Five tests for a defence investment plan

Five proposed criteria frame the discussion while the Defence Investment Plan remains unpublished. The first four criteria concern indigenous and organic capability, supporting infrastructure, strategic needs, and returns through military use or foreign sales. Infrastructure inherited from the two world wars is offered as an explanation for why later procurement became disconnected from investment in supporting facilities. The fifth criterion calls for reciprocal allied purchases, so giving up a domestic industrial capability does not leave Britain dependent on a partner with no corresponding need for British products. These are suggested tests for future decisions, rather than findings from a published plan.