MoD trumpets 'Innovation Strategy' for buying kit

In the wake of the recent, highly-controversial departure of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) kit-purchasing chief - erstwhile drugs'n'sweets multimillionaire Lord Drayson, who claimed he was quitting to race bio-alcohol cars - there has been a good deal of silence from the MoD war-tech offices. Publication of the updated …

[Spleen]

Beyond belief

It sounds like the plot for a bad role-playing game.

"Journey to the Six Towers of Excellence and place the magic crystals on each of the Five Pillars. Then you will fight the Research Directors twelve (make sure to put on your fire resistance kit) with a save point after the sixth and eleventh."

[Peter Fielden-Weston]

Same Old Story

Thing haven't changed singe I joined up in '67.

The ONLY time that the forces will get what they NEED to fulfill the politicians dreams of glory, is when (not if) the self same politicians are physically in danger from enemy action. Then watch the slimy buggers spend the defense budget.

[amanfromMars]

Wakey wakey ........ Idiots'r'us

Dear MOD,

Whenever you decide to buy some NEUKlearer Alien technology, which will take care of All of your woes and friendly fire problems, be a good chap, and send an Instant Message just to prove that you are not brain dead or brain-washed into either inaction or handing everything over to the enemy. You have been taken on and are are being taken for a treacherous, traitorous ride and all in $ervice of Preserving a Failed and Failing Military Industrial Complex which is too much like a Fourth Reich to be either wholesome or trusted.

In the meantime, watch these Registered Spaces for RealTime AIResearch and dDevelopments Pinging Eastwards for Customers Bases and Joint Mutually Beneficial Additional Ventures because, quite frankly, you haven't got a clue about what is going on even when you are told, which may mean that your electronic communications are compromised too. It is either that or you are just not intelligent enough for todays Virtualised Environment of Quantum Communications and Electronic CyberWarefare?

And a Flame because it is needed to set you alight?

Maybe the problem is that Seven Sevens for C42 Quantum Control Systems is too cheap so therefore XXXXPect IT to be at least Nine for AIPerfect Ten System should you ever get your Act together.....and if that doesn't suit then we'll go even higher to a round Ten ...as in £7,777,777,777. After All, what's a few billion amongst friends whenever hundreds of billions are so easily lost and written off although some would suspect that they are just pilfered and stolen because the System is Corrupt at the Top. QuITe franky, who appears to care, which is another one of your problems, because it then renders the value of money worthless and only an Artificial Control used for Control Subjugation by Anonymous Cowards.

[Anonymous Coward]

just one correction

Polaris is long gone, we now use trident which as you can guess is American too.

Defence procurement is, and will always be a joke in this country as long as it is politicians and not the Ministry of Defence who sign and agree to all equipment purchases.

A typical example seems to be anything that wastelands (Westlands) is involved with, just look at the future lynx and problems they are having with Merlin. Let alone when they try to sell abroad (VH-71)

Next example would be for the Hawk advanced trainer replacement which was recently selected, and shock horror, the replacement is to be the latest version of the venerable hawk.

Only reason this happened was due to the contract not being opened for tender, and there being only one party (BAE) who had the ability to bid for the contract.

Not being funny or anti British here but we need to wake up and realise that the equipment our armed forces needs is NOT necessarily available from British sources. There is equipment available from foreign sourced that is more capable and believe it or not cheaper than we can produce

[Christopher Rogers]

Sad but true

We do lean on everyone else for our defence now and its because our own industry is incapable of building something worthwhile.

But, the government will always squeeze our soldiers. And some day it will result in a British Army disaster.

Sad.

P.S. amanfrommars - whataloadofshite.

[amanfromMars]

How Sad, Sad but true .......

.....that we agree on the problem but you have not ideas to share for ITs [re]solution. A bit of a waste of space then your comment.

Sad that it is ever so, so oft the case thus to condemn and confine one to serving the Past rather than building the Future.

[The Sceptic]

Just to clarify

Army Funding:

Spending for the army has gone up considerably (34 billion this year if memory serves me right) - its the army chiefs who have decided to allocate less to soldiers & more to technology. I dare say none of the big guns had to go without body armour although by delegating responsibility to the government may address moral within the army that the soldiers are simply being screwed.

Towers of Excellence:

This sounds like another newly qualified graduate idea with no foundation outside the theoretical world. You can have all the standards in the world but if no ones trained to use them what good are they - no doubt another expensive juggle of resources, brings new meaning to the term 'Buying Time'.

American Trends:

I think the American trend of putting technology into projects simply because they can is going to bite us as it has America. The culture is double edged - organisations promising to provide a service to make a sale & the government delegating responsibility in case of failure. There appears to be no real commitment now days with maintenance cost after successful completion being completely omitted (the US - Mexican border fiasco springs to mind)

Any way - its easier now days to request 100 million for a new project than 100 thousand for a new staff member who can actually do the job.

[Francis Fish]

Dilbert mission statement

It reads like a bad mission statement - I bet they paid some management consultancy to write it and just rubber stamped it.

Joss sticks and whalesong replaced with the joyous noise of cluster bombs...