22 September 2006 | Paul Snell

General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue is to lead the government's new defence procurement organisation.

General O'Donoghue takes up the post of chief of defence materiel in April 2007 and is expected to remain in the post until late 2008.

He is to head up Defence Equipment and Support, the new name for the merged Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) and Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO),

General O'Donoghue is currently chief of defence logistics at DLO, a role he has held since January 2005.

He said in a statement: "I am very pleased to have been selected. I look forward to the challenge to ensure the organisation is ready to perform from day one."

When the merger was announced in July, defence procurement minister Lord Drayson described the plans as "an excellent blueprint for change".

But there has been some unhappiness about MoD plans to co-locate staff from the DLO and DPA to the Bath/Bristol area. Next Monday (25 September), the Public and Commercial Services Union will announce the result of a ballot asking if members support a work-to-rule action.

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