Understanding UK Military Capability: From Strategy to Decision

Between 2021 and 2031, the UK government is set to spend over £230 billion on its military. Who decides how to use these funds, and how can we be sure that the UK’s armed forces can meet the threats of tomorrow?

This book provides the answers to these crucial questions. Concentrating on decisions taken below the political level, it uncovers the factors that underpin the translation of strategic direction into military capability. In a series of interviews, over 30 top admirals, generals and air marshals give their own views on the procurement and maintenance of the nation’s current and future military capability. Their unrivalled professional knowledge and experience affords a fascinating insight into the higher management of national defence.

Andrew R. Curtis OBE is an independent defence and security researcher specialising in national strategy, defence policy and plans, and military logistics. He is an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. He completed 35 years’ service in the Royal Air Force, retiring in 2019 as an air commodore, and has a PhD in defence studies from King’s College London.