There has been one very subtle, but unpublicised, change in the procurement system in recent years which has "saved" Billions, but at the expense of starving Servicemen of much needed kit.
Throughout GW1, Bosnia, GW2 etc, Urgent Operational Requirements (UORs) had to be delivered while still maintaining schedule on other "routine" programmes. However, one is now permitted to delay these programmes if there is a UOR. Not all are delayed, but it is a ready made excuse adopted by many.
So, while MoD trumpets the delivery of UORs costing a few hundred million, they fail to mention that higher value, and arguably equally important programmes, have been delayed. In Treasury speak, such deliberate deferral amounts to a saving, but what it actually does is prevent timely delivery of properly endorsed programmes. The question becomes - What is the nett spend?