Meet the specialist team delivering fast-paced projects for the Army, Navy and Special Forces

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Nick Taylor, Head of DE&S’ Soldier, Training and Special Projects team talks with Desider about the innovative work of his team and the delivery of high-quality, well-supported equipment.

The Soldier, Training and Special Projects (STSP) Delivery Group is a team of around 280 people, delivering a portfolio of 650 projects for the Army, Navy and Special Forces. The group comprises four delivery teams aligned to particular capabilities: dismounted close combat, specialist and autonomous mobility, training and simulation systems, and specialist explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), search, exploitation and countermeasures.

The team oversees a variety of small, fast-paced projects, which can quickly respond to evolving operational needs. STSP uses a number of different methods to rapidly deliver these, including framework agreements, pipeline approaches and novel outsourced support arrangements.

Nick said: “STSP’s collective success is measured by the delivery of high-quality, well-supported equipment to the end-users and this drives what we do. It is a testament to the team’s professionalism and skill that we are frequently praised by our clients, who operate in the most demanding circumstances, be they infantry soldiers, EOD technicians, Special Forces operators or those developing their skills and careers in training establishments.

“My role is to create and sustain the environment that allows the delivery teams to succeed. I look for opportunities for them to learn from each other, exploit the similarities between their projects, share resources and manage strong relationships with stakeholders.

“Each portfolio within STSP is focused on a different area of capability; however they frequently interact with each other, as decisions in one portfolio impact on the others. The varied focus of the work provides a wide range of employment experiences and opportunities, with a support network that allows team members to develop, while delivering capability and the sense of achievement that goes with it.

“They are always looking for more innovative delivery models and opportunities to learn from existing projects. That innovative spirit was evident when the call went out for help with personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement during the pandemic. The team realised, because of their background in sourcing protection for front-line troops, it would be more effective to assign a whole section of STSP to the PPE effort rather than individual team members. The new group hit the ground running, using their established industry contacts and their ability to already operate as a well-honed group. They had an amazing impact on PPE availability, quickly delivering millions of items to the NHS.

“For me, leading any team in DE&S or Defence is a privilege, but when what you deliver is so interesting, it turns a good job into a fantastic one. The thing I’m most proud of is creating such a diverse and inclusive team with a single ethos, despite the differences in their outputs.”