Leadership is the central explanation offered for recurring defence procurement failures. Britain and America provide cases at different scales, from a medium power to a superpower. The same political and managerial problems can affect tanks and aircraft as well as ships. Several failures can combine within one programme, even when one becomes the most visible reason for cancellation or a reduced order.
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Procurement leadership across ships, tanks, and aircraft
A comparative argument about recurring leadership failures in British and American defence procurement.