Defence Notes
Something’s got to give (Opinion)
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.
Defence Notes
Turkish stance on expansion raises thorny issues for NATO (Opinion)
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?
Defence Notes
Will time and politics dilute NATO spending pledges? (Opinion)
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.
Defence Notes
Russia-Ukraine war challenges UK force structure assumptions (Opinion)
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.
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Defence Notes
Ukraine invasion should prompt geostrategic rethink by outgunned and outnumbered UK (Opinion)
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.
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Defence Notes
Interesting times beckon in unstable 2022 (Opinion)
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.
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Naval Warfare
Key decisions await RN (Opinion)
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.
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Defence Notes
British Army in the crosshairs as difficult choices confront new CDS (Opinion)
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.
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Defence Notes
AUKUS shenanigans cast a long shadow for Europe (Opinion)
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?
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Defence Notes
UK must absorb harsh lessons from Afghan debacle (Opinion)
21st September 2021
Facts on the ground contrast sharply with the grand ambitions enshrined in UK defence strategy.
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Defence Notes
DSEI 2021: UK defence industry policy risks strategic incoherence (Opinion)
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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Defence Notes
Choppy waters ahead for UK and NATO in the Black Sea (Opinion)
29th July 2021
NATO planners face a tricky challenge from a riled and increasingly assertive Russia in the Black Sea — but they cannot afford to back down.
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Defence Notes
Ajax adds to woeful litany of British Army procurement failures (Opinion)
6th July 2021
Given the latest delay to a key programme, how much confidence should there be in the underequipped British Army achieving key vehicle procurement ambitions laid out in the recent Integrated Review?
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Defence Notes
Questions hover over Five Eyes (Opinion)
26th May 2021
Is Five Eyes fit for the 21st century, and will it see its 100th birthday as it is currently configured?
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Defence Notes
UK Indo-Pacific tilt risks obscuring importance of Middle East
27th April 2021
The special naval relationship between the UK and US could be jeopardised if the former focuses too much on the Indo-Pacific region by drawing resources away from the strategically important Arabian Gulf.
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Defence Notes
UK rolls the dice with Integrated Review
31st March 2021
The Integrated Review is certainly ambitious in its scope but how realistic is it?
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Defence Notes
UK ambitions fail to bridge the gap to fiscal reality
18th February 2021
In a changing world some things stay the same, such as the MoD’s tendency to overcommit itself financially. Can the ministry avoid lurching from one financial crisis to another in the decade ahead?
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Defence Notes
Brexit leaves future UK-EU defence relationship undefined
22nd January 2021
More clarity is needed on how a post-Brexit UK, with its ambitions for ‘Global Britain’, regards mainland Europe in terms of defence and security.
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Defence Notes
All that glitters is not gold for MoD
29th December 2020
The major multi-year funding injection announced by the UK government in November 2020 appears attractive — but in fact it lays bare a dilemma at the heart of the MoD.
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Defence Notes
UK armed forces fret as review looms closer
14th October 2020
Have difficult decisions on intractable problems been delayed too long, as the clock ticks down to publication of the integrated review of UK defence and security capabilities?
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Naval Warfare
UK juggles priorities as it assesses Middle East deployments
21st September 2020
The International Maritime Security Construct recently opened its formal headquarters in Bahrain. The grouping of nations focusing on delivering maritime security in the complex Gulf region …
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Defence Notes
UK needs to decide – is it in or out of Asia-Pacific?
21st August 2020
The UK RN seems determined to deploy a carrier group in the Asia-Pacific region in 2021, as the first operational deployment of HMS Queen Elizabeth. …
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Defence Notes
NSA appointment reflects UK defence policy vacuum
29th July 2020
The corridors of Whitehall are generally quiet peaceful places, but in recent weeks there has been the Civil Service equivalent of an almighty shouting match, …
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Defence Notes
Organisational and ministerial changes bode ill for MoD
1st July 2020
The Whitehall machine is undergoing yet another session of tinkering in an effort to make it more efficient and coherent: at least, that is the …
