And if that projection is to be effective, we will need to invest in our operating bases – and not just at traditional sites.
The Defence Secretary has done the right thing by extending support to those no longer serving, but that needs to be followed with action.
The delay to the review, historic increases to defence spending and rumoured cuts to troop numbers paint a picture of an organisation in flux.
Here is a politician educated at Sandhurst and on active service with the Scots Guards in Northern Ireland, not by reading PPE at Oxford.
It should remain a basic principle that no Government commits British troops into a conflict zone before a full statement in the Commons.
It will uphold the election manifesto pledge to protect our service personnel against vexatious claims and the growing judicialization of warfare.
The future was that we would be colour-blind. Instead, wokeism tells us we should see each other as members of different races.
Let’s have a no-holds-barred strategic review which asks how we can best defend our interests given the vertiginous acceleration of military technology.
In the private sector, constantly over-spending your allocated budget would not be dealt with by a bailout but by being shown the door.
It is impossible to deny the value brought by such events to the host country, from messaging, to engagement and building of networks
Security needs to become a responsibility of the nation, not just government’s professional forces.
Talk of more competition can be naïve if the choice simply amounts to either buying from a national monopoly or making an off-the-shelf purchase from the USA.
The Defence Secretary confirmed that he has scrapped the zero-tolerance approach to drug-taking in the armed forces, and commanding officers now have discretion.
I love experts. I used to be one. But it’s in their nature, singularly and collectively, to lay it on thick.