The 2023 edition of DSEI will be the last to be held during the current UK Parliament. With an election due within 16 months, is this the ‘end of term’ for the current government, and what are the prospects for the MoD and British defence more widely?
Despite the additional funding promised this week, the UK armed forces still look set to face cutbacks, and maintaining international commitments to AUKUS and GCAP may limit the options for other programmes.
Much as UK Prime Minister Liz Truss wants to project strong British power on the global stage, investment in much-needed capabilities is jeopardised by the fragile economic situation.
Is the next Prime Minister capable of finding a solution for the crisis facing the UK, as the country grapples with a cost of living crisis and an economy entering a recession at the same time as Cold War levels of defence investment are needed?
28th July 2022
Whoever becomes the next UK Prime Minister may find it near-impossible to overcome the perennial procurement and spending issues facing the MoD, as well as recently generated geopolitical problems such as the Russo-Ukrainian War.
6th July 2022
UK defence policy lacks coherence as the gap between rhetoric and reality remains as wide as ever, while the government remains focused on self-preservation instead of giving clear direction.
8th June 2022
With Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan putting national interests first in stating his objections, is there still a path for NATO to welcome two new members in Finland and Sweden?
25th April 2022
For all the assertive rhetoric by NATO member states about increasing defence spending in the face of Russian aggression against Ukraine, it will not, in the short term at least, translate into a meaningful uplift in capability on the ground.
25th March 2022
Barely a year after the publication of the Integrated Review, the UK MoD now finds itself observing a major conflict in Europe, and it will have to draw conclusions on what this means for force structures and presence.
25th February 2022
The need for the UK to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine risks making the ‘Global Britain’ defence strategy appear a case study in hubris.
28th January 2022
As the international security situation shows no sign of improving, the UK must balance its constrained defence resources against geostrategic priorities to support regional and global allies.
20th December 2021
Perhaps the most important part of Adm Sir Ben Key’s tenure as First Sea Lord will not be the immediate RN of today, but setting the conditions for the navy of the future.
2nd November 2021
Admiral Sir Tony Radikin will take the reins as the new Chief of the Defence Staff on 30 November — while there are some reasons to be positive about the future, he must also juggle some potentially tricky priorities.
21st October 2021
The immediate diplomatic heat may have cooled but does AUKUS put the EU further down the road towards collective defence that is independent of NATO?
21st September 2021
Facts on the ground contrast sharply with the grand ambitions enshrined in UK defence strategy.
8th September 2021
The UK has a globally regarded network of defence and security companies — but industrial sovereignty is being eroded by a steady stream of bids from overseas.
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