Defence Support Group

{{Short description|Former government agency in the United Kingdom}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}

{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}

{{Infobox government agency

|agency_name = Defence Support Group

|nativename =

|type =

|logo = DefenceSupportGroup.svg

|logo_width = 180px

|logo_caption =

|seal =

|seal_width =

|seal_caption =

|formed = 2008

|preceding1 =

|preceding2 =

|dissolved = 2015

|superseding =

|jurisdiction = United Kingdom

|headquarters = Andover, England, United Kingdom

|region_code = GB

|coordinates =

|employees =

|budget =

|minister1_name = Philip Dunne MP

|minister1_pfo = Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

|chief1_name = Archie Hughes

|chief1_position = Chief executive

|agency_type =

|parent_agency = Ministry of Defence

|website = {{URL|http://www.dsg.mod.uk/}}

|footnotes =

|map =

|map_width =

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}}

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.{{Cite web |url=http://www.abro.mod.uk/news.asp?articleid=43 |title=DARA-ABRO Merger announcement |access-date=20 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201020853/http://www.abro.mod.uk/news.asp?articleid=43 |archive-date=1 February 2008 |url-status=dead }} It was created under The Defence Support Group Trading Fund Order 2008.[http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/563/contents/made The Defence Support Group Trading Fund Order 2008] 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.

History

DSG employed about 3,500 staff,{{when|date=January 2023}} with its head office in Andover. Annual turnover was in excess of £200 million.{{when|date=January 2023}} 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|date=January 2023}}

= Sale =

In October 2010 the government announced that DSG was to be sold off,{{Cite web |url=https://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=416078&SubjectId=2 |title=Spending Review 2010 - The Ministry of Defence |access-date=22 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308201115/https://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=416078&SubjectId=2 |archive-date=8 March 2012 |url-status=dead }} 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.{{cite news |title=UK MoD Sells DSG to Babcock |url=https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2014/12/17/uk-mod-sells-dsg-to-babcock/ |publisher=Defense News |date=17 December 2014}} 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.{{cite news |date=19 November 2014 |title=Buyer chosen for MoD's Defence Support Group |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-30114933 |newspaper=BBC News |accessdate=19 November 2014}}

Installations

The main sites were:

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Smaller support sites were:

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References

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