The British Defence Reviews of the 1990s and Their Legacy

Abstract

This working paper examines the British defence reviews of the 1990s (namely the 1990, 1994 and 1998 reviews) from the standpoint of the 2020s and argues that those reviews essentially established the country's post-Cold War position, as evident in both succeeding planning documents, and practical policymaking with regard to perceived threats, priorities and the budgeting, sizing and equipment of British forces. Dominated by the need for cost savings, and a focus on non-state threats with British forces oriented to interventions outside the West European area rather than state threats and conventional, interstate warfare, this only began to change in the 2010s, when resourcing was little changed and the emphasis on out-of-area operations endured (and indeed, grew with concern for Global Britain), but a renewed concern for interstate warfare became apparent (particularly in regard to Russia, but also China). The paper finally concludes with an examination of all this in light of the most recent, 2021 review documents confirming that shift.