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Public Ignorance is the Hidden Crisis Facing British Defence

Major Andrew Nicol and Major Laurence Thomson
26 March 2026clock11 Minute Read
The UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shake hands at the Hague, the Netherlands, 25 June, 2025.

Outward image: The UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shake hands at the Hague, the Netherlands, 25 June, 2025. Image: Geopix / Alamy Stock

The British public overwhelmingly support their military and claim to understand defence, but they fundamentally misapprehend its state of readiness and capability to meet the realities of modern war.

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Major Andrew Nicol

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Major Laurence Thomson

Chief of the General Staff's Visiting Fellow

Military Sciences

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