News & Comment

For the UK, it’s almost like we need to learn how to do strategic thinking again, because we’ve almost outsourced it to the Americans...We’re in a very difficult situation, because every time we’ve done a [strategic] review, the first Post-it note that goes up on the whiteboard says ‘US primacy’ and then Nato is a close second. We’ve never really had to consider a world where there is a reduced US commitment not just to Europe but to the UK.”

If the delay to the defence investment plan was already undermining the government’s credibility on defence, John Healey’s resignation has blown a hole in its side. The immediate consequence is not just political embarrassment for No 10, but a significant loss of planning certainty at a time when the British armed forces, the MoD, and industry really need clarity on what will be funded, and when.”

This process has been far more chaotic than even we suspected”.