A Defence Review is the process by which government of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

decides upon its overall defence policy and upon the means and resources devoted to achieving its defence objectives. Such reviews can happen when political or economic factors dictate, such as upon a change of

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

. The Defence Review will normally result in the publication of a policy document, styled a

White Paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 199 ...

and released to parliament as a

Command paper A command paper is an official document in the United Kingdom which is issued by His Majesty's Government (HMG) and presented to Parliament. White paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue ...

, setting out the broad aims, objectives, and rationale for the policy and strategy.

Post World War II Defence Reviews

The United Kingdom governmental carries out Defence Reviews infrequently, usually upon a change of government or major political event, such as just after the

Collapse of Communism The revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, were a revolutionary wave of liberal democracy movements that resulted in the collapse of most Marxist–Leninist governments in the Eastern Bloc and other parts of the world. Th ...

. They can also be necessitated by economic crises, as in 1974 and 2010. British Defence Reviews since the end of World War II include: * The Harwood Review, 1949 (Labour). This was neither announced nor published. It was an attempt by Labour to keep the defence estimates at an average of £700 million a year over 1950-1951-1952. It was discarded when the Korean War broke out in June 1950 leading to rearmament. * The Chiefs of Staff Report on Defence Policy and Global Strategy, 1952. The Chiefs stressed to the Conservative government the primacy of the Cold War threat, stating, "The Free World is menaced everywhere by the implacable and unlimited aims of Soviet Russia." Predicting a prolonged Cold War it urged three priorities: action to win the Cold War, deterring the Cold War, preparing for war. *

1957 Defence White Paper The 1957 White Paper on Defence (Cmnd. 124) was a British white paper issued in March 1957 setting forth the perceived future of the British military. It had profound effects on all aspects of the defence industry but probably the most affected wa ...

foreshadowed the end of national service, cut conventional forces, relied more on nuclear deterrence. * 1966 Defence White Paper cancelled the BAC TSR2 strike and reconnaissance warplane as a replacement for V-bombers; announced plan to purchase American F-111 warplanes instead. * 1968 Healy, Mark II, announced a withdrawal from East of Suez, and cancellation of orders for F111. * 1974 Defence White Paper (also known as the Mason review), Labour announced plans to concentrate on NATO central front, anti-submarine warfare, home defense, and nuclear deterrence, with a resumption of cuts to forces East of Suez after a hiatus on such cuts from 1970 to 1974 during the Heath Government. *

1981 Defence White Paper The 1981 Defence White Paper (titled "The UK Defence Programme: The Way Forward") was a major review of the United Kingdom's defence policy brought about by the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative government under the Prime Minister Margaret Tha ...

(also known as the

John Nott Sir John William Frederic Nott (1 February 1932 – 6 November 2024) was a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 1981 to 1983 (during the Falklands War). A member of the National Liberal (until 1968) and Conserva ...

review) * 1990

Options for Change Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces in summer 1990 after the end of the Cold War. Until this point, UK military strategy had been almost entirely focused on defending Western Europe against the Soviet Armed Forces ...

* 1994 Front Line First * 1998 Strategic Defence Review *

Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 was announced by the formed Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government of the United Kingdom in May 2010, and published on 19 October 2010. The previous major review of UK defence strategy was ...

Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 The National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 was published by the British government during the second Cameron ministry on 23 November 2015 to outline the United Kingdom's defence strategy up to 2025. It identified ...

* 2021

Integrated Review The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, often known as the Integrated Review, and titled as ''Global Britain in a Competitive Age'', was a review carried out by the British government led by Boris Johnson into t ...

and

Defence in a Competitive Age ''Defence in a Competitive Age'' is a Ministry of Defence command paper which was released on 22 March 2021. It provided details on changes to the armed forces to meet the requirements of the Integrated Review which was published before it on 16 M ...

* 2025 Strategic Defence Review

Other Defence Policy Statements

United Kingdom governments have also conducted policy reviews which cover specific aspects of defence but do not purport to be fundamental reappraisals of overall defence policy and strategy. Examples of these include: * Front Line First * SDR New Chapter *

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* Defence Industrial Strategy

Comparison with the United States

The main difference between the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence and the United States Department of Defense as pertains to the review cycle is frequency. The U.S. DoD carries out its review, styled the

Quadrennial Defense Review The Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) was a study by the United States Department of Defense that analyzes strategic objectives and potential military threats. The ''Quadrennial Defense Review Report'' was the main public document describing the Uni ...

, on a set four-year cycle, whereas the UK MoD has no set timetable for any such review.

Post World War II Defence Reviews

Other Defence Policy Statements

Comparison with the United States

References

Further reading