'The tasty soundbite needs to be backed by additional funds'

Healey saying that the review cannot be delivered on the current defence budget.

- Duncan Barkes

Writing a letter of this nature is unprecedented and a serious indication of how desperate the situation is. These military chiefs will make the point that unless more cash is available, then further cuts will have to be made to personnel and military equipment.

This style of salami slicing our armed forces is unsustainable and puts the security of our country at risk. The SDR clearly outlines how we now face a more serious and less predictable threat than any time since the Cold War, with growing Russian aggression, new nuclear risks and daily cyber-attacks.