Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) is a trading entity and joint-defence organisation within the UK Ministry of Defence. It began operating on 2 April 2007, following the merger of the MoD's Defence Procurement Agency and the Defence Logistics Organisation, under the Chief Executive Officer of Defence Equipment and Support. DE&S initially had a civilian and military workforce of around 29,000 (77 per cent civilian and 23 per cent military) in the UK and abroad. By 2022, the DE&S workforce had reduced to around 11,500 with the majority based at MoD Abbey Wood in Bristol.

History

Defence Equipment and Support was established on 2 April 2007. It is overseen by the Minister of State for Defence Procurement. The organisation supports Strategic Command and the individual armed services through Navy Command, Army Headquarters and Headquarters Air Command.

Strategic governance

Defence Equipment and Support Board

Board members include: Mark Russell became chairman in November 2019. The board provides strategic governance for DE&S and a forum for independent, non-executive support and constructive challenge to the Chief Executive and the Executive Committee. The DE&S board delegates some activities to sub-committees, namely the Audit, Remuneration, Programme Review and Nomination Committees. The Chairman ensures that the board receives feedback on these sub-committees and that it is able to consider their recommendations.

Direction and oversight

Executive Committee Defence Equipment and Support

Members of the executive committee include: DE&S is led on a day-to-day basis by the Executive Committee, which consists of the Chief Executive Officer, Director Finance, Director Human Resources, Director Strategy & Corporate Operations, and five Director Generals who lead the delivery of the programme of work in their respective domains.

Sub-committees

The following subordinate Committees provide specialised support to the Executive Committee.

Administration of DE&S and senior leadership

The organisation has been under the leadership of a civilian Chief Executive Officer of Defence Equipment and Support since 2015.

Chief Executive Officer of Defence Equipment and Support

Director General for Air/Army/Navy/Strategic Enablers/Commercial/Resources

The Chiefs of Materiel (CofMs), now Director Generals (DGs), are responsible for managing key relationships with the capability sponsor and user. They work at the strategic level to make sure that the operational readiness and sustainability needs of the user are met. The DGs ensure that an ethos of support to operations is in place throughout all DE&S activity.

Chief of Fleet Support

Director General (Ships)

Directorate of Ships Support

Directorate of Ships Acquisition

Chief of Materiel (Submarines)

This group now is part of the Submarine Delivery Agency.

Directorate of Submarine Acquisitions

Directorate of Submarines Support

Director General (Land)

Directorate of Land Equipment

Directorate of Weapons

Director General (Air)

Directorate of Air Support

Directorate of Combat Air

Director General Strategic Enablers

Directorate of Intelligence, Surveillance, Target, Acquisition & Reconnaissance

Directorate of Engineering & Safety

Directorate of Digital Information

Directorate of Programmes & Change

Directorate of Helicopters

Directorate of Support

Directorate-General (Commercial)

Commercial Operations

Commercial Capability

Commercial Improvements

Directorate-General (Resources)

Financial Planning & Analysis

Directorate Human Resources

Deputy Director HR Head of Function – HR

HR Operations

Performance & Reward

Talent & Organisation Development

HR (Strategic Enablers)

HR (Land)

HR (Air & Ships)

HR (Military Human Resources & Commanding Officer)

Directorate Strategy & Change

International Relations Group

Corporate Communications

COVID-19 Operations Cell

Major projects

DE&S manages over 600 defence procurement and support programmes for the UK's armed services. Examples of current and future procurement projects include:

Ships

Aircraft

Vehicles

Munitions

Other

Main locations

As of 2016 the main locations (with staff numbers) were: Responsibility for 'Logistics, Commodities and Services' (including storage and delivery of non-weaponry equipment, such as food and clothing, to soldiers) was contracted out to the private sector in 2015 under an arrangement that included the transfer of 1,100 staff and construction of a new Defence Fulfilment Centre at MoD Donnington.

Attribution

This article contains text from this source: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/526950/DES_Corporate_Plan_201619-20160526.pdf. © Crown copyright, which is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0