From a recent speech by General Sir Mike Jackson:
It takes more than soldiers to win wars. DFID’s aims are to relieve poverty, unqualified from geography and wider aims. But its aims are split from the Foreign Office. If the Foreign Office wants A, DFID will do B. This won’t do. The world is too important a place. This independence of action is a luxury to many. DFID, for example, spends more money than anywhere else on India – an emerging economy. I don’t understand the logic.
And just in case you thought the Defence guys had got away with it…
The Ministry of Defence is not agile enough. There are too many people in the MoD with the ability to say ‘No’ without the responsibility on that issue. Too many people who see process as the main purpose of the MoD.
And as for the Treasury…
