Publications /
Policy Paper

Back
Defence & Security Acquisition – a Guide to a Complex System
Authors
John Louth
Trevor Taylor
August 22, 2017

This paper reports on the vital relationship between government and defence industries, and how the core features necessary for defence and security capabilities can be delivered in the national interest. The paper will examine how a defence acquisition process can be set up so as to enable defence businesses to thrive within and beyond national borders, and to ensure that they support the forward plans of government, the military and security services.

Taking a seven stage approach, this paper will define the whole of the defence acquisition process. It will start by focusing on the importance of defence capability requirements, as framed through a conventional Western taxonomy. It will then address the approvals process by decision makers at Ministry and governmental level, through which verification is obtained that the requirements meet defence policy, are feasible and affordable. The paper will then look at how the approvals process leadings to the start of the procurement stage, and after this how the support needs will be address. Approaching the end, the paper will then address the disposal requirements. Finally, it will study how all these tasks should be executed in an integrated and coherent fashion by the defence community, and the international dimension to many projects involving other partner governments.

In summary, the paper will introduce the reader to acquisition and through-life capability management in a systemic and comprehensive manner, but it should not be taken as an exhaustive map of the field. The topics examined are often contentious and there are many ways that states generate force capabilities; still, this paper offers a sensible and well-tested approach to defence acquisition, formed through Western experience.

RELATED CONTENT

  • Authors
    June 10, 2025
    This study draws on academic and gray literature to identify the dynamics that facilitate the emergence and proliferation of armed groups and increase vulnerabilities to violent extremism (VE). Given the growing concerns about the spread of VE to northern Benin and the rising incidents of violence, it is crucial to address these underlying factors in order to bolster community cohesion and resilience to violent conflict-particularly against recruitment and influence by violent extre ...
  • Authors
    Pierre Jacquemot
    May 23, 2025
    L’espoir d’une paix durable dans la région des Grands Lacs de l’Afrique centrale est-il enfin permis ? Depuis le début des années 1990, les conflits armés dans les deux provinces du Kivu et l’Ituri à l’est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) se cristallisent dans des formes d’une rare violence. Pour sortir de cette crise récurrente, un accord de non-agression entre la RD Congo et son voisin, le Rwanda, accusé d’interférence, constitue un préalable. Mais il n’est ...
  • April 18, 2025
    In this episode, we discuss the Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland, exploring its key terms and strategic motivations. We assess how the deal reshapes the securit ...
  • Authors
    April 11, 2025
    Syria’s post-conflict transition, marked by the fall of the Assad regime and the appointment of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, will be a critical opportunity for renewal while confronting significant challenges. The country must navigate a complex landscape of political fragmentation, economic hardship, and security risks. This policy brief explores Syria’s prospects for reconstruction and long-term stability by assessing recent political reforms, economic recovery strategies, a ...
  • Authors
    April 8, 2025
    The Russia–Ukraine war, while primarily perceived as a European security crisis, has triggered deep structural shocks globally, disproportionately affecting the developing world—the “New South.” This essay explores how historical legacies, global economic dependencies, and shifting geoeconomic paradigms have converged through the war to exacerbate existing vulnerabilities in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. It critically examines the war’s impact through four interc ...
  • Authors
    Fadoua Ammari
    March 13, 2025
    L’extrémisme violent au Sahel trouve ses racines dans une combinaison de facteurs historique, politique et socio-économique, tels que l’instabilité étatique, la marginalisation de certaines communautés et l’influence d’idéologies transnationales. Ce Papier retrace l’émergence et l’expansion de groupes comme Al-Qaïda au Maghreb Islamique (AQMI) et l’État islamique au Grand Sahara (EIGS), ainsi que leur fragmentation, illustrée par la création de nouveaux groupes, comme le ...
  • Authors
    February 12, 2025
    تتناول هذه الورقة السياسية النزاعات العنيفة المستمرة في السودان، مع التركيز بشكل خاص على الحرب التي اندلعت في الـ15 من أبريل 2023، بين القوات المسلحة السودانية وقوات الدعم السريع. يسلط التحليل الضوء على خلفية هذا النزاع الذي نشب بفعل فشل الانتقال الديمقراطي، بعد الإطاحة بالرئيس عمر البشير سنة 2019. كانت البداية مليئة بالتفاؤل، حيث تم توقيع اتفاق لتقاسم السلطة بين الفصائل العسكرية والمدنية، ولكن هذا الاتفاق انهار سريعاً، وبلغ الانهيار ذروته بحدوث انقلاب عسكري في أكتوبر من سنة 2021. ه ...
  • February 11, 2025
    يخصص مركز السياسات من أجل الجنوب الجديد حلقة خاصة من برنامجه الأسبوعي "حديث الثلاثاء" بمناسبة اليوم العالمي للوقاية من التطرف العنيف، لمناقشة موضوع " التطرف العنيف في إفريقيا: بين تحديات الأمن ومسارات التنمية" في ديسمبر 2022، اعتمدت الأمم المتحدة "اليوم العالمي للوقاية من التطرف العنيف...
  • December 26, 2024
    في ظل استمرار الحرب على غزة والقرارات الأممية غير الملزمة بوقف إطلاق النار، نتساءل عن مدى فعالية هذه القرارات على أرض الواقع. نناقش في هذه الحلقة إعادة الإعمار كعملية تتجاوز البناء المادي لتشمل إعادة بناء الثقة والمؤسسات، مع تسليط الضوء على التحديات في سوريا بعد سقوط نظام بشار الأسد وتأ...