Analysis of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security of UK.

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course Title
Date
Analysis of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defense and Security of UK.
Introduction
The national security of the United Kingdom depends on the economic security of the Nation (Ritchie, 356). For the UK to develop the best security, the primary strategy is to ensure that the economy of the country remains strong. This paper outlines the means and ways that can be used to achieve the set goals for the national security strategy. It connects the decisions on where and how to put effort and avail the use of the available resources to the various choices and their priorities. The country has been advancing economically over the last few years because of being able to stick to the long-term economic plan. The renewed security of the economy will lead to a simplified investment in the security of the UK (Biscop 1297).
During the times when the threats in the country were rising due to the great instability and crises and threats of cyber-attacks, the world started being a dangerous place as compared to the past years. This rise led to the government of the UK resolving to spend most of its funds on maintaining security as well as safeguarding the nation’s prosperity. Because of the decision, the UK is the only country in the world which meets the target of the budget spending on matters concerning defense and security. The nation is also increasing the expenditure on the security and intelligence agencies in times of terrorism.

To be able to meet its strategy, the United Kingdom has made all its links to the global commerce open and freely flowing (Joseph, 254).
The international conditions that affect the interests of the states are various and need to be targeted well for the strategy to be successful. Some of the conditions include natural disasters, civil emergencies, resources scarcity, climate change and global energy security. These conditions interfere with the activities that are being carried out with the aim of achieving national security. For instance, the severe flooding in the UK witnessed between 2013 and 2014 destroyed a lot of properties and also caused frequent health emergencies (Habegger, 49). Additionally, the global energy security suffers a lot from terrorism, instability and cyber threats thus affecting the interests of states in the accomplishment of the set strategies.
The main assumptions underlining the strategy is that the UK being one of the fast developing economies will be able to carry out the activities that will enhance the achievement of the security goals. Another assumption is that the UK has a positive and strong role globally to influence nations and help secure a prosperous future. The strong and resilient society of the nation also will ensure a successful investment in national security and defense (Biscop, 1303). Also, the nation has a strong reputation of diplomatic service and is also a leading power. These assumptions are of importance in the formation of a sound international influence.
The objectives of the national security strategy of the UK are numerous. Among them is the protection of the people. This interest involves the protection of everyone within the nation, in overseas territories and abroad. Also, it is aimed at protecting the country’s territory, infrastructure, the way of life and economic security (Habegger, 52). To achieve the UK will have to invest well in intelligence and security agencies as well as the armed forces. Also, the nation must be well equipped to prevent potential enemies, combat terrorism, establish efficient measures of cyber security and be able to discourage any organized crime. The nation will also achieve the interest mentioned above by increasing the flexibility against any risks and threats.
The protection and defense will start with prevention, a national security policy that has been used for a long period by the nation. This policy is of great help in enhancing the national security since it guarantees that the consequences that will be met by the potential enemies outweigh their benefits of attacking. The use of the full spectrum of capabilities also will enable the nation to deny the enemies a chance of attacking. The skills will also assist a lot in the build-up of the country’s resilience as well as increase the consequences of the armies threatening the security of the nation (Biscop, 1307). Another thing that will boost this policy is the fact that the nation is always ready to use the armed forces to protect the interests of the nation when necessary. This objective of protecting the people support the national interests a lot since the main target is national security, a goal that is achieved through the protection of the people.
Another objective is the projection of the global influence, that is, the reduction of the threats faced by the UK and their partners. This objective will be made successful through enhancing the stability overseas tackling conflicts and helping others face the challenges of national security. The UK plans to go on with the leadership role of helping other nations fight terrorism. In Somalia for instance, the nation closely works with their partners to ensure that they increase their capacity of combating terrorism and also training and boosting the security forces. In Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia the British Support Team trains the military on regional peacekeeping. The nation also seeks to increase the support offered to the Nigerian authorities that tackle terrorism (Joseph, 259).
This way of ensuring the enhancement of security globally through relationships with various nations is proving to be very effective in boosting security. Despite this, the UK nation is facing some threats while trying to create a long lasting relationship. Among these threats is the problem of propagation of illicit weapons and arms aimed at mass destruction (Ritchie, 365). This problem is a threat since it is typically eradicated by norms and rules that are very much hard to construct. It is also evident that the long-term prosperity and security depend on these rules since they ensure that the values are upheld. Because of this, security and prosperity will not be achieved when the rules are not well established. The failure occurs mainly when the abuses and violations of human rights are not resolved because of the lack of rules to govern the rights.
The another thing that the National Security Strategy is interested in is promoting the prosperity of the UK nation (Joseph, 262). The government is the main contributor to the achievement of the economic security and promotion of their opportunities worldwide. Also, the strategy involves boosting the relationships with other economies as well as leading economic reform globally. Additionally, there are plans by the government to boost the contributions of innovation to the national security. Also, working together with the industries dealing with security and defense and enhancing their expansion through investing in skills and exports will be of great assistance.
The strategic defense will also not leave out the boosting of prosperity in overseas countries (Ritchie, 368). Since the nation is an open economy in an interconnected world, there is a need for a sustainable and strong global growth. Boosting prosperity abroad will increase exports and returns gained from the investments overseas. This achievement will benefit the UK since it contributes to economic growth and stability, which is the main way of boosting the national security. Also, the increase in income means that conflicts and risks have reduced considerably. Thus supporting prosperity globally benefits the UK nation both directly and indirectly (Joseph, 263)
The threat to the nation that comes with this objective is mainly in line with funding the set programs. The goal will be achieved primarily by supporting the poor and developing countries by doubling the spending aimed at improving tax systems and eradicating tax evasion. The nation will also have to invest a lot of funds in establishing anti-corruption as a heart of the national development. All these undertakings will strain the country regarding finances. Despite this fact, they are worth being accomplished since they will play a significant role in enhancing security globally and also in the UK (Biscop, 1313).
In conclusion, the nation of the UK is proving to be one of the best in the establishment of national as well as international security strategy (Habegger, 55). The reason for this is that the nation is leaving no stone untouched in trying to find ways of improving defense and security. It is notable that the country has to strengthen its economic security first so as to be able to work on the issues of defense. The nation is currently working on the objective such as the protection of people, boosting of property internationally and global influence. All these objectives are the stepping stones to a robust economy and a sound national security as well.
Works Cited
Biscop, Sven. “The UK and European defense: leading or leaving?” International Affairs 88.6 (2012): 1297-1313.
Habegger, Beat. “Strategic foresight in public policy: Reviewing the experiences of the UK, Singapore, and the Netherlands.” Futures 42.1 (2010): 49-58.
Joseph, Jonathan. “Resilience in UK and French security strategy: An Anglo-Saxon bias?.” Politics 33.4 (2013): 253-264.
Ritchie, Nick. “Rethinking security: a critical analysis of the Strategic Defense and Security Review.” International affairs 87.2 (2011): 355-376.