ABSTRACT
Britain's focus has, historically, been on two areas: firstly, on Europe and maintaining some form of balance of power; and secondly, on the world beyond Europe. A peaceful Europe allows trade to occur with Europe and also beyond Europe. Europe has therefore been and continues to be at the very heart of British defence policy. This chapter examines the reality behind Britain's moves towards managing the changing nature of conflict. It sets out the reasoning behind the government's decision to adopt an expeditionary capability. The chapter assesses the reality behind these goals, to what extent have the armed forces actually been able to re-orientate themselves? The end of the Cold War almost inevitably meant that this position would be challenged as those elements became less important and North Atlantic Treaty Organization security agenda broadened. However, British defence policy took far longer to adapt to the changed environment as British foreign policy floundered.
