Functions & Organisation of an MOD

Centre for Defence Leadership & Management | College of Management & Technology | Defence Academy of the UK

Functions & Organisation of an MOD

MDWSC Georgia

Nov/Dec 2011

Colonel Andrew Cliffe


Agenda

• Functions of an MOD.

• Organisation of an MOD.

• UK MOD | Head Office.

• UK Defence Reform.


Functions of an MOD

Functions & Organisation

of an MOD


Why a Ministry of Defence?

• Isn’t Defence a Technical issue?

• Don’t decisions have to be taken by Experts?

• What can a Ministry, staffed by civilians, add?


What are Defence Forces?

• They are an Executive Arm of Government.

• They implement policy.

• They do not make policy.


What do Defence Forces Do?

• They exist to underpin the domestic & foreign policies of the State with violence or the threat of violence.

• They also have other skills that can be used in various contexts.


Clausewitz

• What he said:□ ‘War is a continuation of State policy

with the addition of other means.’

• What he meant was:□ ‘Any use of military forces must have a

purpose’.


So What?

• Every country (& every government) needs a Defence Policy…□ just like it needs a Foreign Policy, a

Law & Order Policy & a Health Policy.

• Someone needs to be in charge of the policy.


Making Defence Policy(1)

Defence Policy

Political advice

Operational & tactical advice

Financial & procuremen

t advice

Advice about

views of other

nations


Making Defence Policy(1)

• Defence is not purely a ‘technical’ subject, of interest to specialists alone…

• …policy is always made in a wider context, both domestic & international.


Basic Functions of a MOD (1)

• Helping the Minister & the government make Defence Policy.

• Dealing with the parliamentary & political aspects of Defence.

• Ensuring that the government’s policies are carried out.

• Assisting the Minister in debates within government.


Basic Functions of a MOD (2)

• Procurement.

• Financial management.

• Programme management.

• Management of civilian personnel.

• Organisation & efficiency.

• Public relations.


Possible Other MOD Functions

• High-level direction of operations & exercises.

• Recruitment, training & administration.

• Research & development.

• Intelligence analysis

• Direct command of units.


Organisation of an MOD


of an MOD


MODs seem to vary

• Foreign ministries & finance ministries are often very similar.

• But defence ministries in various countries are often very different

• Why is this?


Reasons for Variation

• Geographic concentration.

• Policy-Implementation boundary.

• Issues of political interest.

• Institutional integrity.

• Defence vs single service staff.


Policy-implementation boundary

• National Military Commander (NMC).□ Planning & conducting operations.

• Chief of Defence (CHOD):□ Provision of military advice on Defence policy.

• Levels of activity:□ Strategic-Operational-Tactical.

• Political interest.


Levels of Activity

Strategic

Operational

TacticalEmployment of units in combat and where battles are planned and executed

Campaigns are planned, conducted, & sustained to accomplish strategic objectives

The development of activity to secure national defence objectives

Employment of security organisations to deliver specific goals & outcomes

Planning, management & support to accomplish strategic objectives

The development of activity to secure national security objectives


Political interest

Physical training

Low flying


Institutional integrity

• Organisation structured to assist in achieving objectives:□ Honesty | Fairness | Effectiveness.

• Influences:□ Previous colonial powers.□ Style of wider Government.□ Tradition or trend-following.□ Availability of civilian cadre.


Three types of MOD structure

• Parallel structures.

• Parallel hierarchies.

• Integrated hierarchy.


Parallel Structures

• National defence

HQ: technical

military issues.

• MOD: largely

civilian | deals in

policy & finance.

MODMODNational defence

HQ

National defence

HQ

MINISTER


Parallel Hierarchies


HQ: implements

policy.

• MOD: separate

military & civilian

hierarchies |

arranged by

functional area.

National defence HQ

National defence HQ

MINISTER


An integrated hierarchy


HQ: implements

policy.

• MOD: mixed military

& civilian

organisations

arranged by

functional area.

MODMOD

National defence HQ

National defence HQ

MINISTER


Integrated military advice:Anti-smuggling example


Collective Defence functions

• Military input to defence policy.

• Size & shape of each Service.

• Defence programme & major equipment projects.

• Operational planning.

• Intelligence.

• Logistics & personnel policy.


Individual Service functions

• Efficiency & operational readiness.

• Implementation of centrally-decided policy.

• Management of single-Service issues.

• Most recruiting & training.

• Generation of lower level operational requirements.


Integrated military advice

• Three options:□ Chiefs of Staff Committee.□ CHOD with small coordinating staff.□ CHOD with integrated defence staff.


Overcoming Service Bias

• Make clear that the Defence Staff is where decisions are taken:□ Send your best staff.

• Service in Defence Staff is pre-requisite for promotion.

• Large civilian presence.□ Transfer loyalty more easily.


Working methods | Structure

30


Role of Civilians

• Civil servants cannot control the military.

• However they represent the voter, citizen & tax-payer.

• They represent the bigger picture.

• They can work productively with the military & can direct them.


Role of military

• They are valued technical advisors & implementers of policy.

• They do not make policy, any more than a doctor makes health policy or a teacher, education policy.


Key questions

• Which functions will be carried out in the ministry & which elsewhere?

• To what extent is it realistic to have integrated military advice?

• Have respective roles of military & civilians been sorted out?

• Can a single harmonious working culture be created?


Keep the CENTRE strong

• There must be clear central direction of policy & programme.

• This produces a much better result than bargaining or adversarial process.

• Civilians & the military must work together.


UK MOD | Head Office


of an MOD


UK Defence Statistics• Employment:

□ 177,840: current full time trained strength | Excludes reserves.□ 17,850: women.□ 11,380: ethnic minority background.□ 85,590: civilians.

• Supporting the economy:□ 300,000: UK jobs supporting Defence & related industry or Defence

exports in 2007/8.

• Property:□ 240,000: hectares owned by the Ministry of Defence in the UK, making it

one of the largest landowners, or equal to 1% of the UK & including 50,000 Service family homes, 120 training areas as well as military bases.

• Budget:□ £36.9 billion: Departmental Budget in 2010/11.


Government Context

• Part of Government.□ A cog in broader Government machine.

• Military Assistance:□ Civil authorities can request military assistance.

• Cooperation:□ Work with others to support their, or deliver Defence, objectives.

• Public Expenditure Framework.□ Budget & Strategic Objectives set through Government’s

Spending Reviews | led by Treasury.□ Budget approved by Parliament & subject to legal limits.□ Accounts to Parliament for its performance.


Vision & Aim

• Vision:□ Defending UK & its interests.□ Strengthening international peace & stability.□ Acting as force for good in the world.

• Aim:□ Deliver security for the people of UK &

Overseas Territories by defending them, including against terrorism; & act as a force for good by strengthening international peace & stability.


Objectives

• Delivering the Defence Aim requires three Departmental Strategic Objectives to be achieved:□ Achieve success in the military tasks

undertaken at home & abroad.□ Be ready to respond to the tasks that might

arise□ Build for the future.


Head Office History

Admiralty

War Office

Air Ministry

Ministry of Aviation

Ministry of Defence

1947-1964

5 separate Depts of State Unified Head Office

1964+


Defence Ministers

Phillip Hammond MP


UK MOD Roles

• Advising Government on Defence.

• Making policy & setting Defence strategy.

• Planning & resource allocation.

• Management of Defence.

• Strategic Direction of military operations.


Head Office Organisation


UK MOD Departments(1)

500 500 100010001500 1500

Civilian staff Military staff

Human Resources & Corporate Services1717 43

Chief Scientific Advisor

Director General Strategy

Director General Finance

Director Defence Commercial

Surgeon General

Chief of Defence Intelligence

99

4

2948

2799

74

127

1076

161

792

1669


UK MOD Departments (2)

500 500 100010001500 1500

Civilian staff Military staff

Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Personnel & Training1113 241

Director General Top level Budget

Director Central Legal services

Chief Information Officer

Director Media & Communications

Director General Security Policy & Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Operations

Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Capability

3

30

272

192

343

86

168

106

232

104

5

31


Civilian Skills & Benefits

• Political-strategic level:□ Working with politicians | other government

depts & ministries | other nations | media.□ Less tactical baggage.

• Specialist skills:□ Finance | programming | diplomacy | etc.

• Continuity.

• Cost (to train & ‘X’ Factor).


Employ military capability

Prime-minister & Cabinet

Joint Task Force HQ

Maritime Land Air

Home

In Theatre

Chiefs of Staff Cttee

Hd Office

Permanent Joint HQ

Defence Crisis Management Organisation


Defence OrganisationSecretary of State for Defence & Ministers

Principal Advisors: CDS & PUSDefence Board Members: VCDS, 2nd PUS, CNS, CGS, CAS, CDM, CSA, Fin Dir & NEDs

Head Office

ProcessOwners

Senior ResponsibleOwners

Royal Navy Army Royal Air Force

TOP LEVEL BUDGETS

Ro

yal

Nav

y C

om

ma

nd

Lan

d F

orc

es

Air

Co

mm

an

d

Per

ma

nen

t Jo

int

HQ

Def

ence

Est

ate

s

Def

ence

Eq

uip

men

t &

Su

pp

ort

Sci

ence

, In

no

vati

on

&

Tec

hn

olo

gy

Cen

tre

TL

B

Trading Funds

Met Office

DSTL

Etc


Expenditure by TLB

Defence Estates (2715)

Defence Equipment& support (15195)

Land Command(6678)

Maritime Command(2173)

Science & Technology(507)

Ch of Jt Ops(397)

Administration(2294)

All figures in £Millions


Defence Agencies• Delivering specialist services to Defence & other countries.

• Some embedded within Top Level Budgets | others financed by the sale of goods or services to Defence, other Government departments & commercial customers.

• Secretary of State has ultimate responsibility & is accountable to Parliament for their activities.

Defence Storage & Distribution Agency

Defence Vetting Agency

Met OfficeMOD Police & Guarding Service

UK Hydrographic Office


UK Defence Reform


of an MOD


Defence Reviews

Options for Change (1990)

Front Line First (1994)

Strategic Def Rev (SDR) (1997/8)

SDR New Chapter (2002)

CONTEST (2009)

Defence Reform (2011)

SD&SR (2010)


Defence Reform

• Study: Aug 10 to Jul 11.

• First review since 1980s.

• Key driver: over-extended programme.

• Largely External team.

• 53 Recommendations.

• Implementation driven by Ministers & senior leadership.


Key Recommendations

• New & smaller Defence Board.

• Clarify responsibilities.

• Smaller more strategic Head Office.

• Strengthen financial & performance management.

• Joint Forces Command.

• Longer postings & more transparent & joint career management.


New Defence Operating Model

Prime-minister & NSC

Defence Secretary & Ministers

Defence Board

Head Office

EnableEnable Generate & DevelopGenerate & Develop OperateOperate

AcquireAcquire

Indu

stry

Indu

stry

Sys

& S

vces

Sys

& S

vces

For

ce E

lem

ents

For

ce E

lem

ents

Ope

ratio

nsO

pera

tions

CDSDirective

Strategic req& budget

Proposedsolution

Agree solution& budget

Proposedsolution

Navy Command

Land Command

Air Command

Joint Command

PJHQ

DSF

Def Bus Svces

Def Infra Org

DSTL

DE&S


Joint Force Command

• Strengthen focus on Joint Warfare development.

• Some enabling military capabilities best delivered jointly.

• Capabilities may include:□ Intelligence | Logistic | SF | Medical.

• Challenge: getting the balance right.


Defence Transformation

• Defence does not like change:□ Bottom-fed | home grown staff.

• Previously under-estimated how hard it is to change behaviour & culture | amount of resources required

• Turnover of staff.

• Senior leadership communicates late & fails to engage effectively.


Defence Transformation

“When I was working on Streamlining three or four years ago, I went back through all of the attempts at change over the past 40 to 50 years, since Mountbatten in the 60’s, and at each stage it is very clear that the analysis is the same. We have to change both from the top down and the bottom up, but it's about empowerment; it's about trust…”

2 PUS | John Day

Virtual Townhall Teleconference

5 Sep 11


Behaviours Campaign

• Greater Leader visibility.

• Increase evidence-based decisions.

• New ways of working:□ Improve process.□ Reduce people.

• Incentivise to encourage right behaviours.


Defence Academy Role

• Centre for Defence Leadership & Management.□ Centre of Excellence.□ Strategic Leadership.□ Transformation | Change Management.

• Leadership model.

• New ways of working:□ Experimentation | Consultancy.


New Ways of Working

• Differ depending onyour experience &background.

• Common feature: use of new materials, new techniques & new technology.

• Also opportunity introduced by recent legislation & changes in professional practice.


Functions & Organisation of an MOD

MDWSC Georgia

Nov/Dec 2011

Colonel Andrew Cliffe

Documents

Functions & Organisation of an MOD