All Policy Brief Reports

The British Army is threadbare, strategically directionless, and unable to credibly fulfil its commitments. But the SDR 2025 plan, backed by both the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State, offers a coherent path to recreating a capable, credible force. Paul Cornish sets out what the Army is for, what the plan requires, and how it must adapt — arguing that since government now owns this programme it cannot walk away from it.

The MOD's procurement failures stem not from flawed organisation charts but from deeper systemic problems: chronic overcommitment, optimism bias, dysfunctional incentives, and the diffusion of accountability. Structural reform without behavioural change will simply recycle familiar problems. The solution lies in empowered programme leads, realistic resourcing, and a culture that favours timely ‘good enough’ delivery over procedurally perfect failure.

The UK government's 2025 Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce, established to cut "red tape" blocking nuclear expansion, is fundamentally misconceived. Historical evidence shows that failed nuclear projects collapsed due to financial risk, not regulatory failure. The Taskforce lacked expertise in radiation science, environment, and economics, its recommendations threaten regulator independence, and its reforms will consume government resources without delivering new capacity before the mid-2040s.