Mark Lancaster: Our army is creating a new type of soldier

The twenty-first century Division will have more strings to its bow than simply armoured vehicles, strike brigades, and air assault capabilities.

Philip Dunne: Defence helps boost our prosperity. Here are my recommendations to grow its contribution.

The MoD should use the opportunity of Brexit to reflect on whether EU competition rules should continue to apply to procurement.

James Frayne: The best case for defence spending is the one least made

It is rare to hear the defence establishment talking plainly about the need to protect Britain against external threats.

Mark Francois: States like Russia now pose the primary threat to the UK – we must strengthen our defences accordingly

The erroneous assumption that hostile states were no longer relevant has rightly been abandoned. Now our Armed Forces need the resources to meet the challenge.

Garvan Walshe: British defence planning should focus on supporting Ukraine against a rearmed Russia

Doing so would be an opportunity for us to learn – Ukrainian forces have valuable experience of state-to-state conflict, and of Russian weaponry we have never faced.

More money for the NHS? Don’t forget another big spending pressure point. More money for defence.

Brexit has transformed the context in which we plan our security. Commitments to our European neighbours and Global Britain require more money.

Iain Dale: This reshuffle could have promoted and prioritised housing. But all we got was a name change.

Plus: The mystery of the missing Kwasi Kwarteng. The presence of the ebullient Brandon Lewis. The absence and recovery of Nick de Bois. Plus: Capita’s failures.

Michael Fallon: Three years into our campaign against Daesh, the black flags are being torn down

We can be proud of the military campaigns in Iraq and Syria. There remains much to do and we will stay the course.

Mark Francois: More women. More ethnic minorities. Medical testing reform. What must be done to raise army numbers.

The Prime Minister asked me to conduct a review of recruiting into the Armed Forces. My report is published this week.

James Gray: Before yet another defence review, we must first answer the big question – what is Britain for?

Unless we know our role in the world, we cannot have a strategy. And without a strategy, we cannot suitably design our armed forces.

WATCH: May – “I ask everybody to be vigilant, and support the police as they go about their important work.”

Plus, read the full text of the Prime Minister’s statement on the heightened threat level and deployment of troops.

Nicholas Mazzei: The Korean crisis highlights a stark truth. Britain is completely unprepared for war.

Outcries over the loss of soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq show that the British public is simply unwilling to see soldiers dying.

Iain Duncan Smith: Poor quality housing for service families harms their happiness and our defence

The benefits of a secure, stable and loving family are are even more important for military personnel than for the rest of us.

Eric Pickles: Netanyahu’s visit. It would be fitting were Britain later to sign its first free trade deal with the Middle East’s only true democracy.

Our relationship with Israel makes us safer, healthier, and more prosperous.

Michael Fallon: As this New Year begins, let’s honour the work of our brave servicemen and women

This morning, around 4,500 British servicemen and women will be serving our country across the globe. They are taking part in 25 operations in almost 30 countries.