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The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) was established as an MoD Executive Agency on 1 July 2001 and has operated as a Trading Fund since that date. Dstl exists to provide independent, high quality scientific and technological services to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the UK Armed Forces and other Government Departments, in those areas considered inappropriate for the private sector.
The services provided by Dstl to the MoD and other parts of Government are wide-ranging and include support for current military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is regarded as a world authority in many fields of defence research.
Since it was established, Dstl has been successful in meeting the financial targets set for it and has paid an annual dividend to the MoD. It has also demonstrated a good track record against its Key Targets. As a Trading Fund, Dstl is allowed to retain profit for future investment: it is making a major investment in rationalising Dstl sites from 15 to three. The cost of building and refurbishment on the remaining sites has a target price of £92 million. It will be important for Dstl to draw on outside project management expertise to monitor closely the progress against cost and time targets for this work.
The Defence Technology Strategy launched in October 2006 will have a substantial impact on Dstl's future work. Dstl will need to align its expertise, programmes and capabilities with the MoD's requirements as set out in the Strategy.
The UK spending on defence research is just over a tenth of what the US spends and the gap appears to be widening. UK operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are having an impact on the UK's defence research, as there is a focus on short-term research to support these operations. The MoD is seeking greater investment by industry in defence research. However, to maintain the UK's global position in defence research further investment by the MoD and Government is required. Without such investment the UK's long-term military capability will be substantially reduced.
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