The Ministry of Defence, that bastion of efficiency, has been rumbled. The National Audit Office has refused to approve the MoD's accounts this summer after auditors were unable to find equipment with £6.6 billion, including about a sixth of the vehicles, weapons and radios used by British troops.
The equipment includes £1.25 billion of machine guns, encrypted radios, night vision goggles and body armour, as well as more than £5 billion of raw materials and spare parts for equipment and vehicles.
To be fair, our troops have been involved in two major wars in the past few years and the logistics of recording and moving equipment must be a nightmare, but to lose £6.6 billion's worth is just incompetence. Let's not forget this is the same government department which can't keep track of equipment used within their own Whitehall offices so it's not surprising they have problems tracking equipment being used half way round the world.
The military have, in the distant past, had a good record for 'stock control' but that was in the days when it was supervised by number crunchers who kept paper records. Today it seems records are kept on computers and we all know how efficient government departments are at using IT.
A system is due to be introduced next month to track frontline equipment and a single official will take responsibility for overseeing support for operations in Afghanistan. Wouldn't that be a good job for Bob Ainsworth? On second thoughts perhaps not.
The MoD was unable to prove that the equipment actually existed in many cases and could not, for example, prove the existence of 3,500 radios sent to troops that were worth £155 million.
How could this happen? Surely items such as delivery notes, invoices and statements are still used in business? Of course they are but obviously the MoD don't think they're important.
This is the government department which repeatedly issues comments such as: "The troops have every piece of equipment they require."
We now know they can't prove it don't we?
Source: The Times
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23 comments:
Unbelievable!
We still have invoices which can be tied up to delivery notes, and aren't passed for payment until such time as they are matched.
Of course, I appreciate that the MOD is a big organisation, but thats an awful lot of our tax money that just can't be accounted for.
Incompetence or theft?
3,500 Radios worth £155 million?
Thats £44,285.71 each?
For a radio?
Surely that can't be right?
Taxpayer Rip-off alarm?
The Mod and its predecessor the War Ministry have been incompetent since at least the time of the Crimean War. Think - the present inablity to supply adequate weaponry, transport and armour forthe troops, not enough shells in World War 1; the supply foul ups in the Boer War - the list is endless. But I bet the little pleasures in life for the brass aren't missing nor are their various pet schemes.
The explanation is unclear but I suspect the conflicting military interests, the overuling of normal civilian standards by the top brass, the fact that being an upper class toff officer doesn't actually make you a good manager, through to the frequent cases of corruption make it unmanageable as it is currently constituted.
Everything says it's not fit for purpose and never has been and never will be as long as it is controlled by the military and we have 3 competing sets of forces for the money - hence duplication and featherbedded solid god purchasing.
The Tories won't reform it - too many kinfolk on the gravy train setting aside that Liam Fox is too dim to understand. The need to give the royal parasites sinecures to swan around in helicopters, taking more leave than the rest of the officer class put together - not to mention the need to give Kron Prinz Karl somewhere to pin medals he hasn't earned all conspire to keep the MoD as a welfare home foretheupper crust. Until a government is willing to tackle the old corruption public money will drain out of the ministry and the poor blody infantry will be starved of what it needs.
Sorry for the rant.
Well done for picking up on that Beastfromhull. I was going to make a comment about it in the post but who am I to argue with the accomplished journalists at the Times?
More likely that corruption plays a part in this than incompetence!
I thought your rant was most justified Richard T....and full of good common sense, no nonsense truth.
I think I said they had a 'good' record Richard, not anywhere near excellent right enough, but it certainly has diminished in recent years.
What's with the 'upper class toff officer' description? I know many officers who are not upper class or toffs. Somehow I think you're back before the 70s when Sandhurst only permitted those with money to enter its hallowed gates.
Nowadays they realise they need intelligent and educated officers, regardless of backgrounds. The bi-annual intakes still include those from the upper classes who just want Sandhurst on their CV and do their 3 years in a soft cushy environment then pop off to the City to work, but more and more the intake is young people who have first class degrees and decide upon a career in the army.
I would agree the MoD is far too large and out to be divided into the 3 military areas with a common ground between, but as you say this won't happen because politicians don't make sensible decision.
There is the matter of training foreigners at Sandhurst of course, but that's another subject altogether.
Subrosa, my sights were drawn on the upper echelons - the desk warrior brass in Whitehall not the proper officers doing a superb job in the field. Get hold of a Whitakers almanac and just see what they're paid (although the high living at public expense in seriously subsidised quarters with servants isn't actually admitted), what they do and how they duplicate each other and the civil servants.
Why worry ?
The EU has failed its audit for fourteen straight years.
Unfortunately the investors in this enterprise (us) are forced to keep investing !
If journalists could track down a 45p bath plug they ought to be able to find 7 billion quids worth of military equipment that has apparently hidden itself. How come our armed forces know almost exactly what equipment they don't have but the MoD hasn't a clue what they do have?
Perhaps some eagle-eyed military expert could look a little more closely at what the Taliban are armed with?
Will this become just another "innocent mistake" and "lessons will be learned"?
Ho Ho Ho, in my MOD days I could get hundred's of pounds (read thousands today) of kit out on a docket and walk out the door with it.
Funny thing was the storeman got really upset when I requested two bic pens, I was told that since I only wrote with one hand I could only get one pen.
Like something out of a Carry on picture and nothing appears to have changed
SR,
At Richard T - clearly you haven't got a fuckin clue sat there in your armchair slagging me and my kind off. Officer Class my bahookie, over 1/2 of those joining BRNC, Sandhurst or Cranwell have come from Comprehensive School/Scottish Academy educational backgounds for the best part of 15/20 years and are well grounded.
The whole Logistic chain is controlled by a number of Civilianised Agencies/ Organisations where 2 and 3* Officers sit with their Civil Service counterparts and run the supply chain fwd and rear to Afghanistan through Pakistan. Ship's that deploy sail with a full stores inventory, those that they do not have room for are sent out when necessary, the same with RAF Squadrons.
Be in no doubt that those who run the Logisitic Operations know their arse from their elbows, so much so that they have been dragged into the NHS to advise them as consultants on how to supply Tamiflu during the swine flu pandemic.
Your kind I eat for breakfast, if you had half a brain cell you'd be dangerous. You Sir are a waste of rations.
Madame as you can guess it's thundery here and possibly a little stormy!
Crazy D
The UK - a country of nonentities, controlled by mediocrities, and led by liabilities:0)
Where do you think the 'desk warriirs' come from Richard? Dug out of some upper class trench somewhere?
They're men who have proved themselves in the field and I assure you many don't want to be sitting behind any desk, they'd far rather spend their final years in the military along with their men.
I don't need a Whitackers almanac for the pay of high grade officers Richard, their pay scale is very visible online.
If you're referring to retired officers then I cannot comment but if you're talking about serving officers I do think you're not mixing with today's men.
Right enough Guthrum, I thought about that when I wrote this.
Exactly Clarinda, but it's always been the same because civil service 'agencies' run the control of equipment not the actual regiments these days.
I expect lessons will never be learned.
Seems to depend on the regiment then Dram. Some used to be most efficient at keeping track of every piece of equipment.
Is Canada much better scunnert? I don't have much info about their military.
"Is Canada much better scunnert? I don't have much info about their military."
Unfortunately corruption and incompetence are universal Subrosa. The UK has nothing to teach Canada in that department. I was being provocative.
Here's one Canadian military leader who was an exception:
http://tiny.cc/v5V8m
Thanks for that scunnert.
Excellent really they must be given a standing ovation. The EU's accounts have not been signed of in 14 years and now the malaise has spread across the pond.
Is this a growing trend we see? What is next the Treasury?
Now there's a question Spitfire. Do you think the treasury would come out of an audit with all books balancing?
Lovely blog btw, I've added it to my roll.
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