This is the first post from a new blog – Thoughts on UK Defence, which will be providing independent observations and analysis on defence and security issues affecting the UK. In line with the Ministry of Defence’s new operating model, issues will be divided into defence’s three macro-level outputs: defence policy; military capability; and operations. The defence policy category will include subjects such as the national security strategy, strategic defence and security reviews, and defence planning. The military capability category will cover issues concerning the Royal Navy’s, British Army’s and Royal Air Force’s development and maintenance of military capability, as well as general items of interest concerning all three services. Posts under the operations category will concentrate on actual UK defence activity on operations, both worldwide and in support of civil authorities within the UK, plus relevant supporting areas – for example concepts and doctrine, and tactics, techniques and procedures.
I am a former regular officer in the UK armed forces. I left the military in 2019, having served for over thirty years. It is important to point out that I no longer have any affiliation to the Ministry of Defence or any of the single services; as a result, the views expressed on the Thoughts on UK Defence website are purely my own.
My aim is for Thoughts on UK Defence to offer regular, contemporary commentary on issues affecting UK defence and security. Posts will generally be of between 500-1000 words and I intend to upload content on at least a weekly basis. I should be very grateful to receive any comments you may have on anything that I write, either by using the ‘Contact Us’ page, or through the ‘Leave a Reply’ section beneath each post, or via email or twitter. In addition, if there are any specific issues that you would like me to write about, please just let me know.
