The Future of British Defense Policy
Focus stratégique, No. 74, Ifri, July 2017
As the prospect of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union raises increasing challenges to its international position, as well as major divisions at home, the future of British defense policy seems more uncertain than ever.
As an established great power, the United Kingdom bears the legacy of a solid and reliable defense and security apparatus. However, political and budgetary hesitations have casted doubts on its strategic outlook. To comprehend the renewed context, one has to take a closer look at the state of Britain’s armed forces, their capability and organizational agenda as well as the defense transformation process they are engaged in. Given the precarious posture of the current government, a renewed political horizon remains to be found so that strategic goals can finally be met with consistent military means.
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The Future of British Defense Policy
Security Studies Center
Heir to a tradition dating back to the founding of Ifri, the Security Studies Center provides public and private decision-makers as well as the general public with the keys to understanding power relations and contemporary modes of conflict as well as those to come. Through its positioning at the juncture of politics and operations, the credibility of its civil-military team and the wide distribution of its publications in French and English, the Center for Security Studies constitutes in the French landscape of think tanks a unique center of research and influence on the national and international defense debate.
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