Why defence is treated as a lower political priority

Why does defence seem to receive less political and public priority in Britain?

Because war is too often treated as optional and defence as employment policy, rather than as capability needed before a crisis chooses the timing.

Defence is too often treated as a job-creation programme instead of a source of military capability. Governments cannot conveniently choose the timing of war, as Kosovo and the Falklands show. Force readiness, infrastructure, and seasonal conditions cannot be improvised once a crisis begins.