The future of defence

SIR – Despite Brexit, Britain remains part of Europe, and the defence of the European mainland is fundamental to our security.

There are siren voices saying that Britain must choose between remaining a global military power or reducing to a regional one. One hears this particularly from the anti-carrier lobby. There seems to be little analysis of what military assets are required by a regional power.

Are the North Atlantic and Arctic crucial to our defence? They certainly are to Europe. Is stability in the Mediterranean littoral and Middle East crucial? It certainly is to Europe. The assets needed to ensure the protection of those areas include carrier strike, nuclear attack submarines and amphibious capability.

We are a global trading nation and a member of the UN Security Council’s P5, and we are responsible for 14 dependent territories. Fortunately, the flexibility of our maritime forces means that, even if required for regional security, they have an intrinsic global capability. If “regional power” simply consists of protecting our territorial seas, and having a small army in Poland and an air force of limited range, then God help Europe. Admiral Lord West of Spithead London SW1