The Council is supported by four standing Boards:
- the Chemical Biological Defence & Human Sciences Board (CB&HTB);
- the Information Superiority Board (ISB);
- the Precision Attack Systems Board (PASB); and
- the Battlespace Manoeuvre Systems Board (BMSB).
In addition, three groups covering Operational Analysis, Sensors and Materials support the Council and its Boards. Council and its Boards are further supported by a Register of about 180 independent members who can be called on for specific tasks such as manning Working Parties (WPs) or Audits.
Council and the Boards deliver most of their advice through reports produced by single-issue WPs, which disband on completion of their task. DSAC also organises Defence Science Seminars when it wishes to transmit a key message to a wider audience within MOD than may be reached by its usual reports.
All DSAC bodies (i.e. Council, Boards, WPs) are chaired by an independent member, but all have official members from MOD, and most have members from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). A few also have members from the Meteorological Office, and from other Government Departments. Council's official members include the Science & Technology Director and Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Equipment Capability). Although not formally a member, the MoD Chief Scientific Advisor (CSA) also attends.
All DSAC independent members are senior individuals recruited from academia and industry. All are specialists in a branch of science, engineering, technology, or medicine of relevance to the Ministry of Defence. The Chairman of DSAC is Dr Julia King FREng CBE. The primary role of the independent members is to provide independent, objective, timely, advice, based on their own knowledge and experience.
The principal roles of the MOD and other official members are to provide information about MOD's current policies, programmes, plans, priorities, and problems to the independents, and to facilitate their contacts with appropriate MOD staff.
DSAC working parties generally have secretaries, usually from DERA, to support the independent chairmen. All Dstl input to DSAC's working parties is fully funded by the DSAC Secretariat.
DSAC Independents: Status, Security and Disclosure of Information
All independent members of DSAC are appointed in a personal capacity, not as a representative of their employer or any other organisation. They are also security vetted to DV or SC before being appointed. This allows them regular and constant access to material up to (and including) Secret, and occasional access to Top Secret material.
On appointment, all independent members sign a set of Terms and Conditions. This includes a statement that they may not disclose information received through membership of a DSAC body (e.g. Council, Board, working party, Register etc), to anyone who is not either a MOD employee, or another DSAC member, without the prior agreement of the body concerned and the DSAC Secretary (ISTA). The DSAC Secretary (ISTA) will seek advice from the relevant authority.
The independent members are appointed for a three-year term, with the possibility of reappointment, and 2nd re-appointment, for a total period not to exceed ten years.
Independent members are eligible to claim fees as follows: DSAC Chairman:£315/d; Board Chairman £265/d and Board and Register Members: £210/d. They may also claim Travel & Subsistence Allowances, for their DSAC activities. The DSAC Secretariat (through ISTA) processes their claims.
The DSAC Secretariat
The Chief Scientific Adviser provides the permanent Secretariat to support DSAC, and one of his senior members of staff is the Executive Officer of DSAC. The Secretariat is maintained by the Independent Scientific and Technical Advice (ISTA) office.
Further information can be obtained from: Mr I A Hall, ISTA, 01.J.06, MOD Main Building, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2HB Tel: 020 7218-6122 (86122MB); Fax: 020 7218-6481 (86481MB); E-mail: SIT-DSAC-Office@mod.uk.
