The “to-do” list for an unlikely defence secretary

The new Queen Elizabeth carrier class with their exquisite next generation of stealth aircraft will consume a significant part of both the equipment plan and the operational costs of the armed forces. When we consider threats from cyberspace and the militarisation of space itself, the defence budget will have to be flexible and pliable over the years ahead to meet a range of risks and unknowns—where we are today appears to be a poor launch pad for such an endeavour.