June 2013 Issue 61 desthe magazine for defencidere equipment and support Terrier is on the loose! Engineering vehicle to feature at DE&S’ annual stakeholder event CDM Commendations: the full list of awards See inside Virtual Army 2020 Land Rover Carriers Soccer cup training takes shape roll-over up the pace agony Our UK employees are proud to provide kit for Britain’s armed forces. We design, manufacture and maintain fighter jets, armoured vehicles and naval vessels including the Typhoon aircraft, Scimitar light tanks and the Astute Class of submarine. But we’re prouder still of the contribution and sacrifices made by our armed forces every day. Thank you. Our UK employees are proud to provide kit for Britain’s armed forces. We design, FEATURES er manufacture and maintain fighter jets, 24 uck armoured vehicles and naval vessels 24 Terrier is let loose including the Typhoon aircraft, Scimitar The latest armoured engineer tractor, which will go on show at DVD later this month, will provide Royal Engineers with a light tanks and the Astute Class of multi-purpose 'Swiss Army Knife' earth-moving capability e: David T submarine. But we’re prouder still of the providing vital support on the front line and elsewhere contribution and sacrifices made by our Pictur armed forces every day. Thank you. 26 Ready for the next decade A veteran of the Kosovo campaign and Operation Telic the value of Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank – to be on show at DVD – and its enduring role will be underpinned by the Army 2020 vision 32 The best of DE&S Chief of Defence Materiel Bernard Gray has described handing out his annual commendations as 'one of the joys of the job' with the latest winners representing the best of the good work which goes on at DE&S 36 Carrier activity reaching a peak cover image Construction of the Royal Navy's two new aircraft carriers 2013 is reaching a peak as the hull of the first vessel Queen Terrier is pictured showing off some of its capability Elizabeth takes shape while Rosyth prepares for the first as it gets set to come into service with British Army blocks of second carrier Prince of Wales engineers. The vehicle can negotiate most terrain and JUNE its earthmoving bucket and excavator arm can make short work of digging and obstacle clearance desider NEWS Assistant Head, Public Relations: Ralph Dunn - 9352 30257 or 0117 9130257 4 ‘An enormous tribute’ to DE&S staff [email protected] Defence Minister Philip Dunne has praised DE&S staff for supplying quality equipment, during a town Deputy Editor: hall presentation at Abbey Wood Steve Moore - 9352 30537 or 0117 9130537 [email protected] 6 Materiel Strategy: what happens next? Companies interested in DE&S transformation are Distribution Manager: being invited to register their interest as the next Dick Naughton - 9352 34342 or 0117 9134342 stage of the Materiel Strategy takes shape [email protected] 8 Truck delivery nears the end Advertising: More than 7,000 Support Vehicles have now been Richard Stillman – Ten Alps Media, 40 Bowling Green delivered by MAN as part of a near £1 billion Lane, London EC1R 0NE programme Tel: +44 (0)20 7657 1837 Fax: +44 (0)20 7379 7155 10 New ISS Director sets out priorities [email protected] Gerry Cantwell has acknowledged the scale of his challenge after being unveiled as the new head of Information Systems and Services Printing: 14 Lightning II ‘great for Britain’ The Government has said it is a great supporter of the Lightning II programme as it is good news for UK industry and jobs desider is distributed free of charge to DE&S employees and the equipment capability sponsor. Copies can also New ways of working with DSG be made available to readers outside the MOD, including 16 those in the defence industries. While the editor takes DE&S has signed a New Commercial Arrangement care to ensure all material produced is accurate, no with the Defence Support Group which combines a liability can be accepted for errors or omissions. Views number of existing agreements into one expressed in desider, and the products and services advertised, are not necessarily endorsed by DE&S or the 17 Apache will keep up the attack MOD. All content for advertorials must be cleared by the A £15 million contract will replenish the Army's relevant MOD project team before publication. stock of supersonic Hellfire missiles which are used by Apache attack helicopters © Crown Copyright 18 Wolf fleet akt es on more protection This magazine is produced on Cocoon More than 6,500 military Land Rovers can now boast Silk 90gsm which contains 50 per greater protection after a three-year programme to cent recycled and de-inked pulp from introduce measures including a roll-over protection post consumer waste and Forest system Stewardship Council certified material from well-managed forests. Insider Bernard Gray DEFENCE MINISTER Philip Dunne praised DE&S staff during a town hall presentation at the organisation’s Abbey Chief of Defence Materiel Wood headquarters for the quality of the equipment they supply to troops on operations in Afghanistan. Mr Dunne, Minister for Defence ‘We are all used to the way in Equipment Support and Technology, which some people focus on the spoke to hundreds of DE&S staff a few days after the announcement that an things that go wrong, rather than Assessment Phase had been launched into the overwhelming majority of our the Materiel Strategy programme. He was accompanied at the event by project outputs that go well’ Chief of Defence Materiel Bernard Gray. Mr Dunne told staff: “I was in Afghanistan in January and I asked THE annual Commendation operate and is working on how the troops I met whether they had any Ceremony that I hold is probably these can be improved. A group equipment issues. The only issue that was the most enjoyable event of the of senior staff is providing help raised was the lack of a lockable box on the working year for me. This year’s with the design and analysis of a back of a Husky vehicle. ceremony was no exception. DE&S+. “That’s an enormous tribute to those The quality of the work of DE&S We’ve published a contract of you who work in DE&S and it’s in stark Commendation winners, the notice inviting the private sector contrast to what would have been said a few years ago. The impression I have well-deserved praise both team to register interest in a potential and individual winners received is that we have got very well-equipped GOCO solution – a process which forces now.” from their military customers, is now complete. The next step The Minister listed some of the and the evidence of hard is the issue of an Invitation to important steps that had been taken work, innovation and absolute Negotiate in the summer. to improve the way the equipment commitment to delivery for the Many of you will have programme was delivered. He said the Armed Forces and in support seen that the Queen’s Speech achievement of a balanced and affordable of operations were both a huge on the 8th May outlined the programme gave confidence to both encouragement and a personal Government’s intention to reform DE&S and industry and put the MOD in a delight to me. the way defence equipment is much stronger position to deal with future As I said at the ceremony, we bought. A White Paper covering challenges. are all used to the way in which The transfer of much of the customer these proposals in more detail is organisation out of Main Building and into some people focus on the things expected to be published later in that go wrong, rather than the the Commands was a transformational the summer. change that would alter behaviours, he overwhelming majority of our I’ve said many times, both project outputs that go well. said. in desider magazine and in Making the Commands accountable The Commendation ceremony town hall sessions at which and responsible for decisions on helps to restore the balance by we have talked about the the programme, such as changing reflecting a sample of some of Materiel Strategy face to face, specifications when a contract was already the very best things that DE&S communications is a huge part of in force, meant they would be responsible does. Chief among them is the how we will together move DE&S for additional costs. continued high quality support forward. You all have your part to The decision-making process that that DE&S provides to operations, DE&S project teams dealt with would be play in the conversation about the principally in Afghanistan but shortened and decision-making made also in other parts of the world, future of DE&S. easier. that goes largely unreported. A Talk To The Board Live “If you look at private sector delivery of These Commendations event is taking place at Abbey major projects, someone who is appointed covered the work of DE&S Wood later this month and I as the leader sees the project through teams in supporting last year’s encourage you to attend to put Olympics – a huge national your questions. We are also success in which we in DE&S planning to hold these events at played our part. They represent other major sites to share this the colossal scale and depth opportunity across DE&S. of DE&S activity both in As many of you know, I Philip procurement of new equipment am always keen to reduce Dunne and its through-life support.