 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(May 2011) |
| Formation | 1966 |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Export of British arms |
Parent organization | Department for Business and Trade |
UK Defence and Security Exports (UKDSE), formerly known as Defence & Security Organisation (DSO) and the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO), [1] is an organisation within the Department for Business and Trade responsible for helping British arms companies export. [2]
The organisation was founded in 1966 by Denis Healey, the Secretary of State for Defence at the time. In January of that year he informed Parliament that "while the Government attach[es] the highest importance to making progress in the field of arms control and disarmament, we must also take what practical steps we can to ensure that this country does not fail to secure its rightful share of this valuable commercial market." [1] Founded as the Defence Sales Organisation, the organisation was renamed the Defence Export Services Organisation in 1985. [1]
On 26 July 2007 Gordon Brown announced that the DESO would be transferred to UK Trade & Investment from April 2008, and would be renamed to UKTI Defence and Security Group. [3] [4]
The DESO has traditionally been headed by executives of defence companies who are officially seconded from their employer and continue to receive their salary. [5] Historically a third of the DESO's 500 staff were involved in support of the Al Yamamah contracts with Saudi Arabia. [5] DESO is involved in the Defence Systems & Equipment International exhibition. These contracts stayed within the remit of the Ministry of Defence when the DESO became part of UKTI.[ citation needed ]
In July 2020, the organisation was renamed UK Defence and Security Exports. [6]
DESO had an overall operating budget for 2006/7 of £51.438 million, largely covered by income received from customer governments, leaving a residue of just under £16 million provided by the British Government. For 2006/2007 it identified its priority markets as Greece, India, Japan, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United States. [7]
As of 1 February 2007, it had 466 staff on its books. [7] [1] Nearly 400 are based in London with another 100 located in offices in 17 countries worldwide, including 65 based in Saudi Arabia. [1] The DESO also works with military attachés based in around 80 UK embassies when necessary. [1]
Each year, DESO carries out a 'Strategic Market Analysis' which provides world and regional market overviews as well as more detailed analysis of key country markets. According to its website, "Successive Customer Satisfaction Surveys of the UK defence industry revealed that over 75% of [arms export orders] would not have been achieved without the assistance of DESO". [9]
Since 1998, DESO has represented the Ministry of Defence in support of the UK Defence Industry at an average of 12 overseas arms fairs a year. In addition to its international marketing campaign DESO helps organise the UK's two main arms fairs, Defence Systems and Equipment International (DSEi), and Farnborough Airshow, which take place in alternate years.
DESO is responsible for inviting the international military delegations to both of these events.[ citation needed ]
The Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party of England and Wales as well as around 30 NGOs have signed a statement calling for DESO's closure. They allege that not enough concern is given to the impact of arms sales on human rights, development or conflict. For instance, in 2004, UK arms export licenses were granted to 13 of the 20 'major countries of concern' identified by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in its 2005 Human Rights Annual Report. (See Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Human Rights Annual Report 2005.)
In 2007, three campaigning groups - CAAT, the SPEAK Network and Fellowship of Reconciliation - organised campaigns for DESO to be shut down. On 26 July 2007 Gordon Brown announced that DESO would be closed. [3] [4]
British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer that was formed in 1977. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. It purchased Marconi Electronic Systems, the defence electronics and naval shipbuilding subsidiary of the General Electric Company, in 1999 to form BAE Systems.
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational aerospace, defence and information security company, based in London, England. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe and the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. Its largest operations are in the United Kingdom and in the United States, where its BAE Systems Inc. subsidiary is one of the six largest suppliers to the US Department of Defense. Its next biggest markets are Saudi Arabia, then Australia; other major markets include Canada, Japan, India, Turkey, Qatar, Oman and Sweden. The company was formed on 30 November 1999 by the £7.7 billion purchase of and merger of Marconi Electronic Systems (MES), the defence electronics and naval shipbuilding subsidiary of the General Electric Company plc (GEC), with British Aerospace, an aircraft, munitions and naval systems manufacturer.
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Al Yamamah is the name of a series of record arms sales by the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia, paid for by the delivery of up to 600,000 barrels (95,000 m3) of crude oil per day to the British government. The prime contractor has been BAE Systems and its predecessor British Aerospace. The first sales occurred in September 1985 and the most recent contract for 72 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighters was signed in August 2006.
The arms industry, also known as the defense industry, military industry, or the arms trade, is a global industry which manufactures and sells weapons and other military technology to a variety of customers, including the armed forces of states and civilian individuals and organizations. Products of the arms industry include weapons, munitions, weapons platforms, communications systems, and other electronics, and related equipment. The arms industry also provides defense-related services, such as logistical and operational support. As a matter of policy, many governments of industrialized countries maintain or support a network of organizations, facilities, and resources to produce weapons and equipment for their military forces. This is often referred to as a defense industrial base. Entities involved in arms production for military purposes vary widely, and include private sector commercial firms, state-owned enterprises and public sector organizations, and scientific and academic institutions. Such entities perform a wide variety of functions, including research and development, engineering, production, and servicing of military material, equipment, and facilities. The weapons they produce are often made, maintained, and stored in arsenals.
Defence and Security Equipment International is a biennial defence and security trade exhibition which serves as a forum between governments, national armed forces, industry, and academics, held at ExCeL London.
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The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) is a UK-based campaigning organisation working towards the abolition of the international arms trade. It was founded in 1974 by a coalition of peace groups. It has been involved in several high-profile campaigns, including a legal challenge against the Serious Fraud Office's decision to suspend a corruption investigation into BAE Systems in 2007. On 27 September 2012, it was honoured with a Right Livelihood Award for its "innovative and effective campaigning".
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John Pix Weston CBE FREng is a British businessman.
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According to the British government, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have long been close allies. Relations between the two countries date back to 1848, when Faisal bin Turki, ruler of the Second Saudi state, formally requested the support of the British Political Resident in Bushire for his representative in Trucial Oman.
Sam Walton is a British peace activist and, as of March 2020, Chief Executive of Free Tibet and Tibet Watch. He is most well known for his arrest on 29 January 2017 at Warton Aerodrome, Lancashire on suspicion of criminal damage after attempting to "disarm war planes" which he believed were bound for Saudi Arabia.
UK arms export refers to trades of UK-made weapons around the world. The country is one of the world’s most successful arms exporters. According to the analysis by Action on Armed Violence, Military arms deals have been prepared £39bn between 2008 and 2017.
During the Yemeni civil war, Saudi Arabia led an Arab coalition of nine nations from the Middle East and parts of Africa in response to calls from the internationally recognized pro-Saudi president of Yemen Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi for military support after he was ousted by the Houthi movement due to economic and political grievances, and fled to Saudi Arabia.
MBDA UK is the British division of the pan-European missile systems company MBDA. Formed in 2001, the company has developed, both independently and in cooperation, a range of missile systems, including the CAMM missile family, Storm Shadow cruise missile, ASRAAM air-to-air missile and Meteor beyond-visual-range missile (BVRAAM).
Deso, DeSo, or DESO may refer to:
