UK defence and security policy

Upon entering office in May 2010 one of the first actions of the new Coalition Government was to establish a National Security Council and announce the conduct of a Strategic Defence and Security Review. That review was described as one of the Government's top priorities alongside addressing the budget deficit. It would be published in tandem with a new National Security Strategy and would examine all aspects of security. Previous reviews had focused mainly on defence policy and the reconfiguration of the Armed Forces as a means of delivering the UK's foreign policy objectives. Both the National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review were published in October 2010, five months after the Government took office. This paper examines the main priorities and recommendations set out in each of those documents.