Amid a rapidly shifting geopolitical context, Britain's defence
policy needs a fundamental rethink, says a new report published
today by the Institute for Global Change
(TBI).
‘Reimagining Defence and
Security: New Capabilities for New Challenges', based on
extensive consultation with defence experts and leaders in
emerging technology, examines the implications of shifting global
alliances and the role of technology and cybersecurity, and makes
a series of practical recommendations. These include:
- Putting a strategic approach to defence and security at the
heart of government, with a National Security Team in Downing
Street.
- Building different and better capabilities, including mass
producing cheap, easily replaceable drones.
- Taking a radically different approach to procurement, with
deeper, earlier involvement of the private sector, and creating
an agency to expand industry partnerships.
- Recruiting and retaining personnel with a new mix of skills,
reorganising training
- Securing the right alliances and partners to deliver the
right strategy, with greater focus on increased collaboration,
agility and adaptability.
- More strategic engagement with allies to ensure the UK's
capabilities complement and enhance those of the alliances we are
within.
Benedict Macon-Cooney, Chief Policy Strategist at TBI and
lead author for the paper, said:
“The UK faces profound challenges to our defence and security
policy. In this new world, keeping Britain safe requires new
thinking.
“As recent conflicts have shown, new technologies are being
integrated with other more traditional capabilities and AI opens
up new possibilities for economic and military strength.
“At a time when government processes are too slow, the running
costs are too high and the way it partners and procures
out-of-date, we are falling far too far behind to say we are a
superior military force today.
“Our paper draws on the thinking and experience of leaders across
technology and defence, and proposes radical but vital changes we
believe are needed to reimagine the UK's approach to defence and
security.”
In a foreword for the report former US
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michèle Flournoy
said:
“This paper by the Institute sets out some truly
fundamental and important questions that any future defence
strategy needs to answer, as well as a new model for how such a
strategy could be developed in the UK and with key allies.
“It rightly calls on the broader defence and national-security
community to reimagine allied defence strategy given the evolving
threat landscape, reconceive of the processes we use to develop
strategy, reform the way we procure new capabilities and recruit
talent into defence, and rethink our forces and force posture to
be able to keep the peace in a more contested and dangerous
future security environment.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
- ‘Reimagining Defence and
Security: New Capabilities for New Challenges' was written
by Benedict Macon-Cooney, Amalia Khachatryan, Melanie Garson,
Jeegar Kakkad, Daniel Sleat, Jared Wright, Kevin Zandermann and
Luke Stanley.
- This report is published as part of TBI's Future of Britain
initiative, which sets out a policy agenda for a new era of
invention and innovation. This series focuses on how to deliver
radical-yet-practical solutions – concrete plans to reimagine the
state for the 21st century – with technology as the driving
force.
