13.9 If the future military career management model is to meet both Defence and single Services needs and ensure consistency with the overall operating model, it needs to balance a number of criteria:
• as a rule, delivery functions should not be undertaken in Head Office;
• processes should be built on trust to harness rather than enforce behaviours;
• be designed around the breadth and diversity of Defence balancing single Service and Defence requirements;
• appropriate delegation, empowering Chiefs with the levers to deliver their Services;
• alignment of authority, responsibility and accountability;
• the need to develop future environmental experts;
• designed for the new 1 star generation whose behaviours reflect extensive joint operations and joint staff training; and,
• support the need for efficiency and reduced overheads.
13.10 We assessed a number of models for military career management, including full joint career management, against these criteria and in the light of our proposals on the overall operating model that are set out in the preceding chapters. Full joint career management of the senior military cadre would have the benefits of enabling the best use of the top talent across the Armed Forces, aiding consistency across the Services and incentivising a corporate approach and behaviours in key posts. However, it would centralise from the Service Chiefs a key delivery lever, when the majority of senior military posts are in single Service structures, it would create a fault line in career management and it risks an increased overhead. On balance, therefore, we do not believe there needs to be such a significant change to the career management model. It seems to us better for the Services to retain the primary responsibility for career management, but to make adjustments to the model to ensure that single Service decisions are aligned with wider Defence interests and a joint perspective.
13.11 We propose therefore that the Department adopts a 'joint assured model' for military career management. This model seeks to preserve the strengths of the current system - the link between career management and the Services' responsibility for force generation, the single Services' knowledge of their people, and the rigour of Service promotion and appointment boards to assess performance and potential. But it also seeks to increase transparency, ensure a Defence perspective is factored fully into relevant appointments and encourage the development of officers with strong joint credentials. Such a model would see:
• the optimisation of procedures around standardised best practice, with only minimal tolerable environmental variations between the Services;
• increased transparency and assurance through the addition of an independent member (ideally with a management or HR background) from the private sector on single Service senior promotion and appointing boards to offer independent scrutiny and challenge that the best individuals are being selected, broaden perspectives and spread best practice. Ideally, 3 members should rotate between the Services and submit an annual assurance report on their findings ;
• an extension of the Senior Appointments Committee's (SAC) mandate to include a ratification function for single Service selections to Defence posts, all 3 star posts and 2 stars in key single Service / Defence interface posts. Responsibility for selections should lie with the Service; we would envisage that these would only need to be challenged by exception, if Defence interests were jeopardised;
• the current SAC initiative to identify and develop talent across the Armed Forces through consideration of top military posts and individuals formalized. This should include allowing the Services to propose more than one candidate for an appointment where they judge that they have suitable candidates;
• the SAC's membership reinforced by PUS (for budgetary and management assessment of candidates), a private sector member (to provide an independent view) and Commander JFC (to champion a joint perspective);
• the development of a formal process to involve reporting officers - military and civilian - in the appointment of senior military personnel, to ensure that candidates have the appropriate skills to meet the job specification. The membership of the SAC is designed to ensure that in all cases the employer will have a representative on the committee; and,
• responsibility for recommending future single Service Chief appointments to the Defence Secretary should sit with CDS, advised by the current incumbent.