MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED BY THE MINISTRY OF
DEFENCE
JARIC AND MILITARY SURVEY AND THEIR PROPOSED
MERGER
Q1. Justification for merger and planning
assumptions
1. The case for merger was primarily based
on the need to align geographic and imagery processes more efficiently
and effectively to exploit future Defence concepts such as Joint
Battlespace Digitisation.
2. The decision to merge was taken on the
basis of recommendations from various detailed studies going back
to work in support of the Defence Costs Study in1994. More recent
studies have examined the perceived common technologies in both
Agencies' future equipment programmes and the opportunities for
improving business processes across Military Survey and JARIC.
3. The final study, which was completed
by independent consultants in September 1998, concluded that a
number of business areas across the Agencies, if brought together,
would provide either operational benefit, in terms of effectiveness
gains and improved customer service, and possible efficiency savings.
4. Although a large proportion of the current
core production processes were assessed to be too different to
justify merger on that basis alone, convergence in a number of
common areas was identified as desirable to position the Agencies
the better to meet the future needs of customers. Convergence
in these areas would:
— allow a common tasking and production
management function to better control all available resources,
giving improved surge capability in crises and improved responsiveness
to tasking;
— facilitate interoperability of softcopy
products and information, which will become key in the softcopy
era; and
— allow rationalisation of Agency level
overhead functions.
5. A total of 12 organisational options
was assessed in terms of exploiting future opportunities, which
included relocation at one or either of the existing sites, or
to a new site. On the basis of a detailed cost benefit analysis
it was concluded that the preferred and most cost-effective option
was for a converged Agency located on the current sites (Feltham,
Hermitage and RAF Brampton), to be put in place on 1 April 2000.
This option is now being taken forward by an implementation team
led by the Chief Executive (designate) of the new Agency, to be
called the Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency
(DGIA).
6. As part of the implementation work the
team are developing strategies to better position the new Agency
to meet the future demands of Defence and its customers. These
will be clearly laid out in the new Corporate Plan for the Agency.
Under this Plan the Agency also intends to keep the collocation
option under review.
7. Certain LTC savings (£1.45 million)
have already been taken from the budgets of Military Survey and
JARIC prior to, and in anticipation of, the decision to merge.
Further efficiencies will be dependent on future triggers for
change and will need to be developed under the Agency's new efficiency
plan.
Q2. Operational support
8. JARIC *** and increasingly it
is being called upon to be available. the requirement of the agency's
key Target One is to respond to 98% of the high priority (Priority
One) tasks within 24 hours, and this target has been consistently
achieved or exceeded. JARIC has played a very active rule in providing
intelligence support to all recent operations involving UK forces
and particularly to Kosovo operations.
9. Mil Svy Mil Svy's Force Elements
continue to support current operations in Kosovo, Bosnia and Northern
Ireland ***. The Agency also provided production support to the
Kosovo operation amounting to the printing and distribution of
3.5 million geographic products over a period of six weeks. In
addition Mil Svy continues to provide geographic support to operations
in Northern Ireland and more recently the crisis in East Timor.
Q3. Post-SDR changes
10. JARIC JARIC's role as an operational
enabler was significantly enhanced by SDR. The Agency was extensively
reorganised early in 1999 to bring a closer alignment with post-SDR
customer requirements and to take full advantage of new technology.
The reorganisation was undertaken on the basis of an internal
Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) study, commissioned by the
CE, and aimed at improving the Agency's effectiveness. SDR also,
under its efficiency initiative, led to the decision to merge
with Mil Svy.
11. Mil Svy SDR's identification
and articulation of the revised Defence Missions for UK Armed
Forces will lead to increased demands on the Agency to deliver
timely, accurate and up-to-date geographic support. Whilst this
has not forced any major organisational change within the Agency,
the Field Support Directorate has re-written its Concept of Operations,
establishment and equipment tables, in line with the SDR planning
assumptions, and conducted a review of its trade training. As
noted above, the decision to merge with JARIC also arose from
SDR.
Q4. Capability development
12. JARIC Phase One of the programme
to enhance JARIC's ability to exploit *** was implemented in late
1998. This gave JARIC an ability to respond to customers' requirements.
*** The final Phase Two of the programme is being managed by the
Defence Procurement Agency (DPA), which, subject to scrutiny,
will be taken forward as part of a joint submission with the Mil
Svy's MDS project (Mil Svy Digital Geographic Information and
Production Management System), and is planned to be implemented
in 2001. It will replace all JARIC's legacy systems with state-of-the-art
technology and ***. To enable JARIC to respond to these new demands,
there is a continuing need for connection to modern defence communications
systems. External programmes will also undoubtedly have an impact
on JARIC's work.
13. Mil Svy Mil Svy's MDS project,
referred to above, is planned to be implemented in 2001-03, and
will significantly enhance the digital data production, warehousing
and distribution capabilities of the Agency. External programmes
will have a significant impact on the Agency's ability to respond
effectively from both the baseplant and within the battlefield,
As with JARIC, improved Defence networks and communications systems
will be critical to ensuring effective and efficient dissemination
and use of the Agency's digital outputs.
Q5. Co-operation with allies
14. JARIC ***.
The possibilities for information/product sharing
with these allies is written into JARIC's long-term plans, and
opportunities for data sharing, co-operation etc are actively
pursued.
15. Mil Svy Mil Svy is dependent
on an extensive number of arrangements with allies to meet Defence
requirements cost effectively, particularly with NATO, PfP nations
and ***.
In addition, the Agency has a large number of
bilateral arrangements for geographic product exchange. Most recently
bilateral arrangements have been concluded with the Republic of
Korea and the Sultanate of Oman with negotiations at an advanced
stage with the Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Portugal, Slovenia
and South Africa. Notwithstanding overseas co-operation arrangements,
the Agency has also recently signed a Partnership Arrangement
with the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain (OSGB) to provide geographic
data over Great Britain.
Q6. Relationship with customers
16. JARIC For Resource Accounting
and Budgeting (RAB) purposes JARIC is in the process of developing
Customer Supplier Agreements (CSAs) with its main customers. It
also works closely with those customers through the JARIC Customer
Tasking Group (JCTG) where improved procedures are now being introduced
to manage and prioritise requirements placed on JARIC. Customer
surveys were conducted in 1996 and 1997, the latter by the Defence
Analytical Services Agency (DASA). A further survey is currently
under way, under the sponsorship of the JARIC Customer Tasking
Group (JCTG). Additionally, each product dispatched from JARIC
is accompanied by a mini-questionnaire inviting comments from
the recipients. The results from successive surveys have shown
a high level of customer satisfaction with the Agency's products
and services.
17. Mil Svy Mil Svy is also in the
process of developing CSAs with its main customers and also works
very effectively through its own Joint Customer Group. In addition
to the CSAs a number of other formal arrangements are being developed
with Defence customers. These include Regional Support Agreements
which detail geographic product coverage and System Support Statements
defining geographic information required for new weapons systems.
Mil Svy issued its first Customer Satisfaction Survey earlier
this year. The results are currently being processed but early
indications are that there is general satisfaction with the products
and services Mil Svy provides.
Q7. Manpower
18. JARIC Total staff numbers at
JARIC have varied between 475 and 500 since the inception of the
Agency. The last full manpower audit by DMCS in 1996 endorsed
an establishment of 500, of whom two thirds are Service personnel.
***.
19. Mil Svy Mil Svy staff numbers
over the past four years have been relatively stable with only
a small decline from 1,210 in 1995-96 to 1,150 in 1998-99. Civilian
staff has accounted for the small decline, which as been offset
in part by recruitment of junior grades during 1999. ***.
Q8. Estate development
20. JARIC JARIC has been involved
in three major estate relocation/rationalisation studies since
1996. The first, in January-July 1996, the Collocation of Defence
Intelligence Units (CDIU) Phase Two study, employed outside consultants
to determine the viability of moving JARIC to the DIS site at
Chicksands. The cost of relocation *** was deemed to be too expensive
and the decision was taken to leave JARIC in situ. The subject
was revisited in connection with the SDR programme in early 1998.
The two main options in this study were the relocation of JARIC
to either Feltham or a green field site. Once again, the substantial
costs of relocation, re-calculated to a 1998 cost base militated
against a move and the decision, once again, was taken to leave
JARIC at Brampton. More recently, JARIC has been involved in discussion
on the future use of the Brampton estate post the demise of RAF
Logistics Command in November 1999.
21. Mil Svy Mil Svy produced an
Estate Development Plan (EDP) in January 1999 to address problems
associated with ***. The EDP sets out a land use plan for the
Agency for the next 15 years and includes rationalisation of Mil
Svy's estate from four to two sites at Feltham and Hermitage.
*** except for the relocation of eight Map and Chart Depot from
Guildford to Feltham during 2000 ***.
Defence Estates is currently exploring strategies
to assist resolution of this issue. In addition to rationalising
UK activities, Mil Svy will complete a review of its map stock
holdings in British Forces Germany Map Depot by the end of October
1999 and also finalise the closure of the Survey Production Centre
in Germany by the end of December 1999.
Q9. Accounts direction for JARIC
22. The National Audit Office (NAO) are
currently visiting JARIC to conduct a priority audit of the national
FY98-99 Departmental Resource Accounts (DRAc). From this, the
NAO will be in a position to determine whether JARIC is likely
to receive an accounts direction during their scheduled November
audit of the FY98-99 Agency accounts.
Q10. RAB development
23. JARIC JARIC is currently producing
Resource Accounts, using the CAPITAL core solution. The FY98-99
DRAc was prepared, in accordance with the Department's Resource
Accounting Policy Manual (RAPM), ready for NAO audit in September.
The implementation of the Project CAPITAL programme at JARIC has
been subject to a number of technical teething problems, many
of which arose from the Agency's participation as an early Implementation
site for the Project. A rudimentary output costing methodology
was implemented at JARIC in December 1997 and data has been collected
ever since. An officer from the Management Accountancy Services
(Army) is currently attached to JARIC to carry out a feasibility
study into the basis for a more refined output costing procedure.
Output costs will be communicated to customers via CSAs which
are currently being developed, although CDI is effectively JARIC's
principal customer.
24. Mil Svy Mil Svy has made good
progress in implementing Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB)
as part of Project CAPITAL. In preparation for improved management
under RAB the Agency has been re-structuring it's resource information
into an output orientated form. Output costings will be communicated
to customers via Customer/Supplier Agreements, which are currently
being developed with its TLB customers.
Q11. Private sector involvement
25. JARIC All JARIC's IT and non-IT
hardware maintenance is contracted-out. All infrastructure, cleaning,
transport, etc services are provided by SERCO under the RAF Brampton/Wyton
contracting-out arrangements.
26. Mil Svy Mil Svy has a number
of contracts with the private sector. Contracts supporting the
Agency's infrastructure include the ICL/COMAX PPP contract for
IT and media support (which includes support to the DIS Old War
Office Building) and separate building maintenance, catering and
cleaning contracts. The Agency has external contracts to achieve
some of its map production outputs.
Q12. Efficiency programme
27. JARIC JARIC has met its annual
efficiency Key Target each year since the Agency's inception.
The targets have been met through a number of measures, each of
which is recorded in the annual Efficiency Plan. Major efficiencies
have been effected through rationalisation measures, some civilianisation
of Service posts, the re-negotiation of the hardware maintenance
contract and technological improvements.
28. Mil Svy Mil Svy continues to
meet its annual efficiency Key Target through in-house rationalisation
of production flow-lines, reduction of overheads, utilisation
of new technology (MDS, see para 12), civilianisation of military
posts and estate rationalisation.
Q13. Year 2000 compliance
29. JARIC All critical IT systems
at JARIC, ***, are already Y2K compliant ***.
30. Mil Svy A substantial Y2K programme
has been addressed, partly in conjunction with the US National
Imagery and Mapping Agency. The programme is scheduled for completion
in October 1999. Many constituent projects are already complete,
***.
The Agency is optimistic that this project will
be completed on time but if not a contingency plan has been developed
to meet any operational demands placed on the system.
AGENCY KEY TARGETS
JARIC—1998-99
Key Target 1: To provide operational
intelligence support as follows:
— 98% of Priority 1 tasks to be completed
within 24 hours of the receipt of appropriate imagery.
— 92% of Priority 2 tasks to be completed
within 48 hours of the receipt of appropriate imagery.
— 88% of Priority 3 tasks to be completed
within seven days of the receipt of appropriate imagery.
Key Target 2: To provide detached Service
personnel as required up to a total of 22 at any one time.
Key Target 3: To complete strategic,
non-operational intelligence requirements and other tasks as follows:
— 92% of Priority 1 tasks to be completed
within 24 hours of the receipt of appropriate imagery.
— 88% of Priority 2 tasks to be completed
within 48 hours of the receipt of appropriate imagery.
— 80% of Priority 3 tasks to be completed
within seven days of the receipt of appropriate imagery.
— 75% of Priority 4 tasks to be completed
within six weeks of the receipt of appropriate imagery.
Key Target 4: To revise the methodology
of measuring the degree of customer satisfaction with the service
provided.
Key Target 5: To achieve a 2.5% improvement
in efficiency.
Key Target 6: To conduct evaluation of
reconnaissance systems for MoD and other Governments within agreed
times and allocated resources.
Performance: All targets were achieved.
JARIC—1999-2000
Key Target 1: To satisfy 95% of operational
requirements for imagery, imagery intelligence (IMINT) and imagery-derived
products within the timescales specified in the Customer Agreement.
Key Target 2: To provide detached Service
personnel for intelligence-related support to operations duties
(up to a maximum of 6% of the Service strength at any time).
Key Target 3: To satisfy 85% of non-operational
requirements for imagery, imagery intelligence (IMINT) and imagery-derived
products and services within the timescales specified in the Customer
Agreement.
Key Target 4: To achieve a 3% improvement
in efficiency.
Key Target 5: To establish the baseline
for measurement of customer satisfaction with the Agency's products
and services.
Performance: Key Target 3 has been exceeded
and Key Target 4 could not be sustained during Kosovo.
MIL SVY—1998-99
Key Target 1: To satisfy 100% of requirements
for geographic support to current operations within the timescales
agreed between the Agency and its customers.
Key Target 2: To agree with the Joint
Customer Group by March 1999, a process for measuring the degree
of customer satisfaction with the service provided.
Key Target 3: To complete the agreed
annual production programme on time and to cost.
Key Target 4: To establish by March 1999
a process for measuring the degree of satisfaction the Library
service provides.
Key Target 5: To maintain the readiness
state of the required Field Support elements of the Agency as
required by the Department.
Performance: All targets were achieved
with the exception of Key Target Two.
MIL SVY—1999-2000
Key Target 1: To satisfy 100% of requirements
for geographic support to current operations within the timescale
agreed between the Agency and its customers.
Key Target 2: To establish the baseline
for measurement of customer satisfaction with the Agency's products
and services.
Key Target 3: To complete the agreed
annual production programme on time and to cost.
Key Target 4: To establish the baseline
measurement of the effectiveness of the Agency's geographic information
holdings in meeting customer requirements.
Key Target 5: To maintain the readiness
state of the required Field Support elements of the Agency as
required by the Department.
Key Target 6: To achieve a 3% improvement
in efficiency.
Performance: All targets currently on
schedule.
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