It was an odd comment because anybody in Whitehall who spent 10 minutes in 2019-20 figuring out what I was trying to do knew I'd been going on about defence procurement for YEARS, written long reports on Manhattan and ICBMs and Apollo etc.
Truth was -- most of the most senior in MoD wanted me to disappear because they didn't want scrutiny; many elsewhere in the system, MoD and forces and deep state generally, wanted me to push scrutiny and wanted change.
In 2020, this scrutiny revealed many disasters like AJAX which MoD admitted were disasters which shd be closed.
We agreed on more money but in return, honest budgets, money for new things, close the disasters, new procurement etc.
What happened after I left: the new money got tipped into the disasters which all continued, didn't invest in drones and AI, continued with lying budgets and broken procurement, and continued cannibalising budgets for the nuclear shitshow...
I said at the start of UKR that SW1 wouldn't face reality even with a new war.
Dear Anthony, From my "far away trip" in California (Stanford) and then Texas (Rice University and then UT Dallas), I got a chance to read - thanks to you - the summary of the strategy document. I think that it summarises the "how and how much", but not the "what for" that you mention in your article, and there is little indication how/if it will unfold in practice. Perhaps a brief one-day workshop somewhere would help generate discussion and understanding of the strategic actions that are envisioned. All the best, Erol
It was an odd comment because anybody in Whitehall who spent 10 minutes in 2019-20 figuring out what I was trying to do knew I'd been going on about defence procurement for YEARS, written long reports on Manhattan and ICBMs and Apollo etc.
Truth was -- most of the most senior in MoD wanted me to disappear because they didn't want scrutiny; many elsewhere in the system, MoD and forces and deep state generally, wanted me to push scrutiny and wanted change.
In 2020, this scrutiny revealed many disasters like AJAX which MoD admitted were disasters which shd be closed.
We agreed on more money but in return, honest budgets, money for new things, close the disasters, new procurement etc.
What happened after I left: the new money got tipped into the disasters which all continued, didn't invest in drones and AI, continued with lying budgets and broken procurement, and continued cannibalising budgets for the nuclear shitshow...
I said at the start of UKR that SW1 wouldn't face reality even with a new war.
Here we are...
I think it was a joke ... but like many good jokes it conveys a kernel of truth!
Dear Anthony, From my "far away trip" in California (Stanford) and then Texas (Rice University and then UT Dallas), I got a chance to read - thanks to you - the summary of the strategy document. I think that it summarises the "how and how much", but not the "what for" that you mention in your article, and there is little indication how/if it will unfold in practice. Perhaps a brief one-day workshop somewhere would help generate discussion and understanding of the strategic actions that are envisioned. All the best, Erol