Recommendation 6

We welcome the Government’s ambition to conduct the “deepest” and “most radical review since the Cold War.” At a time of such geopolitical and economic uncertainty, it is vital that the Review involves thorough consideration of the desired “ends” of the UK’s security, defence, development and foreign policy as well as the “ways” and “means” required to achieve them. To realise its ambition, Government must identify and overcome the factors that contribute to a Review becoming a “business as usual” exercise. By answering the questions laid out in this report, the Review can overcome the tensions inherent in the Review process and identify and question assumptions at the heart of the UK’s security, defence, development and foreign policy. In response to this Report, Government should: a. Set out the mechanisms and approach to challenging assumptions underpinning the UK’s defence strategy b. Explain what role the Dstl’s Defence Wargaming Centre and MoD’s Strategic Net Assessment Unit will play