mismanaged programme
If I may just say, there is a difference between mismanaging a well-resourced programme, and struggling to manage a poorly resourced one. When the AWACS through-life costs were bid for, this was a Service HQ responsibility. In the mid-90s, these HQ posts had long gone, and the work defaulted to whoever had the gumption to do it. Sometimes that was soemone in the HQ, more often it was a project manager in MoD(PE) (by which time it is far too late). In 1996, the Chief of Defence Procurement instructed his PE staff to cease doing this for the Services. Those few who knew how just ignored him; but by 1999, with the demise of MoD(PE), this work more or less ceased altogether. It so happens the AWACS programme had perhaps the best suited person for this, with vast experience across the Fleet Air Arm (having previously served in the RAF). If he couldn't persuade the 'system' to get it's act together, nobody could.