A sweeping reorganisation at the government's top-secret defence science facility has severely damaged staff morale and hindered work on projects vital to UK national security, a senior insider has warned.
Organisational 'Limbo' Crippling Key Research
The whistleblower, speaking to the Guardian, claims the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), based primarily at Porton Down in Wiltshire, has been left in a state of paralysing uncertainty. They allege that a programme to 'delete' hundreds of jobs and force staff to reapply for their positions has created a debilitating limbo, hampering scientific output and potentially jeopardising safety.
DSTL is an executive agency of the Ministry of Defence responsible for cutting-edge science and technology supporting the military and national security. Its 4,800 staff have been instrumental in responding to major incidents, including the 2018 Salisbury novichok poisonings and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Ministry of Defence did not contest that morale has suffered due to the changes but emphasised that no redundancies have resulted from the job deletions.
Plummeting Morale and Safety Concerns Revealed
The whistleblower's claims are supported by trade union sources and leaked internal data. DSTL's most recent staff survey showed its 'engagement index' had fallen to a historic low of 43%. This compares poorly with a 57% score for the wider National Armaments Director group and 64% for the civil service overall.
Furthermore, a separate safety survey placed DSTL in the bottom 1% of benchmarked organisations across the public and private sectors when staff were asked if they had the resources to work safely.
'They are treating us like a bunch of replaceable people in grey suits when we are a diverse team of world-leading science experts passionate about keeping our country safe,' the whistleblower said. 'The losses will take a decade to recover from.'
Defence Reform and the Road Ahead
The restructuring at DSTL forms part of the government's wider defence reform agenda, described as the most significant in half a century. While Whitehall sources argue the changes have not degraded capabilities and that staff turnover remains low, the whistleblower paints a starkly different picture.
They described nine months where the organisation has been 'looking at its own navel', prioritising internal restructuring over its core scientific mission. This has reportedly led to key experts leaving and widespread demotivation among those who remain.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson stated: 'There have been no redundancies or forced staff exits as a result of this work. DSTL... is on track to meet its key requirements for defence and security this year... Our people remain the bedrock of DSTL.'
Despite these assurances, the whistleblower warns that the ongoing disruption poses a significant risk to the UK's scientific defence capabilities at a time of heightened global threats.
