S41 - thanks for the recommendation - but tours in town don't appeal - been there and done that!
Whoever does end up as DCDS CAP needs to be able to fight off the idea that requirements can all be measured and traded off against each other scientifically across capability areas. Great idea in theory, but actually generates an entire self-serving process dedicated to fiddling with scenarios, high and low level OA and requirementeering for requirementeerings sake. Don't get me wrong - the idea of Joint capabilities is a given, we're not in the position that replacing service-led capabilities with more of the same is inherently justifiable. However, any procurement process has to be able to move in a timely manner, not just sit endlessly waiting for the next iteration of OA.
Speaking of which, I see one of my favourite horror stories\- the Fleet tanker, is back in the contracts bulletin - less than a year after being shunted three years right. Straight into a brand-new contracting exercise after the reprofiling in PR09 led to cancelling a tender process when the IPT had the jester's feet, which allegedly resulted in a fairly high-level snotty gram from the Korean MoD with two RoK firms bidding.
Still a ludicrous £800M for six ships, when the commercial equivalent can be had for $70M each. Would still need a bespoke design for the flightdeck hangar and accommodation, but come on, got to be double what we should be paying!