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 key threats to the UK and the capabilities it required to address them.

Threats

The National Security Risk Assessment 2015 found the threats faced by the UK, including its Overseas Territories and overseas interests, have "increased in scale, diversity and complexity" since 2010. It highlighted four particular threats that are likely to be priorities for UK security in the coming decade:
  1. The increasing threat posed by terrorism, extremism and instability.
  2. The resurgence of state-based threats; and intensifying wider state competition.
  3. The impact of technology, especially cyber threats; and wider technological developments.
  4. The erosion of the rules-based international order, making it harder to build consensus and tackle global threats.

Decisions

The commitments in the paper for equipment and support for the three services amounted to £178 billion up to 2025. This is roughly 20% of the 10 year budget period.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to spending 2% of national GDP on defence.

Joint Forces

  • The largest deployable expeditionary force to be increased from 30,000 to 50,000 by 2025. This includes a maritime task group headed by an aircraft carrier, a land division consisting of three brigades, an air group of combat, surveillance and transport aircraft, and a Special Forces task group.
  • Planned investment in Special Forces equipment doubled and advanced communications equipment and weapons will be purchased.
  • British Defence Staffs headquarters will be established in the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Africa in 2016.
  • £1.9 billion investment in cyber capabilities and development of satellite communications and space-based surveillance capabilities.
  • The Ministry of Defence would purchase at least 2 Airbus Zephyr high-altitude UAVs.
  • The number of nuclear warheads will be reduced to no more than 180 by the mid-2020s.

Royal Navy

Royal Air Force

British Army

  • The size of the Army will not fall below 82,000 regulars and 35,000 reservists.
  • Increased investment will be put into training and equipment for the reserves.
  • 589 Ajax armoured vehicles will be ordered.
  • Two rapid-reaction "Strike Brigades" will be formed by 2025, comprising 5,000 personnel each, equipped with Ajax and the Mechanised Infantry Vehicle. The Armoured Infantry Brigades will be reduced from three to two.
  • Two innovative brigades will be established, comprising a mix of Regulars and specialist capabilities from the Reserves, that are able to contribute to strategic communications, tackle hybrid warfare and deliver better battlefield intelligence.
  • Apache attack helicopters will be upgraded. Four squadrons will exist in 2025.
  • Challenger 2 tanks will be upgraded by the Life Extension Project, which will extend the tank's out-of-service date.
  • The 77th Brigade will be the core unit for counter-hybrid warfare.
  • "Commander Land Forces" will become "Commander Field Army".

Intelligence agencies

  • There will be an increase of 1,900 security and intelligence staff across all intelligence agencies to respond to terrorism, cyber and other threats.

Foreign policy

The government outlined a range of foreign policy initiatives. These included:

Reaction

  • Malcolm Chambers of the Royal United Services Institute welcomed the 2015 NSS and SDSR, stating that "The outcome of this SDSR is much better than the armed forces had been expecting only six months ago, when further steep capability cuts – comparable to those suffered over the last five years – were widely anticipated."
  • Former Chief of the General Staff Lord Dannatt welcomed the SDSR, stating that it was an attempt to rectify past errors made in the 2010 SDSR.
  • The International Institute for Strategic Studies responded to the SDSR by saying it "offers a credible plan to improve, modernise and increase UK security and hard power. It maintains the UK as a significant defence power, and adds and protects future capabilities, including in areas that are needed to deal with modern threats such as terrorism and cyber attack."
  • A report in Defense Aerospace argued that the review actually showed that "New cash is in short supply new capabilities undefined, uncosted, unscheduled.
  • James de Waal of Chatham House argued that the review was more of a "political success" for the Conservative-led government, but "the way it came together speaks to larger problems with British policy-making on security."
  • The Economist judged that Britain had reasserted itself as a "serious military power".
  • Japanese Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani said the review reaffirmed the UK's commitment to its "presence as a global power" and "The SDSR highlighted Japan as the closest security partner in Asia, and I highly regard this statement."
  • In a policy paper for, Edward Longinotti argues that Britain's strategic defence review comes at a time when the country's defence policy faces the same challenges as those encountered in 1968: how to accommodate two major commitments, to Europe and to an ‘east of Suez’ global military strategy, within a modest defence budget that can only fund one.
  • Prime Minister David Cameron claimed U.S. President Barack Obama was "clearly delighted" with the results of the UK's defence review, with US officials reported to have been concerned at the weakening of UK defence capability caused by previous cuts.