ABSTRACT
In the decades following the Second World War, imperial defence continued to be a key element in Britain’s strategic posture, though commitments in this direction slowly contracted, and the word ‘imperial’ was dropped as the British Empire disappeared and Britain’s relative power declined. Despite this, Britain’s appetite for a global military stance and the defence of overseas territories and interests – main features of imperial defence – never ended. In this light, the Strategic Defence Review of 1998 was not a departure in British defence policy so much as a refocusing on wider world commitments in an age where, not for the first time, Britain’s investment in European security could be scaled down. 1
