Originally Posted by
FODPlod
My money is on Sir Bernard Gray, Chief of Defence Materiel and Head of Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S). As a 3* responsible for delivering a joint (strategic?) capability, Sir Stephen Hillier will probably be reporting direct to him anyway, just like his equally-ranking counterparts, the Chiefs of Materiel for Fleet, Land and Air.
Hate to ruin the OPs fishing (good job!), but the actual appointment is DCDS Mil Cap. It's the post in MB that fights the budget battles for capability.
The Director Carrier strike who works for him is an RN 2* and there's a light blue 1* who works for him running the CEPP desk....
Not for the first time Lord West is not showing himself as a beacon of common sense...