Military Capabilities in the 21st Century
Oct 2005, Vol. 150, No. 5
By Paul Drayson
Any consideration of military capabilities in the twenty-first century starts, naturally enough, with questions about why and how they should differ from the previous century. At the highest level, we all would come up with a fairly similar list of drivers. They would include the end of the Soviet Union, the changing situation in the Asia-Pacific region and the emergence of weak and failing states. We would all include the rise of internationalized and nihilistic Islamic terrorism. But a common recognition of the changed strategic environment does not mean that either industry or the UK Government has adjusted fully to its implications. Some of the reasons are entirely understandable. In the current UK defence budget nearly as much is spent on maintaining the existing inventory as on acquiring or upgrading new equipment. However, the technological aspect of today’s environment is fast moving, increasingly because of developments in the civil sphere. And as technology changes ever more quickly, and the security environment is less stable, without the relative certainties of the Cold War, our servicemen and women continue to need top-of-the-range equipment as soon as possible – because we know that there is a real chance that their individual lives will rely on it. But today our Defence Aim includes strengthening international peace and security more actively, being a force for good in the world, so we have different challenges that must be met.
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By Paul Drayson
Any consideration of military capabilities in the twenty-first century starts, naturally enough, with questions about why and how they should differ from the previous century. At the highest level, we all would come up with a fairly similar list of drivers. They would include the end of the Soviet Union, the changing situation in the Asia-Pacific region and the emergence of weak and failing states. We would all include the rise of internationalized and nihilistic Islamic terrorism. But a common recognition of the changed strategic environment does not mean that either industry or the UK Government has adjusted fully to its implications. Some of the reasons are entirely understandable. In the current UK defence budget nearly as much is spent on maintaining the existing inventory as on acquiring or upgrading new equipment. However, the technological aspect of today’s environment is fast moving, increasingly because of developments in the civil sphere. And as technology changes ever more quickly, and the security environment is less stable, without the relative certainties of the Cold War, our servicemen and women continue to need top-of-the-range equipment as soon as possible – because we know that there is a real chance that their individual lives will rely on it. But today our Defence Aim includes strengthening international peace and security more actively, being a force for good in the world, so we have different challenges that must be met.
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