2 |
Decision-making within government
91.
The Defence
Secretary is responsible for the direction and conduct of all
operations
by UK Armed
Forces.59
He provides
strategic direction, endorses the allocation of
resources
and sets the constraints on the use of force and is accountable to
Parliament
for all the
decisions and actions of Defence.60
92.
Force levels
and Rules of Engagement are subject to policy decisions
made
by Ministers,
taking into account legal advice. Those decisions are recorded
in
a CDS Directive.
93.
As a
Department of State, MOD Head Office ensures the conduct of
operations
reflects
the Defence Secretary’s direction and is consistent with wider
government
policy.61
Its focus
is at the strategic level: to define the ways in which military
force will
contribute
to the achievement of the Government’s current and future security
objectives
and to
determine the military means required to deliver them.
94.
As the most
senior civil servant in the Department of State, the PUS has
primary
responsibility
for policy, finance and administration in the MOD.62
95.
The PUS
provides policy advice to Ministers on current and potential
operations.63
96.
The PUS’s core
responsibilities and accountabilities comprise:
“•
Leading
[the Ministry of] Defence, with CDS (to Defence
Secretary).
•
Defence and
nuclear policy advice …
•
Accounting
Officer duties …
•
Developing
an affordable programme (to Defence Secretary).
•
Formulating
Defence strategy (with CDS) (to Defence Secretary).
•
Acting as
head of profession for MOD civil servants (to Defence
Secretary).
•
Co-ordinating
delivery of top level decision making …”
97.
The PUS is
also responsible for: “Leading the [MOD’s] relationship with
other
Government
Departments.”64
98.
The PUS is the
MOD’s Principal Accounting Office and is personally accountable
to
Parliament
for the expenditure of all public money voted for Defence
purposes.65
99.
As
professional head of the Armed Forces, the CDS is responsible for
the delivery
of military
capability, including the direction of military
operations.66
59
Ministry of
Defence, The New
Operating Model: How Defence Works, April
2013.
60
Ministry of
Defence, Defence
Framework – How Defence Works, September
2008, page 5.
61
Ministry of
Defence, Transforming
Defence, Version
3.0: December 2012, page 24.
62
Ministry of
Defence, Annual
Report and Accounts 2002-03.
63
Ministry of
Defence, The New
Operating Model: How Defence Works, April
2013.
64
Ministry of
Defence intranet, ‘Responsibilities of PUS’.
65
Ministry of
Defence, Annual
Report and Accounts 2002-03.
66
Ministry of
Defence, How Defence
Works – Defence Framework, September
2008, page 3.
283