I’ve spent more than 20 years serving the United Kingdom in defence and security. From the front line in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the command floor of the Ministry of Defence and the Cabinet table, I’ve seen how we take decisions, and what we get wrong.
In The Reset, I make the case that Britain’s defence has been hollowed out over thirty years - by governments of every stripe - and what must be rebuilt to put it right.
This is not a call for more of the same. Ukraine, the Gulf, and the Baltic states demonstrate what serious defence looks like: mass production, rapid innovation, societal readiness, and alliances built on honesty, not habit. Britain has the talent to rebuild its defence capabilities and the alliances to make that effort count beyond its own borders. What we lack is the political willingness to say so clearly and act on it.
For most of my life these choices have been important but not urgent. We can’t make that claim anymore. Our liberty is attacked and undermined every day. I will not be breaking secrets - our enemies already know how serious things are for us - but I will clearly tell this truth that, for too long, has been hidden. The better informed we are, the better choices we will make. That is what The Reset is for.
