Recommendation 18

NSC and NSM meetings should be conducted in a way that enables Ministers to monitor progress towards national security goals and to use that information in shaping their decisions, especially in the absence of the Prime Minister’s personal authority. As such, we recommend that: • Discussion of items on the NSC and NSM agenda should start with an update on the progress made towards the Government’s goals in that area, as well as any obstacles that have hindered implementation; • There should be a standing item on the NSC agenda for resolving inter- departmental conflicts that have arisen since the previous meeting; • There should be quarterly reporting to the Prime Minister on key national security ‘deliverables’; and • The NSC should hold an annual NSC session on the Government’s overall progress in implementing the Integrated Review. This session should inform updates to the Government’s national security goals as well as the Annual Report to Parliament.