| While Ground Support Equipment (GSE) may not be | | | | members of the armed forces. This may well be |
| the most exciting area of aerospace activity, it is | | | | necessary, not only to enable such individuals to be |
| critical in achieving successful aircraft operations in | | | | deployed at short notice, but also to ensure that they |
| both the civil and military spheres. For RAF operations | | | | are afforded the protection of the Geneva Convention |
| in particular, the adverse impact of indifferent GSE has | | | | while operating in a warlike environment. Work on this |
| been magnified over the course of the last decade as | | | | is on-going under a study sponsored by the DLO but |
| air power has moved from a static citadel concept on | | | | with implications across the whole of the MOD; it will |
| main operating bases of the Cold War period, to that | | | | be a factor for contractual arrangements in many |
| of deployed operations worldwide on a scale not seen | | | | service agreements in the future, especially as |
| since the end of the Second World War. Deficiencies | | | | contracts reach further and further up the support |
| in aircraft GSE that might have been disguised by | | | | chain to the fighter in the field. The CONDO Study |
| increasing the numbers of equipment, have now been | | | | Team have been engaging industry in their |
| exposed as supply chains have lengthened and where | | | | deliberations and will be sharing their findings to inform |
| the demands of mobility have not been brought to | | | | innovative proposals; however, such far-reaching |
| mind. However, while in-service GSE, ranging from the | | | | changes will take some time to evolve and are likely to |
| Electric Starting Trolley Accumulator Mk5, through to | | | | require changes to UK legislation and employment law. |
| the integrated logistic support policy for the Eurofighter | | | | Another key area is that of the relationship between |
| and its GSE may provide interest, a wider view of the | | | | the aircraft integrated project team (new ones in the |
| changing backdrop for the acquisition of this range of | | | | Defence Procurement Agency and in-service ones in |
| equipment is more appropriate. | | | | the DLO) and the ASIPT. Up to now as new aircraft |
| Firstly, there have been highly significant changes in the | | | | have entered service they have tended to introduce in |
| way that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will do | | | | their wake a whole raft of associated aircraft GSE, |
| business in the future. In particular, the Defence | | | | generally from the aircraft manufacturer, and invariably |
| Logistics Organisation (DLO) is the revised | | | | without an in-depth consideration of what else could be |
| arrangement for handling in-service support with the | | | | used to do the job. However, there are changes in this |
| new focus for GSE in the Aircraft Support Integrated | | | | philosophy beginning to show with strategies emerging |
| Project Team (ASIPT) at RAF Wyton. | | | | for the rationalization of equipment with the benefits of |
| Undoubtedly from the perspective of in-service GSE, | | | | a slimmed down inventory and a smaller logistic |
| where recently the pace of deployment of aircraft for | | | | footprint for multiple aircraft-type deployments. The |
| operations over Kosovo was dictated, to a significant | | | | benefits of being able to rationalize the inventory also |
| extent, by the lack of available aircraft cooling | | | | brings into consideration the relationship between what |
| equipment, the key to improved support in the delivery | | | | is really unique to the military and essential to the |
| of affordable air power is full exploitation of the cultural | | | | mission in comparison to that which is merely desirable. |
| changes arising from the formation of the DLO itself | | | | Designs to commercial rather than military standards |
| within the SMART procurement framework. For | | | | bring major savings as does procurement of |
| example, there is now in CDL an effective champion | | | | Commercially Off-The-Shelf (COTS) equipment. |
| for logistics and, particularly, life cycle support issues at | | | | Overall, the dialogue between Industry and the DLO is |
| the highest level; CDL is by right a member of the MoD | | | | being jointly led by its Partnering Support Steering |
| Equipment Approvals Committee, the Financial Planning | | | | Group, and much useful work has been produced, |
| Management Group, and the Defence Council. | | | | including the principles of partnering and the framework |
| Additionally, now that SMART procurement has | | | | for CONDO studies. In developing solutions from such |
| reached the state that there can be no return, the | | | | a dialogue, it is necessary to ensure that the unique |
| most major and potentially beneficial change of | | | | features of providing military logistics are properly |
| perception has been in seeing industry as a `partner' | | | | covered, including being able to handle the `fog of war' |
| rather than simply a 'supplier'. In such circumstances, | | | | and the knowledge that the risk cannot be shed by the |
| there is a proper recognition that industry has a wealth | | | | military commander at the point of delivery of force. |
| of expertise and experience to offer. Much of the | | | | Logistics has risen to be a vital component of air |
| changes in the MoD procedures are parallels of that | | | | power and these days logistics considerations, with |
| which is occurring in industry - streamlining business | | | | their embedded GSE, not only provide constraints for |
| processes in the airlines and the innovative | | | | a commander to work within, but they may also |
| management of British Airways' GSE through | | | | determine if he is sent to battle in the first place. |
| outsourcing, and fits well with the DLO's drive to | | | | These logistics constraints need, in future, to |
| embrace lean support concepts and reduce the | | | | encompass a whole life cycle support concept as well |
| burdens of excessive stockholdings. | | | | as joined-up supply chain considerations which will |
| Overall, the most obvious change in the MOD | | | | need to embrace fully e-business ideals including in the |
| processes with industry will be a willingness to look at | | | | MoD the Defence Electronic Commerce Service and |
| fresh ways of doing business. For some time there | | | | the Government Procurement Card (GPC). Now that |
| has been a general thrust towards longer-term | | | | a number of trials have been successfully completed |
| arrangements under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) | | | | on the GPC in the RAF, we could soon see the |
| initiatives. In the DLO there is project going through | | | | possibility of the technician ordering spares directly on |
| under PPP at present covering Airfield Support where | | | | the manufacturer from the GSE bay on the airfield. |
| the contenders of the contract have been asked to | | | | There are also opportunities for vendor managed GSE |
| provide a service at a number of military main | | | | inventory mirroring those the DLO are asking from |
| operating bases thereby subsuming a range of | | | | industry for `B' vehicle spares; this in turn will shift the |
| activities traditionally provided in-house. These activities | | | | balance of risk across the support chain spectrum of |
| include such aspects as aircraft refuelling, baggage | | | | first line deployed operations up from the factory. It is |
| handling, provision of fire vehicles, and so on - but the | | | | also worth remembering that there is still a physical |
| important factor is that the DLO is not specifying a | | | | supply chain to deliver real goods even with the |
| certain number of vehicles or GSE for procurement, | | | | e-string to speed it up. |
| only a level of service output to be achieved. How this | | | | In summary, in order to meet the demands of the |
| is to be accomplished will be up to the eventual | | | | modern world, our Armed Forces have to be capable |
| contractor but the breadth, depth, and length (in terms | | | | of going anywhere, operating anywhere, and being |
| of timescale) of this particular project are a clear | | | | supported anywhere - and provide the most value for |
| demonstration of the changes that are occurring now | | | | money. In the aircraft GSE arena, as in every other |
| on the ground. That is not to say that there will not be | | | | aspect of our services, this does mean a sound |
| teething difficulties and these do need to be exposed | | | | through life package for the equipment that is |
| and solved, however, the environment is now | | | | procured. The creation of the DLO and the CDL |
| conducive to mutually beneficial solutions of problems. | | | | appointment has given a powerful tool to achieve |
| For example, the UK military framework is one of | | | | these goals but these will not be reached without the |
| expeditionary warfare and in the RAF every | | | | co-operation and advice from industry. This seminar |
| uniformed individual will be established under a Crisis | | | | and its papers are an important part of sharing |
| Manpower Requirement against Planning Assumptions | | | | experience and developing the new relationships in |
| directly related to deployed warfare and multiple, | | | | order to change arrangements for mutual benefit. For |
| concurrent operations. In the context of contractors | | | | aircraft ground support equipment these changes will |
| providing a service that is critical to our deployed | | | | feed into improved export competitiveness for the |
| operations, those that can only be supplied at the | | | | external customer who, through economies of scale, |
| home base is of limited utility in an overseas crisis. One | | | | devolves as improvements in cost for the users in the |
| way to tackle this aspect in a context of a continuing | | | | RAF and elsewhere in our joint air operations. There is |
| reduction in the numbers of regular servicemen is | | | | an unprecedented opportunity for military-industrial |
| through the use of a concept of Contractors on | | | | partnering and, although changes in a deeply |
| Deployed Operations (CONDO for short). This may | | | | embedded culture do not appear overnight, the GSE |
| involve the use of Sponsored Reserves - members of | | | | community could start making a difference very soon. |
| the contractor's organization that also reserve | | | | |