The Defence Support Group (DSG) was an executive agency and wholly owned trading fund of the Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom. It was established on 1 April 2008 by the merger of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency and the Army Base Repair Organisation.[1] It was created under The Defence Support Group Trading Fund Order 2008.[2] Part of the group was sold to Babcock International on 31 March 2015, while the remainder became the Defence Electronics and Components Agency (DECA) on 1 April 2015.

Defence Support Group
Agency overview
Formed2008
Dissolved2015
JurisdictionUnited Kingdom
HeadquartersAndover, England, United Kingdom
Minister responsible
Agency executive
  • Archie Hughes, Chief executive
Parent agencyMinistry of Defence
Websitewww.dsg.mod.uk

History

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DSG employed about 3,500 staff,[when?] with its head office in Andover. Annual turnover was in excess of £200 million.[when?] The chief executive was Archie Hughes, formerly from the Defence Aviation Repair Agency.

DSG offered maintenance, repair and overhaul of military air and land equipment, mobile and in-barracks equipment support, fleet management, calibration, electronics, components and logistic support. It was one of the largest defence engineering service providers in the UK.

DSG undertook a partnership with both Deeside College and Airbus UK to train its aeronautical engineers based at RAF Sealand.[when?]

Sale

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In October 2010 the government announced that DSG was to be sold off,[3] along with other corporate assets, telecommunications spectrum and Marchwood Military Port.

In November 2014, Babcock International was announced as the preferred buyer of DSG's land repair and maintenance business, and a sale for £140 million was reached in December 2014.[4] The sale was completed on 1 April 2015.

The remaining air division and the Electronics and Components business unit remained under MOD ownership, and on 1 April 2015 became the Defence Electronics and Components Agency.[5]

Installations

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The main sites were:

Smaller support sites were:

References

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  1. ^ "DARA-ABRO Merger announcement". Archived from the original on 1 February 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  2. ^ The Defence Support Group Trading Fund Order 2008
  3. ^ "Spending Review 2010 - The Ministry of Defence". Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  4. ^ "UK MoD Sells DSG to Babcock". Defense News. 17 December 2014.
  5. ^ "Buyer chosen for MoD's Defence Support Group". BBC News. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
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