipment we procure, both now force has always been something and in the future. we’ve done extremely well and It gave me great pleasure to the current situation has brought hear Defence Secretary Ben out the best in the defence Wallace announce at the Air enterprise. and Space Power Conference July was a very busy month, the £65-million contract for the with us continuing to strengthen production of our first ground- relationships with our key breaking Protector aircraft. This stakeholders. month, we also took control I met with the US Secretary of the £100-million Poseidon of the Army, Ryan McCarthy, strategic facility at the Moray as the UK and US signed a base, RAF Lossiemouth, and Memorandum of Agreement to steel was cut on the final piece of explore collaboration in some of Type 26 HMS Glasgow. their major Army programmes. Looking ahead, we are The agreement is a sign of anticipating the upcoming intent to formalise a number of Integrated Review that will ongoing initiatives between the re-examine the UK’s defence two armies, the areas ranging priorities and objectives. from land, cyber and space, and With the changing nature of collaboration between the air modern warfare, we must all forces and navies. challenge ourselves and adopt We want to work closely agile and innovative mind-sets with our allies and this provides to protect our nation against the us with fantastic opportunities evolving threats. Working together By Sir Simon Bollom, CEO from military and procurement across all five operating domains perspectives. I look forward to (Air, Land, Sea, Space and Cyber) seeing how UK defence and will be key and the mission of our industry can benefit from their newly-created Strategic Enablers genuine desire for a close and business unit, that will lead on co- collaborative relationship. ordinating our efforts in the two As part of this visit, I was new operating domains, Space hosted for dinner by the and Cyber, that the UK National 4th Battalion, the Rifles - a Security Strategy has identified. specialised infantry battalion DE&S plays a pivotal role, whose role it is to accompany procuring equipment and the soldiers of overseas partners, providing in-service support to helping them to develop their own ensure that our armed forces capability, with responsibility for have what they need, when they the Middle East and North Africa. need it and I’m confident that we It is impressive to see how will continue to deliver value for these small, capable teams, money, drive out inefficiencies, who are always deployed, have and enhance and support British adapted to the challenges of military capability. modern warfare, the need to be Finally, although summer persistently engaged, to build holiday season may be different lasting international partnerships, this year, I hope you are all able to and to do so with limited enjoy some well-deserved down resources, commitment and time during the coming weeks. innovation. And we must adapt 3 desider August 2020 desider August 2020 Contents Contents Contents www.gov.uk/government/publications/desider-2020 On the cover Twitter: @DefenceES Protector RG Mk1 Remotely Piloted Air System Facebook: @DefenceES Crown Copyright LinkedIn: Defence Equipment & Support 10Boxer 20MOD Donnington YouTube: DE&S Success in recent stowage trials Despatches over 10,000 items of critical medical equipment Editor: Louisa Keefe Louisa Keefe - 07981 013054 [email protected] Contributors: Daniel Evans, Louise Allford, Tom Morris, Lowri Jones, Ash Pitman, Paul Mclennan and Monika Morgan Photography and Design: Katherine Williams, Jack Eckersley, Charlie Perham and Andrew Linnett Distribution Manager: Dick Naughton - 0117 9134342 [email protected] 6Senior Leader Comment 14Gibraltar Squadron Fast Patrol Craft 22Making a difference Advertising Manager: Adrian Baguley, Deputy CEO and Director £9-million contract award to replace Fast Patrol Craft How a DE&S volunteer Edwin Rodrigues General Strategic Enablers [email protected] has supported her local +44 (0) 20 3411 1008 community Printing desider is distributed free to DE&S employees and the equipment capability organisations. Copies may be sent to readers outside MOD, including in the defence industries and is published on the world wide web via GOV.UK and www.des.mod.uk. While the editor takes care to ensure all material produced is accurate, no liability can be accepted for errors or omissions. Views expressed in desider, and products and services advertised, are not necessarily endorsed by DE&S or the MOD. All editorial submissions must be cleared by the relevant MOD authorities. © Crown Copyright Cover story 8Protector production 16First Person 25HMS Glasgow 28Prestigious fellowship This magazine is printed on Novatech Matt FS 100gsm DE&S award £65-million contract which is Forest Stewardship Council certified material Kam Mckinley, Head of Final steel cut for Type 26 Duncan Kemp receives from well-managed forests and elemental chlorine free. British Forces Post Office esteemed recognition 4 5 desider August 2020 Senior Leader Comment Project Manager Adrian Baguley, Deputy Chief Executive and Director General Strategic Enablers, talks to Desider about his Engineer new roles, his praise for staff and adapting for the future Commercial Finance Graduate FIND YOUR FUTURE ver the past few months, and to help shape the organisation I’m excited to bring the Business Manager DE&S has undertaken to ensure our ongoing success in Future Capability Group an enormous amount of the years to come. Let's take pride (FCG) into SE and to the Ochange. Not only have we had It’s certainly been busy, but in ourselves forefront of DE&S. Whether it’s to adopt new ways of working I have a fabulous team in the and our ability growing our embryonic Space due to COVID-19, but we’ve four business-facing directorates capability or providing a home Communications also had to adapt to changes in (Director Programmes, Director to provide for experimentation on new our organisational structure. For Chief Digital Information Officer, technologies such as artificial me, the latter of these has been Director Engineering and Safety, defence with intelligence, FCG needs to push two-fold. and Director Support) and they’ve world-class the technological boundaries My area of responsibility within supported me wonderfully in the and help transition these into the Project Controller DE&S – previously Joint Enablers transition. So far, much of my equipment and wider organisation. – has been reshaped into a new time has been spent working with support for We need to embrace the business unit, Strategic Enablers MOD Head Office on COVID-19 digital tools that’ll help us (SE). One of the primary reasons activity, wider MOD change years to come become a data-led organisation for establishing SE is to help programmes and preparing for with accurate management Human Resources drive integration across DE&S the Integrated Review. information at our fingertips. and to better align some of our I couldn’t be prouder of the We’re also a rather bureaucratic capabilities with UK Strategic work everyone has done to organisation at present but, in my Command. We provide a centre support COVID-19 efforts, either experience, we can drive through of expertise for our digital working directly on COVID-19 we’ve adapted to remote working, that bureaucracy if we truly Security capabilities and skills which are tasks or stepping up to support and we’re already thinking about empower our people and give central to the modern security business as usual to back-fill what this means for our future. them the confidence to do so. context and the nature of the colleagues assigned to support the We’re currently saving 109 tonnes And that’s the key: DE&S complex, software-intensive NHS. The plaudits our staff have of carbon every week through collectively needs to be more systems we procure. received from across Whitehall reduced travel and parking at confident. The support ’we ve Also, following Nick Elliott’s pay testament to their skills, drive Abbey Wood has never been provided throughout COVID-19 departure, I’ve taken over the and determination. The Cabinet easier. has reinforced that we are very role of DE&S’ Deputy Chief Office recently commented that Continuing to adapt and good at our job, so let’s take pride Executive. Having spent much DE&S colleagues working on PPE improve our ways of working in ourselves and our ability to of my career in DE&S and its were “without exception, skilled, is a high priority for me going provide defence with world-class previous incarnations, this is a experienced, well trained and well forward, not only to improve equipment and support for years tremendous honour. I’m relishing organised...displaying a high level business outputs, but to help to come. des.mod.uk the opportunity to share learning competence.” us become stronger and better and drive coherence across DE&S I’m also impressed by the way individuals.