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Britain needs a strategic vision for national security, claims Demos

Britain’s security needs should be met by a national strategic vision coordinating the work of all Government departments, according to a report from the think tank Demos. The case for a national security strategy argues that the Government is at risk of being overwhelmed by the growth and complexity of challenges to the UK including terrorism, home grown unrest, global instability and the international drug trade.  This is the result of an overly fragmented approach to security, likely to be deepened if the expected division of the Home Office goes ahead.

The report argues that the lack of a shared strategic framework for Government departments and security agencies has led to “infighting between departments mixed messages from politicians and the duplication of resources”. To counter this, the report calls for the Cabinet Office to take responsibility for coordinating national security measures across departments and agencies, under direct instruction of the Prime Minister.

The report argues that a national security strategy should:

• Articulate a vision of the current and future security environment

• Communicate Britain’s values in the 21^st century

• Develop a framework for collaboration across Government on national security policy and identify policy areas where departments and agencies can be more efficient and effective in working together

• Prioritise national security policies and initiatives and the allocation of resources

• Bring together the plethora of departmental white papers on national and international security

Author of the report, Demos’ lead security researcher Charlie Edwards said:

The time has come for a truly seamless, cross-government approach to national security. Too often, the British Government has relied on individual departments and agencies – as well as occasional good luck – to win the fight, but such a piecemeal approach to security can only end in tragedy. Creating a national security strategy will be not be an easy process, but it is the first step in understanding how the Government should respond to the dynamic security environment today and in the future

The report makes a number of recommendations for a national security strategy:

• Take a networked approach to national security in response to the security environment, where the boundaries between domestic and international politics, policy areas and public and private spaces have become blurred and interconnected

• Place strategic long-term thinking at the centre of Government planning; at present this occurs in small pockets around Whitehall such as the Foresight programme

• Take into consideration that the process of developing a national security strategy will take time and effort; a white paper drawn up in a matter of months will not suffice; the development of a national security strategy will not fit easily into a political timetable

• Develop a strategy directed by the Permanent Secretary, Intelligence Security and Resilience at the Cabinet Office together with a ministerial committee on national security under the instruction of the Prime Minister

• Draw together representatives from relevant Government departments to help create a national security strategy

• Ensure a rigorous and comprehensive consultation period is held with key stakeholders during the early phases of development.
  

To ensure  democratic accountability the Government should:

• Place the strategy before Parliament for debate

• Provide an annual report on the implementation of the strategy to Parliament.

• Create a new House of Commons select committee on national security
  

However, the report also notes that devising and implementing a national security strategy will invite questions over resources.  The Government should be prepared to consider the idea for a single counter terrorism budget, as well as a separate fund for policy development. 

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