On Defence Procurement

"Is Reform Enough? Assessing the Gap Between Challenges and Response in Defence Acquisition Reform", RUSI Defence Systems, June 2010, Vol. 13, No. 1. "The current enthusiasm for defence acquisition reform in the US and, especially, the UK cannot be understood outside the broader challenges facing the defence establishment in both nations. Indeed, while it is obviously important that the defence acquisition process be efficient, the hopes currently entertained for increased efficiency are out of proportion with the likely gains. In other words, there is a substantial gap between the broader challenges and the response in the realm of acquisition reform. The hopes persist because they promise to diminish the pain of the gap, and because they offer a way to justify strategic choices that would be less appealing if presented on their own terms."