PM to announce largest military investment in 30 years - Text of PM statement to the HoC. There is a lot in there, and this conversation will have to be integrated with IR when it comes out. For now, a couple of observations: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-to-announce-largest-military-investment-in-30-years

Three sets of announcements:
1. Organisational reform;
2. Future defence posture;
3. A forward leaning strategy.

Yes - the budget is an important point, but it truly matters because it says a lot about the credibility of the statement. The headline is - this is considerable.

1. The armed forces are changing, and you get new components: space command, cyber force, but also - hopefully - reformed procurement system (a longlasting issue in British defence);
2. Here there was on the intended shift between technology, capabilities, and logistics;

Particularly interesting was the reference to how R&D would be deployed to fasten the pace of innovation, and platform will include higher degrees of modularity so as to adapt to future caps it lies. In all, of days something about betting on the cumulative effect of innovation;

3. This is for me the most interesting aspect. The PM spoke of ‘foremost European naval power’ and the need to defence the means that connect us - and deliver prosperity: Sea-lanes, seacables, straits, the words behind the making of a maritime strategy.

This is truly a remarkable shift. Whatever you want to say about the rest of it, today the era of British strategy as predominantly an exercise in raising matters of operations to the level of strategy had ended. Forward deployed, alliances networked, this is a new blueprint.

This is a statement that assumes major power competition as the defining feature of our time. That infers that ‘shaping’ security affairs needs to be priorities over reacting to crises. That being networked with allies is not about interoperability, but integration and more.

This is a statement that rewards engagement through capacity, and deterrence through campaigning - as the CDS had it. It’s a statement that declares a position - regardless of whether it’s right or wrong - that is fundamentally different from anything since the first SDSR.

What is this premise? That the UK will be operating in the regions where the challenges to security are today, and where the future of stability start. Where are these regions? You may want to start with the deployment of the carrier group next year. Thanks for reading.