Gray area

摘要

For the Coalition Government, the commercialisation of UK defence is a work in progress. In 2013 focus will be drawn on the privatisation of defence acquisition and the possible creation of a Government-Owned Contractor-Operated (GOCO) body to manage and run an organisation that spends up to £14bn a year - over 40% of the UK defence budget. A central figure in this process is Bernard Gray, whose role within the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has grown over the years as his ideas on acquisition reform have met with greater and greater acceptance among ministers. "Unlike many others who talk about the problems facing defence procurement, he talks about solutions," then Secretary of Defence Dr Liam Fox said of Gray on his appointment as Chief of Defence Materiel (CDM) in December 2010.