The United Kingdom has a new entity to oversee defense integration across the government, with industry and international allies.
UK Strategic Command introduced the Integration Design Authority at the recent Defence & Security Equipment International held in London.
According to Lt. Gen. Tom Copinger-Symes, who heads StratCom, IDA is “an important outcome” of the military unit’s operating model.
The authority will serve as the “focal point” for the Ministry of Defence’s goal of establishing an Integrated Force. One of its roles is to provide Integration as a Service to the Defence Force Development Board. IDA will also advise on standards, risks and opportunities to deliver integrated effects.
“The IDA will be focussed on Defence-level outcomes, and this is where we will define value in capabilities rather than just viewing through a narrow financial lens,” said Maj. Gen. Robin Anderton-Brown, capability director at StratCom. “It will move our thinking from traditional project-level outputs to integrated outcomes.”
The command also envisions IDA to expand its community of interest further and embed integration across MoD.