The coalition government has no shortage of difficult issues to address, none more immediate than defence policy. Defence has been in urgent need of a new strategic review since at least 2006 and the unaffordable future is already heavily mortgaged by such factors as the war in Afghanistan, contracts already concluded for the new aircraft carriers, the third delivery of Typhoon fighters, the commitment to maintain the Trident system and the pay and pension liabilities of service personnel.
展开▼
