Defence is now a shared concern... we all have a role

TOMORROW, the long-awaited Strategic Defence Review is presented to Parliament, marking the most consequential rethink of national defence policy in a generation.

- By Tobias Ellwood FORMER DEFENCE MINISTER AND RETIRED ARMY OFFICER

Not since the Cold War has the security landscape been so grim.

We are entering a new era of instability, defined not just by open state-on-state conflict, but by persistent and escalating threats in the so-called “grey zone”.

These includes cyberattacks, disinformation, sabotage, economic coercion, the cutting of undersea cables and the weaponisation of critical infrastructure.

For the first time this Defence Review is as much a message to the public as it is a plan for Whitehall.

At its core lies a call for an “all-of-society” approach to national security. The age of relying solely on a large standing army to keep us safe is over.

The Review will break new ground by proposing the creation of a “Home Guard”. Inspired by volunteer forces in Scandinavia, these new units will focus on protecting critical infrastructure, airports, power plants, ports and digital networks from sabotage and other sub-threshold threats.

The lines between war and peace are now blurred and defence is no longer seen as the job of the military alone.

In a world where war is often invisible and constant, readiness means integrating talent from start-ups, universities, and private industry not just the barracks.