Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO)

Today, we’ve brought Hard FM services for all 1,622 Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (RFCA) sites under our existing Built Estate contracts.  Our suppliers Mitie, VINCI Facilities, and VIVO Defence Services will provide repairs, maintenance, servicing and Hard FM.    Moving these services under the existing contract will achieve better value for money and a higher standard of service by allowing the RFCA to build on the benefits of our existing contracts. These include improved health and safety compliance, adoption of industry best practice maintenance standards, and use of improved technology to inform and manage the delivery of services.    Read more: https://lnkd.in/e2EVXGNF

🚩 We recently launched our 2024 summer Respect the Range campaign with the unveiling of an art installation near the Salisbury Plain training Area. This amazing project was nine months in the making and attracted significant regional and national press coverage for our campaign and it’s important message for how to safely access MOD land. 🎥 Watch our behind the scenes video to hear more about the installation and campaign launch from DIO Chief Executive Michael Green and Campaigns and Marketing Officer Spencer George. ⬇   Special thanks to Standing With Giants, Landmarc Solutions, Rifles Regiment (British Army), Bratton Primary School, Wiltshire Council, Brigadier Gavin Hatcher, CE Mike Green, DIO Corp Comms Team and many more colleagues from across DIO and Defence Training Estate team and beyond for their support on this project.

Our Training Safety Officers have been working with Landmarc Solutions to create King's Coronation Meadows across the Defence Training Estate. The meadows show DIO's commitment to formalise a no-mow meadow in each of our regions across the UK. 🌱

A team from DIO and Landmarc Solutions was presented with a British Horse Society (The) Access Achievement Award this week to recognise the continued provision of the Epynt Way, a 65km horse riding trail within Sennybridge Training Area in Wales. The route, which was first created 20 years ago, mainly comprises a flat upland plateau known locally as Mynydd Epynt. From here there are spectacular views across to the Black Mountains, the Brecon Beacons, the Cambrian Mountains, and the Carmarthenshire Black Mountain. James Nevitt, DIO Senior Public Access & Recreation Advisor was presented with the award at the Royal Welsh Show, alongside colleagues from the DIO Overseas and Training team, DIO’s industry partner Landmarc and the Epynt Way Association. The Access Achievement Award follows the recent launch of a brand-new webpage to help horse riders stay safe when riding on military land across the UK. Read more 👇 https://lnkd.in/euuhEX4P

🎬 We're launching our new YouTube channel! Subscribe now to keep up with how we support the Armed Forces to live, work, train and deploy. https://lnkd.in/daUn9e9U Here's what you can expect:

Operation Nightingale - which assists recovering military personnel and veterans by involving them in archaeological digs– has made some surprise discoveries at one of England’s finest 19th century country homes 🏛️⛏️ The team, led by DIO’s Senior Archaeologist Richard Osgood, carried out investigations for a week at Tedworth House, near Tidworth, in Wiltshire, where they uncovered the remains of a mausoleum that was located in the grounds of the Grade II listed country residence until its removal in 1954. The mausoleum was constructed a century earlier in memory of Thomas Assheton Smith Esq’, a former politician, industrialist and sportsman, who passed away in 1858. The Op Nightingale team, assisted by VIVO Defence Services which provides Facilities Management and maintenance services at Tedworth House,Wessex Archaeology, DIO and the volunteers discovered much more remained of the mausoleum than expected including brick foundations, indicating the main building (and adjacent chapel) were brick built and faced with stone. Elements of the ornate architectural mouldings were also found as was lead sheeting from the chapel roof and elaborate wrought-iron components from an imposing fence that once surrounded the structure. Tedworth House itself, which sits in 28 acres of gardens and land, acts as a recovery centre for wounded, injured and sick serving military personnel – known as Personnel on Recovery Duty (PRD). Major Dean Holder, the Officer in Command of Tedworth House Personnel Recovery Centre, said the dig provided an opportunity for personnel to come together and form a team with a shared purpose. He added: “Participants enjoyed the chance to operate together and relished the new found camaraderie. Additionally, PRD were able to bring different skill sets from across the three Services and all contributed to a highly successful dig. The benefits were not only in what was uncovered from an archaeological perspective but also in providing PRD with a sense of achievement and a positive social environment.” Richard Osgood, from DIO, said there were plans to undertake another dig in 2025 and to display the finds within Tedworth House. He added: “We hope to keep the footprint of the chapel and mausoleum visible within the grounds, perhaps with an explanation board to highlight the significance. “The project was synonymous with resilience and recovery – not only of nature and the mausoleum, but also of the participants involved.” #archaeology #OpNightingale #welfare #TedworthHouse

As we mark International Security Officers' Day, we are proud to play our role in the training of military working dogs, which are integral to the work of our security personnel. We have awarded a contract to Willmott Dixon to deliver vital infrastructure for the rebasing of the 1st Military Working Dog (MWD) Regiment to Kendrew Barracks in Rutland, East Midlands. Expected to complete in December 2025, the new facilities will comprise a new veterinary centre and 173 new kennels to help the MWD Regiment to accommodate and train military working dogs. 

Working with Mitie and RJC Mechanical and Electrical, we've completed efficiency upgrades to the equipment used to run the swimming pool at Mount Pleasant Complex in the Falklands Islands. The new equipment makes the pool, which is an important facility for both fitness and recreation, more efficient and sustainable to run. The upgrades will also make using the pool a more comfortable experience for service personnel and their families, with new air conditioning units to control the temperature and a new treatment system to allow greater controls over chlorine and PH levels.

Today the giants arrived! Alongside charity Standing With Giants, we’ve been working on a very exciting project to create an immersive art installation as part of our Respect the Range campaign. The team have been working hard to create an awe inspiring temporary art installation comprising of 31 ‘giants’ located next to the Salisbury Plain Training Estate and the Westbury White Horse. The Respect the Range campaign aims to raise awareness about how MOD land can go from calm to combat in a matter of seconds. MOD land’s primary use is for military training, but some areas are also accessible to the public - the installation hopes to educate the public about how to safely access MOD land and ensure vital military training isn’t interrupted. The Giants are made up of three 10ft Military silhouettes representing personnel from locally based 5 Rifles, surrounded by 28 6ft silhouettes representing members of the public. The artwork is helping to spread campaign key safety messages in a visual and engaging way to make the public stop and think more about the area they are in and ensure they only accessing MOD land when and where it is safe to do so. We are asking the public to take some simple steps to help keep themselves safe when on or near to military land: - Look out for red flags and take notice of all signage - Check firing times before heading on to the estate - Always stick to public footpaths, bridleways, byways and PROW - Never touch any military debris, report it for safe removal - Keep dogs under close control and pick up after them Brigadier Gavin Hatcher commented “At a time of heightened tensions across the globe, war in Europe, conflict in the Middle East, its imperative that our military undertake crucial training safely and uninterrupted. The public can access and enjoying the unique and varied MOD estate where permitted, but only when and where it is safe for them to do so, and always with caution. Military training can take place 24/7 and MOD land can go from calm to combat at a moment’s notice. By working together, we can ensure the public and our military keep each other safe.” Mike Green, DIO Chief Executive added “DIO is committed to ensuring a fit-for-purpose training estate which includes a safe-space for our military to train. We also recognise our responsibilities to the public and providing them with the information to make informed choices about the way in which they access military land. This campaign plays a vital role in this work.” Whilst some areas of the estate permit access to the public, it’s important the Military and the public work together to keep each other safe and ensure our Armed Forces can conduct vital training uninterrupted. The launch of the event brought together DIO, DTE, local stakeholders and included a poetry reading by the Little Troopers from the nearby Bratton Primary School. Watch our video to find out more about the project and how it all came together. #RespectTheRange

A flagship #DIOGivingBack event at the beginning of July saw teams of dedicated volunteers armed with snippers, loppers and litter pickers set to work on a three-day challenge to clear overgrown pathways to enhance the environment around Bulford Garrison, Wiltshire. 🌿 The activity brought together staff from DIO and our suppliers VIVO Defence Services, Pinnacle Service Families , Amey and Landmarc Solutions, and The Conservation Volunteers to make it easier for locals, including Service families, to access green spaces. As part of the exercise, they also created new walking routes to the Bulford Kiwi, a chalk figure which was carved into the hillside by New Zealand soldiers camped at Bulford in 1919. The crack team of volunteers left their day jobs behind to carry out several tasks including cutting back and removing overgrown vegetation, installing new way marker posts to allow easy navigation, collecting 12 bags of litter and weeding around the Kiwi itself. As it is a scheduled monument, work on the Kiwi site had to be completed by hand with no tools to avoid damage to the surface. CE Mike Green, who donned his gardening gloves on the first day of the event, thanked everyone involved. He said: "As a strong advocate for social value, my ambition was to have a charity initiative for DIO, and in January this year #DIOGivingBack was born. "There are so many benefits for the volunteers that take part. It was a great opportunity to get out of the office, get to know each other a little better and learn some new skills. I'm grateful for all those who turned up to support this excellent project, which I know will leave a positive legacy in the community for many years to come." #BulfordKiwi #Volunteering