{"id":36391,"date":"2015-11-25T20:39:23","date_gmt":"2015-11-25T20:39:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2015\/11\/25\/britain-s-new-strategic-defense-and-security-review-draws-praise-caution\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:56:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:56:12","slug":"britain-s-new-strategic-defense-and-security-review-draws-praise-caution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2015\/11\/25\/britain-s-new-strategic-defense-and-security-review-draws-praise-caution\/","title":{"rendered":"Britain&#8217;s New Strategic Defense and Security Review Draws Praise, Caution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>LONDON \u2014\u00a0Britain has reversed a decline in its defense posture of recent years with last week&#8217;s <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">the<\/span> publication <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">by the Government last week <\/span>of its Strategic Defense\u00a0and Security Review (SDSR) but analysts here warn the rhetoric now must\u00a0be turned into implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;It&#8217;s short on detail and I&#8217;m worried about how it&#8217;s all going to be paid for, but it&#8217;s a so much better thought-out effort than the previous SDSR in 2010. Now they have to deliver on the document&#8217;s content,&#8221; said one consultant here who asked not to be named.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Driven by a dire financial situation and a huge over-commitment of the equipment budget, the Ministry of Defence was savaged in the 2010 SDSR with cuts to capabilities, personnel numbers and programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The cuts pretty much coincided with accusations by some of Britain\u2019s allies that it was retreating from the international arena to focus more on domestic issues over the past five<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">\u2019s<\/span> years,\u00a0drawing concerns from\u00a0US President Barack Obama and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>British Prime Minister David Cameron told Defense News in an exclusive interview Nov. 23, just ahead of the publication of the SDSR, <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">said <\/span>that he had spoken to Obama at the recent G20 meeting in Turkey and the president was &#8220;clearly delighted&#8221; with the choices the UK had made in the defense review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cameron also said accusations of a diminishing British involvement internationally were incorrect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;I have never accepted the strategic shrinkage argument for a minute. We needed to make sure we got our economy back on track, but even so we have the second-largest defense budget in NATO,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The SDSR sends out a clear message that Britain is an engaged nation with global reach and global influence not for national vanity but for reasons of clear-sighted national interest;\u00a0we are a player in the world,&#8221; said Cameron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the things that has changed here since the previous review is the recognition by senior government ministers that the threat level\u00a0to British security has risen markedly, resulting in defense and intelligence requirements securing a much greater priority than previously, said\u00a0analysts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s partly borne out by some of the changes that give the British military a more expeditionary feel about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The changes include two new Army strike brigades for rapid deployment over long distances, fast-tracking delivery of F-35Bs to beef up the number of aircraft Britain&#8217;s new aircraft carriers can deploy, a doubling of special forces spending and as part of a new Joint Force 2025 program, be able to deploy a 50,000 strong expeditionary force compared with the 30,000 planned for by SDSR 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Analysts here said that in capability terms at least, this latest review has gone some way to repairing the damage caused by the 2010 cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Much of what has been announced in SDSR 2015 has reversed the direction of travel that had been established five years ago,&#8221; said Doug Barrie, the senior air analyst at the International Institute of Strategic Studies, a\u00a0London-based think tank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The UK armed forces, while highly capable and motivated, were on the brink of becoming a boutique force simply because the lack of scale risked its ability to sustain operations at a level required,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;That&#8217;s particularly true in the air sector where cuts to combat air mass and the gap in maritime\u00a0patrol capability were no longer a credible option given the changing circumstances since 2010, particularly the uptick in Russian submarine and surface naval activity in UK&#8217;s area of interest. Hence the decision to acquire the highly capable P-8 aircraft,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aviation was a big winner in the review, with two additional Typhoon squadrons being stood up, an F-35 squadron being added earlier than expected, the Hercules C-130Js&#8217; out-of-service date being extended significantly, a new fleet of remotely piloted aircraft, and updates on <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">and <\/span>out-of-service dates on ISTAR aircraft like the Shadow, Sentry E-3 and Sentinel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But not all agree the SDSR marks that big of a capability increase. <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">though.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Malcolm Chalmers, the director of UK defense policy studies at the\u00a0Royal United Services Institute think tank, said the outcome of the review was much better than had been expected six months ago but would not greatly improve <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">generate\u00a0 a significant improvement to <\/span>capabilities.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;It does not add up to a step change in UK defense capabilities compared with current levels. It is therefore best described as being a &#8216;steady as she goes&#8217; review, providing a welcome element of stability in defense planning after five years of substantial reductions,&#8221; \u00a0said Chalmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The RUSI think tanker said the report emphasized &#8220;high-quality adaptable forces able to work closely with allies.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The UK government announced last week that it was increasing equipment and support spending over the next 10<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">ten<\/span> years by \u00a312 billion to \u00a3178 billion (US $18.2 billion to $270.3 billion). The annual budget will rise\u00a0from \u00a334.3 billion this year to \u00a339.6 billion in 2020, having previously been cut by 8 percent since 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Much of that additional \u00a312 billion would come from savings, including a \u00a32 billion reprioritization of existing funding. That could <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">to impact<\/span> affect a number of smaller program \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One surprise was the announcement that civilian defense\u00a0job numbers will <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">are going to <\/span>be cut 30 percent from the <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">current <\/span>56,000 level<span class=\"rte rte-comment\"> by 30 percent<\/span>. That\u2019s on top of a 33 percent reduction since 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A number of those jobs could be contracted out to industry but concerns are being raised here about the possible adverse impact reductions on this scale could have<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two key programs have caught the most attention in the SDSR:\u00a0the purchase of nine Boeing P-8 maritime patrol aircraft and the announcement of\u00a0delays and big cost increases to the Successor nuclear missile submarine program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Selection of the P-8, without giving rivals like Airbus, Lockheed Martin and L-3 the chance to compete, has angered many here who point to the lower cost and high British industry content of other platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Going single source on the maritime patrol aircraft is inconsistent with government assertions that the defense industry here is a vital part of the prosperity agenda being pursued by the Conservative government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Negotiations between the US and British governments are underway with a deal possible by the end of March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">US sources said deliveries could start in 2017 with two US Navy production slots having already been earmarked to be handed over to the British.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other sources said\u00a0the governments are also considering bridging the gap until the British aircraft are operational by having two USN P-8s with British crews available from the RAF base <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">at <\/span>for maritime patrol work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said a &#8220;range of options were being looked at including the continued use of existing assets and drawing on support from allies whenever possible until we reach initial operating capability.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The source also said Boeing may be contemplating a major investment in the UK to support the P-8 and other aircraft and helicopter platforms it has supplied to British forces. Civil aircraft support could also be involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The other big program issue detailed in the review related to the Successor program to replace the current fleet of four Vanguard-class nuclear missile boats <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">currently <\/span>in service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The SDSR said the first nuclear boat was being delayed for entry into service from 2028 to the early 2030s and the price would rise from \u00a325 billion to \u00a331 billion with a whopping \u00a310 billion contingency fund on top of that to cover the risk of possible cost overruns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consultant Alex Ashbourne-Walmsley, of Asbourne Strategic Consulting, reckons the biggest <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">single <\/span>risk was the new nuclear reactor being built by the British without operating it first on a test bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government also said it was cutting the Type 26 antisubmarine warfare frigate program from 13 to eight vessels and starting a concept study to build a lighter general purpose frigate to fill the gap and provide a more exportable vessel for industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Email:\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:achuter@defensenews.com\">achuter@defensenews.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Britain has reversed a decline in its defense posture with publication of its new Strategic Defense and Security Review.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":77863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[33,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3351],"class_list":["post-36391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-pentagon"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"22FUG3RGFBCSVHR7Q3JWWEYTR4","arc_canonical_url":"\/2015\/11\/25\/britain-s-new-strategic-defense-and-security-review-draws-praise-caution\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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