House of Lords Panel on UK Defence Capability

On the 12th October, at Oxford University’s Examination Schools, the Changing Character of War Centre was delighted to host the House of Lords Panel on UK Defence Capability. Chaired by Lord Alderdice, former leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland and Director of the Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict at Harris Manchester College, the event brought together speakers who had participated in the January 2017 House of Lords debates on Defence Capability. The panellists included the Right honourable Earl Howe, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence and Deputy leader of the House of Lords, as well as Baroness Jolly, Defence Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats. This provided an in-depth exchange of views concerning the security threats that face the United Kingdom, appropriate strategic responses, and how these considerations have evolved since the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review. Specifically, the speakers gave detailed assessments of how defence and security issues are tackled within the House and Lords and government more broadly - from the security implications of Brexit to the financial determinants of British defence policy.