The UK Defense Strategy, Concepts, and Theories of Strategy - Essay Example

Strategic Analysis Paper Name: Course: Date: Introduction to the UK Defense Strategy The United Kingdom is one of the dominating nations in the security industry as it has ensured a proactive strategy that will see the nation benefit at a great scale. The nation attributes its national security through the economic security that is present within the country (Cornish & Dorman 2009, 247). Since the development of the economy as a driving force to the attainment of domination, the United Kingdom has implemented various strategies that seek to lower the deficit and ascertain constant economic growth. Within the preceding five years, the UK has witnessed tremendous growth in its economy as more innovations begin to emerge and flood the system. Because of this, the nation is forced to advance its national security that creates an avenue for increased investment, trade and innovations with other countries elevating its level as an admirable, dependable and secure nation. This discourse aims at analyzing the United Kingdom defense strategies that have been developed over the years based on the new distribution capability (NDC) Framework and theories that illustrate the benefits of the strategy to the nation (Buzan, Wæver, and Wilde 1998, 7). The UK defense strategy was developed at a time when there were increased security risks accelerated by the onset of modernization and technology. Although at the basic level such threats may not be understood to detail, it is important that the people realize the implication of security coercion to the family, the constitution, and the social and economic sectors of the UK (Cornish & Dorman 2009, 247). In this respect, the nation has decided to invest more in the security of its components at each sector ensuring that they pose little to no risk to other areas. Similarly, the strategy was designed to implement mitigating policies that will prove viable while understanding the source and potential effect of the security risks. To achieve this, UK has vowed to adhere to the NATO requirements regarding the spending of national funds on the implementation of the defense strategy. However, from an evaluation of the 2% of the gross domestic product spending on the implementation of the strategy, the nation may have failed to consider a number of factors as identified through the NDC model. Concepts and Theories of Strategy: Understanding a Strategic Framework From a general perspective, there has been an increased speculation on the successful strategy frameworks that countries use while adopting a working defense system. Every country has the opportunity to define and decide on a unique strategy that will work in their favor to attain security even in the international and national level (Buzan, Wæver, and Wilde 1998, 9). As a step towards national security, one of the major issues that have been seen is the level of insecurity of the people from diverse threats. To understand the strategies that the UK needs to implement, it is important that they identify with the issues that affect the people. An overview of the UK strategy highlights that the nation has high regards for its people locally, within other territories and abroad by protecting their interests and their way of life (Cornish & Dorman 2009, 248). Considering that the strategy identifies the importance of people not residing in the country, it proves to be reliable and effective. Elements of Strategy To achieve their strategic objective of protecting the people, UK intends to identify the scope of performance in the intelligence agencies and armed forces both locally and nationally (Buzan, Wæver, and Wilde 1998, 24). National Interest forms the foundation of strategy and strategic thinking and hence occupies a prominent place in the UK strategic framework. People living within the nation are an important part of the economic development in the UK. Their contribution in different areas proves to be of great concern and the lack of security will affect the performance of the local sector therefore implying a drag in the economic aspects. The people within the nation play an important role in identifying the fraudulent and criminal activities that occur within the nation and report to the relevant authority. A lack of security would imply that the nation is failing in competence and safeguarding the interests of the people. Moreover, the people working abroad provide an avenue for the development of international relations that translates to proved trade and cohesion in investment. International trade opens markets or penetration that may imply economic advancement and development. Based on the strategies designed, it is possible that the people encounter constant attacks and instances of oppression. Once the people are attacked, it is possible that the adversaries try to shake the confidence within the economic status such as stock markets and central banks. Therefore, the strategies focus on countering the adversaries and dealing with impending crisis. Using international ambassadors, the strategy will enable convicted felons in overseas and abroad nations acquire free and fair trials in courts of law without overlooking any threats. People who contravene international legislations and agreed standards of behaviour will be held accountable. An analysis of the threats includes a comprehensive evaluation of the internal environment, the external environment and the international scene in relation to the security of the people (Buzan, Wæver, and Wilde 1998, 26). The threats that are imminent in the UK include the illegal penetration into the national boarders, violation of the defend policy, nuclear attacks, extremism and terrorism, cyber crime, organized crime and undetermined crisis such as floods and earthquakes. Based on the NDC framework, a threat is a situation where a country or a group of people has the ability to inflict harm on the inhabitants of another county. Threats pose as a disadvantage to the economy of the UK since the nation will require redirecting most of its resources towards mitigating the identified threats. Therefore, the UK strategies in identifying how to alleviate the threats prove to be effective once they determine the scope of effect that will be experienced. A major factor in handling the threats is through classification based on the effects. Considering that the major issue is securing the people, the most dangerous threat would be potential attacks from terrorist. In the modern society, it is possible for the terrorists to hide in plain sight such as an ordinary civil servant or immigrant. Nuclear attacks may be experienced once nations are in a conflicting state. However, the NATO agreements tend to intervene during such situations therefore deriving its relevance. Cyber crime is a common issue of security for the people in the UK considering the onset and adaptation of use of technology in most of the activities. Nonetheless, the banking sector has proved a significant aspect of concern since people use money laundering to orchestrate terrorist activities. Strategies to avert crisis take a personal initiative that would be attainable at the basic family level. One of the major challenges to the attainment of national security in the UK is the demographics. The location creates a default in the access points to where terrorist groups from Asia and other countries may attack. Although the security strategy has tried to counter this effect by engaging in collaborative agreements with the concerned countries, most of their ambassadors and security officers have been killed during the negotiations. Furthermore, in the wake of seeking employment and earning a living, the youth have sought out terrorist groups for training and employment arguing that the unfavorable employment state in the UK fails to consider the youth. The access to such countries has seen increased youth migrate to such locations. This proves to be a great challenge while attempting to find a solution to protect the people. Rebels and terrorist groups, in particular ISIL, have exploited the internet and social media to dispense increased quantities of complicated online misinformation intended to radicalize and enlist huge numbers of people in the UK and in other countries. Opportunities are conditions where a nation can progress its national interests. The UK can use its opportunities as a positive mixture of situations that present the nation with a good chance for progression of its welfare. For instance, as one of the dominating powers, UK can invest ore in the armed forces and national agencies to safeguard the interests of the people. Ensuring a comprehensive system of dealing with the criminal offenders overseas and locally proves to be an effective opportunity that the UK may exploit. They may achieve this discourse through creating a connection between the local and international agencies that handle law enforcement and work in complementary nature to ascertain the people of a safe and secure environment. To counter international threats, UK can distribute more commonwealth ambassadors to nations that have been identified as terrorist threats and design agreements that will enhance the security. Tools Used For the National Strategy In the strategic theory, power and influence is identified as one of the most successful ways and means of ascertaining security of the UK citizens. However, arguments have often been raised regarding the competence in the scope and application of power to steer a rather positive aspect of national security. In greater context, the NDC framework identifies power as an attribute and a means to an end. In this case, UK as a dominating nation in terms of equipment and security troops can ensure security of its people by allocating such resources across different areas (Buzan, Wæver, and Wilde 1998, 142). The UK also has the ability to create influence considering its position of power through the economic aspect and agreements with other world powers such as the United States. Therefore, such a strategy suffices as a viable means of attaining national security. To achieve security of the people through power, the UK needs to mobilize the armed forces, the joint forces, the Special Forces, the royal navy, the army and the air force. With a working defense policy, the armed forces are granted an opportunity to act based on the jurisdiction offered. They defend and contribute to the security and resilience of the nation and overseas territories by providing the necessary nuclear deterrence. The joint forces work in collaboration with other agencies to offer them complementary support and eliminate any policy barriers. Joint forces command offer advice on the conditions within the environment while the special force and royal navy incorporate their knowledge of equipment. Combining such forces implies the creation of a national power that could counter any threat to its people. A strategic plan needs to be practical considering each element will have significant impact to the security of the people. During the design phase, the pioneers may be faced with well-articulated, empirically supported, and logically consistent strategic options that will require concise decisions. Moreover, the different strategies in securing the people may have adverse effects. The UK strategy in place intends to use the advantage of an experience military force that will wield force for the attainment of success in securing the people. However, once the strategy fails to consider the undesired crisis as part of a threat and challenge, they will be unable to achieve their national security objective. Such issues are widely identified as accidental developments that require close and concise evaluation. The cost of implementing the strategy may be a hindrance to achieving the goals of national security considering the effect it ay have on the financial aspect. In respect to the NDC framework, cost and risk analysis involves an evaluation of the feasibility, acceptability, and suitability of the strategy (Buzan, Wæver, and Wilde 1998, 164). The plan needs to coincide with the security interests of the nation. However, a major issue with evaluating the contending approaches is that they frequently guarantee a set of challenges and benefits that are seen through various levels of competition. For instance, it is possible that the UK strategy may achieve security for the people but may have adverse effects to the political and economic aspects. In this case, the imminent risks are more complex than the attainment of security and this requires a systematic and concise approach to the strategy. Eastern Strategic Thought: Sun Tzu The work of Sun Tzu is an important aspect of consideration while implementing the strategic security plan. Sun Tzu remains a vital source of wisdom for the modern strategist in the modern society. The theory on The Art of War has become a much relevant element of study in the UK and America as compared to its origin in Asian countries. In any case, the theories have been influential for centuries and throughout the world. Tzu identifies strategic principles that are not different from the natural laws making them widely used (Tzu 2015, 29). Sun Tzu explores indirect ways to succeed in war. Similarly, the UK strategy may employ diverse methods of implementing their plan away from increased military action and through arbitration. With the armed forces at different levels, the rising bureaucratization and increasing capacity of the UK to exploit their power influence and materiel resources is a converging element to the Sun Tzu theory (Tzu 2015, 33). Clausewitz and the Foundation of Modern Strategy UK strategy can also be associated with the Carl von Clausewitz theory of war that identifies the character of war, the association of rule and armed forces activities, the important rudiments in influencing the goals and means, and the fundamental psychological facets of war (Von Clausewitz and Graham 1873, 44). The application of the theory in shaping strategy owes to the ability to consider the modern developments that have been at the center of shaping war. To secure the UK people, understanding the imminent threats at a modern level comes as a significant factor if the strategy is to succeed. The theory also provides decision makers with the opportunity to evaluate the various scope and alternative options before implementation to avert any potential risk to the achievement of national security in the overseas territories and abroad, the UK territory, economic security, infrastructure and way of life (Von Clausewitz and Graham 1873, 90). Conclusion The UK security strategy is a global move towards attaining safety and security of the citizen within the country. To understand the scope of effectiveness of the UK defense security strategy, the NDC framework can be used to evaluate the issues that prove to be of greater concern. It provides a guideline towards understanding the concepts of strategy, the elements of strategy and the tools necessary to render strategy a success. Similarly, the UK strategy can be compared with the ancient system of war of the Sun Tzu and the Clausewitz Foundation of Modern Strategy that offers insight on the implementation and appropriate approach structure of the government towards this strategy. Works Cited Top of Form Buzan. Barry. Ole Waever. and Jaap de Wilde. 1998. Security a new framework for analysis. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers. Bottom of Form Top of Form Cornish, Paul. and Andrew Dorman. 2009. "Blair's Wars and Brown's Budgets: From Strategic Defence Review to Strategic Decay in Less than a Decade". International Affairs. 85 (2): 247-261. Bottom of Form Tzu. S. 2015. The art of war. Sheba Blake Publishing. Von Clausewitz. C. and Graham. J.J. 1873. On war (Vol. 1). London. N. Trübner & Company. Read More