ABSTRACT
This chapter examines British defence policy through scrutiny of the idea and purposes of policy through the practice of periodic major reviews and annual policy reports and adjustments, and through the identification of constant and changing elements. The word 'policy' is far from standard or precise in its meaning, and in the realm of national politics it shares overlapping ground with the term 'strategy'. British defence policies and their generation have supported civilian and political direction of the military instead of simply allowing the different sections of the armed forces to build the capabilities and systems that they themselves appreciate. A reasoned defence policy statement is a key element in the public explanation of and justification for defence activities. The National Security through Technology paper publicly strengthened the government's ambition to buy defence equipment on a competitive basis from the global market, although it did acknowledge that security considerations might sometimes make this inappropriate.
