Defence is under unrelenting pressure. The facts are well rehearsed. The skilfully conducted defence review in 1998 aligned capability with an expeditionary strategy to support the UK's global aspirations. In the decade since, over-commitment and poor fiscal management by many stakeholders undermined its outcomes, diverting the original policy from a capability-led approach to an equipment-led one that sees the department today in debt to the tune of ￡10-15bn dependent on your pundit of choice. Aligned with this, the public finances are fragile, and the demand for fiscal consolidation across government will inevitably mean reductions in the defence budget going forward. In tandem, the geopolitical global scene has changed dramatically. Defence and security have become more intrinsically linked, domestically and internationally, and the complexity of the security challenges we face is extreme.
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