Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:30:30-3:31:42

Defence spending follows political priorities

Service imbalances emerge when governments fund the war they are currently fighting while cutting capabilities needed for other contingencies.

Defence PolicyForce StructureMilitary HistoryRoyal Navy
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Question

How did Britain decline from a top-tier military power?

Short answer

Low political priority and funding current wars by cutting other capabilities have left the services badly balanced.

Notes

Defence competes poorly with the everyday issues that attract votes. Even the long wars after 2001 did not produce a sustained increase in the overall British defence budget in this account. Funding for the service leading a current war can come from the other services and their future capabilities. Repeated cuts of that kind leave an unbalanced force unable to perform all the tasks expected of it.