Ministry of Defence should streamline its programme

The Steering Group believes an effective MOD is one which builds on the strengths of the individual Services and the Civil Service and does so within a single Defence framework that ensures the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

Many of the Steering Group's proposals are designed to help prevent the Department from getting into a poor financial position in the future and to put it in the position to make real savings.

There are 53 recommendations; key inclusions are:

• A clarification of the responsibilities of senior leaders, including the Permanent Secretary and the Chief of the Defence Staff.
• Creation of a new and smaller Defence Board chaired by the Defence Secretary to strengthen top level decision making.
• A move to make the Head Office smaller and more strategic: creating a high level balance of investment decisions, setting strategic direction and a strong corporate framework.
• Increased focus for the Service Chiefs on running their Services, empowering them to perform their role effectively with greater freedom to manage.
• A four star led Joint Forces Command.
• Strengthened financial and performance management throughout the Department to ensure future plans are affordable.
• A single, coherent Defence Infrastructure and Defence Business Services organisation.
• Improved management enabling the use of less senior military and civil personnel effectively.

The document raises many issues that are not new and have been noted by similar reviews.

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