Defence reviews and the cost of inter-service rivalry

How much of a defence review proposal is likely to survive, and how should the services respond?

Treat early claims cautiously and avoid inter-service cuts; the services need a shared plan for the threats they all say must be met.

Leaked review proposals encourage each service to protect itself by attacking another service's role. That produces a smaller, less coherent overall defence case and gives budget officials opportunities to exploit disagreement. The services should agree on the required threats and capabilities first, then present a joined-up programme.