Ed Arnold Reacts to John Healey's Resignation as Defence Secretary
Comment by Ed Arnold
Defence Secretary Resignation
John Healey’s resignation is a seismic moment for the government and MoD. For the government, it creates a sequence of political headaches in terms of a replacement, and trying to get the Defence Investment Plan published.
'The resignation will ensure that this government – and subsequent ones – will find it harder to be complacent on defence spending and will give it the increased public attention it rightly deserves, far more so than any speech can, no matter how well it is delivered. While the impact will mainly be felt on Whitehall, the international implications are severe with a NATO Summit just three weeks away.'
'For the MoD, it is a very rare case of a senior minister taking a principled stand against the hollowing out of the UK armed forces, rather than complaining about it with hindsight when out of office. Healey’s tenure was focused on defence reform. Multiple organisational charts were redrawn but the problems persisted as the MoD needs a fundamental cultural transformation to become more effective in a darkening world. This resignation will hopefully be a catalyst for wider departmental reforms, the introduction of genuine accountability and transparency, and a narrowing of the rhetoric versus reality gap that has plagued UK defence for decades.'
Ed Arnold, RUSI Senior Associate
