Introduction

This chapter explores the manner in which the nature of defence in the United Kingdom has evolved from the doctrinal certainties of the Cold War, and its immediate aftermath, to the complexities of contingent operations. During the early years of the twenty-first century, the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) developing, on-going guidance on Smart Acquisition asserted that the change programme had evolved and matured significantly beyond its early promise. In the twenty-first century, one of the seminal acts to shape future defence and security postures and behaviours was the attack on the United States by the Al-Qaida terrorist network on 11 September 2001. The text moves on to an analysis of British defence doctrine in 1996, based on an MoD publication that states that defence is about military primacy, the maintenance of a strategic and operational aim and, ultimately, victory over a recognised foe. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.