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The following question was recently put to the Deputy Chief of Defence Logistics, in 'Ask DCDL' - a quarterly service enabling DLO personnel to submit a question via e-mail to Tim Flesher, Deputy Chief of Defence Logistics, that he will answer personally. The Questions and his answers are then published.
Question:
Can I ask whether the DLO Board is aware of a recently-published book entitled "Lions, Donkeys and Dinosaurs: Waste and Blundering in the Armed Forces"? Written by a former naval officer who left the service in 2004, it is highly critical of the DLO, the DPA and indeed many other elements of the MOD and the armed forces.
The DLO's entry in the book's glossary reads:
Another paragraph on the DLO states:
Do you share my concern that, firstly, a former customer of the DLO has formed such a low opinion of the organisation and, secondly, that this opinion is now being disseminated to the public at large - particularly those with an active interest in Defence matters?
The DCDL replied that he was aware of the book but, not having read it, not of the colourful quotes about the DLO.
Answer:
I find it worrying that the DCDL considers the author's views of the DLO and DPA to be 'dismissive'. I think it is safe to say the if it’s evidence of how the DLO and DPA are performing, articles written by the Vice Chief and former CinC Fleet are hardly going to be impartial. It’s ironic that the DCDL has, if anything reinforced the views put forward in the book. He suggests that the only people who really know what’s going on (and whose opinions matter the most) are the most senior ranking officers and civil servants within the Defence Procurement and Defence Logistics Organisations. The DCDL, evidently has little regard for opinions of the rank and file desk officers whose job it is to try and make the DLO and DPA work often whilst fighting against a tide of bureaucracy, red tape, cut backs and constant change (which is not the same as continuous improvement).
Question:
Can I ask whether the DLO Board is aware of a recently-published book entitled "Lions, Donkeys and Dinosaurs: Waste and Blundering in the Armed Forces"? Written by a former naval officer who left the service in 2004, it is highly critical of the DLO, the DPA and indeed many other elements of the MOD and the armed forces.
The DLO's entry in the book's glossary reads:
Vast, inefficient bureaucracy created by nominally amalgamating the three armed services' logistics empires during the 1990s. Almost the only noticeable effect has been the appearance of another level of extremely senior uniformed management above the three single-service chieftains, and the slashing of stores holdings in line with commercial "just enough, just in time" efficiency principles. This has permitted the firing of numbers of inexpensive warehousemen and the sale of large amounts of defence real estate but has not addressed the gigantic, slothful middle-ranking bureaucracy which was the real problem. Much of the DLO's management consists of serving or former uniformed officers but its 30 000 rank and file are mostly civil servants.
Another paragraph on the DLO states:
And the story isn't any better with logistics, as anyone with recent experience of the Defence Logistics Organisation will tell you. Perhaps the DLO might be a bit more helpful if its boss gave a hoot what other forces people thought of him. As he is currently a four-star air marshal, and thus has no need to consider the opinions of anyone below ministerial rank, the often slothful and bloody-minded bean-counters of the DLO seem unlikely to mend their ways.
Do you share my concern that, firstly, a former customer of the DLO has formed such a low opinion of the organisation and, secondly, that this opinion is now being disseminated to the public at large - particularly those with an active interest in Defence matters?
The DCDL replied that he was aware of the book but, not having read it, not of the colourful quotes about the DLO.
Answer:
I am not sure how much first hand experience the author has of the issues to which he refers but clearly I would much rather such stories did not appear, particularly when, as in this case, they are a travesty of the truth. But if I have learned anything in 30 years in the civil service it is that bad news sells newspapers, not balanced accounts of the facts. I do think, however, we should be more upfront about publicising our successes, of which our IPTs have many.
I am also confident that the dismissive views of the then Junior Naval Officer who wrote the book are not shared by those officers in the armed forces who are responsible for delivering operations around the world. And for evidence of that, consult the articles written by the former Vice Chief in the June 05 DLO News and former Commander in Chief Fleet in the November 05 DLO News.
I find it worrying that the DCDL considers the author's views of the DLO and DPA to be 'dismissive'. I think it is safe to say the if it’s evidence of how the DLO and DPA are performing, articles written by the Vice Chief and former CinC Fleet are hardly going to be impartial. It’s ironic that the DCDL has, if anything reinforced the views put forward in the book. He suggests that the only people who really know what’s going on (and whose opinions matter the most) are the most senior ranking officers and civil servants within the Defence Procurement and Defence Logistics Organisations. The DCDL, evidently has little regard for opinions of the rank and file desk officers whose job it is to try and make the DLO and DPA work often whilst fighting against a tide of bureaucracy, red tape, cut backs and constant change (which is not the same as continuous improvement).