On December 10th Britain's defence secretary, Philip Hammond, announced that one of the most radical outsourcing plans hatched by any government would not be going ahead.
Even the Pentagon, no slouch when it comes to outsourcing, was worried that the Ministry of Defence might lose capabilities critical for the support of future missions.
He wants to root out the so-called conspiracy of optimism, in which officials, the armed forces and defence suppliers pretend that kit will be delivered much more cheaply than it in fact can be.