1 Introduction
1. The Defence Committee has undertaken regular inquiries
into defence equipment procurement and the performance of the
Defence Procurement Agency (DPA). In June 2006, the MoD announced
that the DPA and the Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO) were
to merge on 2 April 2007 to create a new integrated procurement
and support organisation called Defence Equipment and Support
(DE&S). In our Defence Procurement 2006 report, published
on 8 December 2006, we examined the performance of the DPA, the
progress of a selection of equipment programmes, and how the planned
merger was progressing.[1]
2. The merger of the DPA and the DLO took place on
2 April 2007 and, at this date, DE&S had some 29,000 staff
and a budget of some £16 billion—43% of the defence
budget.[2] General Sir
Kevin O'Donoghue, Chief of Defence Logistics,[3]
was appointed as the first Chief of Defence Materiel (CDM), the
head of DE&S. In this inquiry, we examined the first year
of DE&S operation, current and future issues facing DE&S,
and the progress on a selection of key equipment programmes.
3. We held an oral evidence session on 29 January
2008 with General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue, David Gould, Chief Operating
Officer, and Lieutenant General Dick Applegate, Chief of Materiel
(Land). We received written evidence from the MoD, the Council
for National Parks, the Society of British Aerospace Companies
(SBAC), and Prospect Bicester Area. We are grateful to all those
who contributed to our inquiry including our specialist advisers.
1 Defence Committee, First Report of Session 2006-07,
Defence Procurement 2006, HC 56 Back
2
DE&S in brief, April 2007 Back
3
Head of the Defence Logistics Organisation Back
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