Why keep a base open if the military doesn't need it? Why pick a potentially second best product? Welcome to the world of incentives & interests in defence procurement. Budget and procurement decisions can shape militaries. They determine where troops are based, what equipment they use and a thousand other factors from their pay and compensation to how deep the reserve munitions stocks run in the event of war. Given that, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the process would be simple - with the absolute focus being on getting exactly the equipment and facilities needed at the best possible price. So why does it seem to go wrong so often? Sometimes the answer might be corruption or errors (we've talked about those before and will again in future), but sometimes the answer might be a little more complicated. Procurement decisions based not just on getting the best price and product, but also on a need to preserve industry competition, support local interests or maintain critical