On 22 August 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth Field, King Richard III led the last charge of knights in English history. Although their historical validity is debatable, Shakespeare’s immortal words capture the essence of the moment: a king thrown from his horse and on the verge of defeat. To this day, historians and theater audiences argue whether Richard desired the horse to flee in cowardice or to continue to fight to the bitter end; either way he needed a horse and, in his desperation, was willing to pay any price to any provider. This paper discusses the procurement of...

Sovereignty is the authority of a state to govern itself—the ability to operate free from external control. To understand the role of sovereignty in the procurement of military equipment, it is first necessary to understand the portrayal of sovereignty within the context of international relations. The paradigms of international relations are both numerous and varied in their context, each likely to provide a different perspective of the problem. The international order is typically expressed in two ways: importance of power and importance of institutions.¹ Therefore, for the purpose of this study, the two contrasting theories of neorealism and economic...

Over the past two decades, the key policy directives regarding UK equipment sovereignty and collaboration were the 1991 NAO-sponsored report Ministry of Defence: Collaborative Projects; the 2005 Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) white paper; and the 2012 National Security through Technology white paper. The MOD’s performance in executing these policies can be measured through the MPRs presented to Parliament annually. The reports detail cost and time performance of the largest defense projects that the department has chosen to invest in. The United Kingdom’s approach to sovereignty over past decades in terms of policy and practice is described next.

Published in February...

The primary source of evidence used in this paper to determine the performance of equipment projects is the National Audit Office’s annual major projects reports. The NAO is independent of the British government and is responsible to Parliament, under the direction of the comptroller and auditor general, for the scrutiny of public spending. The comptroller and auditor general have statutory authority to report to Parliament on whether departments have used their resources effectively, efficiently, and with economy. Each year they present to Parliament data on the cost, time frame, and performance of the 16 largest (by cost) defense projects in...

In this chapter, four case studies highlight and develop some of the issues realized in recent sovereign and collaborative projects. The first case is the United Kingdom’s sovereign procurement of the Type 45 destroyer. It illustrates the conflict between a nation’s need to deliver operational advantage through state-of-the-art military equipment and the practical demand to spread the associated high development costs across collaborative partnerships. The second is the European collaborative development of the Eurofighter/Typhoon fourth-generation fighter. Again, the project suffered major issues with aligning interests, resulting in numerous cost increases and time delays. However, when one considers the fighter project...

This chapter considers the level of importance that the United Kingdom should place on sovereignty in future procurement activities. In particular, it assesses the merit of collaboration as a strategic alternative to manage affordability. First, it provides the context in which these procurement strategies will likely be employed. The focus is on two contradictory strategic drivers: economic resource and technology. Second, it recommends ways to modify current policy to maximize the benefits of both sovereignty and collaboration.

In late 2013, many analysts believed that the United Kingdom had weathered the worst of the financial storm and questioned what role the...

With these words, the balance of power at Bosworth Field shifted decisively. Lord Thomas Stanley committed his forces to the service of the House of Lancaster and Henry, Earl of Richmond. This betrayal sealed the fate of “the third sun of York.” One can only imagine Richard’s emotions: anger, dismay, apprehension? Whatever the emotion, it should not have been disbelief; throughout his turbulent history, Richard III had participated in a murderous game of power politics. He had witnessed his brother’s rise to—and temporary removal from—the throne due to subtle shifts in the balance of power orchestrated by the...