The 2015 SDSR: a reading list

The Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) is the Government’s foremost document on defence strategy and will be published later this year. Together with the National Security Strategy it will review the threats the UK faces, what capabilities the UK needs to respond to them and how to configure the Armed Forces accordingly.

New developments since the 2010 SDSR and NSS, in particular Russia’s actions on NATO’s eastern flank and the rise of Islamic State, combined with the end of operations in Afghanistan, have prompted calls for an overhaul of the SDSR and NSS. The last SDSR made significant cuts to Armed Forces personnel and equipment.

The Government has committed to meet the NATO target of spending 2% of GDP on defence every year for the rest of the decade. The Summer Budget 2015 announced the defence budget will rise by 0.5% (above inflation) each year from 2016-17 to 2020-21.

This paper provides numerous sources of material that further explore these themes.