Why defence, diplomacy, and development are all essential to keeping the British people safe

Author: Major General James Michael Cowan CBE, DSO is Chief Executive of the Halo Trust and former Commander in the Armed Forces.

The world is facing a daunting set of international challenges. Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine rages on, China’s rapid military build-up is more expansive than anything seen since World War II, and a humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Gaza. When the world needs stability, more voters than ever in history will head to the polls in 2024, including the UK, US, and India.

The United Kingdom is at its most influential on the world stage when it acts as a global leader in defence, diplomacy, and development. An active diplomatic and defence strategy, alongside an effective development budget, keeps Britain at the forefront of saving lives, alleviating poverty, and bringing freedom, security, and prosperity both to us, and to others around the world.

The challenges we confront are not hopeless. Ukraine has the will to win the war. What she needs are more air defences, artillery rounds, long-range missiles, and fourth-generation fighter jets.

Long-term military support alongside economic resources to rebuild is critical. There can be no recovery in Ukraine without clearing the landmines and other unexploded ordnance that are currently choking the supply of grain and injuring or killing civilians.

Similarly, in the Middle East, aid cannot be delivered and distributed safely in Gaza unless the explosive hazards currently littering the city are removed. Britain is home to the world’s leading organisations with the expertise to remove these hazards.

Despite British resolve in supporting humanitarian assistance, the world is facing the highest number of violent conflicts since the Second World War, with two billion people living in conflict-affected states. Soon, half the world’s poorest will live in fragile or conflict-affected nations.

People in extreme poverty, many already in dysfunctional or failed states, will be the first to suffer if authoritarian, revisionist powers such as China and Russia continue to expand their influence. It is imperative that the UK prioritises the protection of our national security and maintains leadership in the international world order.

Defence, diplomacy, and development are the three pillars holding up British power overseas, and our success on the world stage depends on the integrated impact of all three. If a nation cuts support for one, the others suffer accordingly. As James Mattis, the former General and US Defence Secretary under President Trump, told a Congressional hearing: “If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition ultimately.”

In the coming years China will continue to grow its strategic influence with its Belt and Road Initiative and push into Africa, and Russia will seek to destroy Ukraine and subjugate its people, while working to prevent peace in failed states and places like Syria.

The world needs the UK’s leadership in defence, diplomacy, and development, more than ever. Making progress in these critical areas requires strong political commitment and an integrated approach to resource allocation. A central pillar must be conflict resolution and prevention.

Combatting the existential threat of climate change, facing down the rise of China, Russia, and Iran, all while forging long-term partnerships with emerging powers in Asia and Africa, will keep our diplomats, our armed forces, and our development experts busy. They should have the tools and the support to get on with the job.

Seventy-five years ago, Britain was a founding member of NATO, an institution underpinning Europe’s peace and security to this day. The UK was also a driving force behind Marshall Aid, a programme of support for the war-ravaged countries of Europe in the late 1940s. The legacy of Marshall Aid underscores the effectiveness of strategic investments in security and prosperity worldwide.

It is a false choice to suggest that we should choose between tackling domestic challenges, or confronting problems overseas. In our interconnected world, what happens abroad affects us too. Covid-19, which started one side of the world, had a drastic effect on the British economy, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine sent energy bills, and inflation, skyrocketing. It is in our national interest to play an active role in confronting challenges overseas.

By investing in areas overseas that are challenged by poverty and conflict, we help reduce the likelihood of the consequences of those challenges, such as terrorism, irregular migration, and humanitarian disasters, reaching the United Kingdom.

Our values should remain at the heart of international affairs in the 21st Century, just as they have done in the century past. A robust and effective defence, diplomatic, and development strategy can keep Britain at the forefront of saving lives, alleviating poverty, and bringing freedom, security, and prosperity both to the people of the United Kingdom and around the world