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The national conversation must address society’s preparations to defend itself, reimagining the citizen solider of the 21st century, and every sector’s role in this effort.

The 2025 Strategic Defence Review concluded that ‘Defence can no longer be seen as contracted out only to our Armed Forces’ and that ‘a whole-of-society approach is essential’. However, six months later, a House of Commons Defence Committee report warned that ‘The Prime Minister’s ‘national conversation on defence and security’, highlighted in the SDR, is yet to start.’ The Chief of Defence Staff chose to focus on a whole-of-society approach in his first annual Christmas lecture, despite his remit being limited to those in uniform. For such an approach to be effective it must build on already strong foundations, be led by the Prime Minister and deliver across all government departments.

Reconnecting the Armed Forces and Society

The government acceptance of a shift from a ‘whole-of-government’ towards a ‘whole-of-society’ approach to national security is profound. Yet, to realise this ambition it must be followed by meaningful and sustained changes in attitudes and understanding of British citizens. Indeed, such are the challenges facing Britain that nothing short of a national conversation is needed to redefine how British society conceptualises its defence, understands individual civic duty and collective responsibility to confront the reality of modern warfare.

Britain’s small but highly capable armed forces enjoy remarkable public respect and confidence as the most trustworthy public institution, rated higher than the security services, the Police and Parliament. However, as the character of modern conflict increasingly transforms through technology and fast-evolving security threats, there is a need to re-examine and reimagine the military’s relationship with wider society. Until the government enables this, collective public understanding of war risks remaining remote and disconnected from reality despite the horrors of Russian aggression being plain to see in Ukraine.

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