Will the UK\u2019s Defence Investment Plan finally be honest about Britain\u2019s defence?<\/p>\n
EXPERT COMMENT<\/p>\n
Here are the key questions that should be asked when assessing the much-delayed plan.<\/p>\n
Britain\u2019s defence policy has been dysfunctional for decades. The slow implementation of the 2025 Strategic Defence Review and delays in the release of the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) \u2013 originally scheduled for autumn 2025 \u2013 are the continuation of a litany of failures. As Britain\u2019s capabilities have withered, allies have become increasingly sceptical of Britain\u2019s ability to function as a military actor and frustrated at the slow pace of reform.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A core problem of UK defence strategy, revealed in new research<\/a> I have published with Dr Maeve Ryan and Dr William Reynolds of King\u2019s College, London, is that dishonesty is endemic. It operates across a spectrum, from self-deception via optimism bias, to engaging in \u2018alchemy\u2019 over budgets, to lying for self-interest. It affects every aspect of defence planning.\u00a0<\/p>\n The issue is: will the DIP continue this trend<\/a> or break it \u2013 by confronting the choices and costs involved in providing for UK defence? When the plan finally appears, a series of key questions will determine whether it is a valuable step forward, or another badly flawed exercise.<\/p>\n