He's forcing BAe and VT to form a JV on the basis of some fairly questionable assumptions as to what the UK will need in way of a shipbuilding / ship support infrastructure over the next thirty years. The senior civil serpent leading the MIS exercise has already said what he wants to happen and MinDP and his cronies are putting the screws on now. The only outcome from MIS will be initial sounds of satisfaction all round (from BAe and the centre anyway) followed by howls of anguish five years from now when they do the first costings for either FDC or the new surface combatant. If the MoD thinks this is going to work, they really ought to remeber the NAPNOC shenanigans for LPD........