In fact, structural dilemmas and an inflexible bureaucracy permeate every layer of the defence system in this country. The result is a dangerous cycle: a government unwilling to explain defence policy, and a public unwilling to ask. As such, Britain’s defence debate is trapped between a system too fragmented to act coherently and a public too disengaged and unaware to demand better. Insecurity thrives in silence, and right now Britain’s defence debate is marked by precisely that silence. Thank you to Christopher Samuel and Defence Synergia for their contributions.