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.
History
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
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]
