Defending the UK

Yet, with the Comprehensive Spending Review – another statement delayed by the last government – coming to its denouement, now is, in fact, not the right time to take hasty decisions on the future funding of the Armed Forces.

This is the conclusion of a Parliamentary report published today. It can only be hoped that Ministers note the misgivings of backbench MPs.

The initial instincts of MPs will, rightly, be to remedy the equipment shortcomings that have so hindered Britain's soldiers in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Yet, with complex and costly decisions having to be taken on the future of the Trident nuclear deterrent and the construction of two new aircraft carriers, these matters cannot be reconciled until the Government has answered a far more fundamental question: what should Britain's military role be

in future?

In short, it has to decide whether its primary objective is the defence of these shores and British interests, or whether the interventionist foreign policy approach that characterised Tony Blair's premiership will remain. And, of course, there will be occasions, in a changing world, when a government might have to respond to unforeseen events.

That is why Ministers need to balance the need for long-term strategic decisions – new warships, for example, cannot be built overnight – with the practical need for the Armed Forces to be able to provide an immediate response where appropriate. It is why time spent now reaching the correct decision could be invaluable in the years ahead.