He’s right

I think we are all pointing in the same direction . Integrated force not balanced forces. Redundancy in order to confront what is coming up (quantum , a resort to exotics like bio and chemical and genetic) it would be good to get round a table and discuss everything , such as carrier strike,CASD, reserve forces . Get it across something CAN be done as well as needs to be done.

Thanks Robert. Jarvis has two weeks until the NATO summit but could set new direction at DefMin meeting this week. Let’s hope he grasps it.

Britain can't sustain a “balanced force” We need integrated forces to protect the North Atlantic and High North against Russian aggression and hold their Arctic bases at risk. Those forces can also deploy to wherever the next Hormuz crisis erupts. It's the only credible strategy in a world where American security guarantees are no longer unconditional.

New DefSec Dan Jarvis might have to live with the budget total Healey and Carns couldn’t accept. But he must rewrite the Defence Investment Plan to transform defence and make the tough choices we need. / 1

My letter to the Prime Minister

Congratulations to Prime Minister @narendramodi on becoming India’s longest-serving elected Prime Minister. A remarkable milestone in the world’s largest democracy and good for the UK-India partnership which will continue to go from strength to strength.

Within hours of being announced as the nominee to be the U.S. Director of the CIA, I received a hand-delivered message on MI6 stationery congratulating me on my nomination. It was signed simply "C" in green ink. Legendary. I shared it with my son and even he thought I was now cool! More than that, this note, from Sir Alex Younger, Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service of the United Kingdom, confirmed what I already believed: the work that the CIA and MI6 did together mattered, that the partnership was critical, and that two leaders focused on the mission could save lives and provide tools for our nations to deter our adversaries. Alex's passing this week brought back so many memories of our time in service together. He flew to Langley to see me the day I was confirmed. We brought our two senior teams together in the UK to plan and coordinate and build in the first several weeks of my time on duty: making clear to them all that this relationship was more than special - it was critical for the security of our two countries. Alex was a remarkable intelligence partner. When we needed help, it wasn't "let me see;" it was "this matters to you and America we'll get it done." And he and his team always did. I think he knew we would do the same for him and his team and his nation. Many Americans are alive today because of his leadership of MI6, I never knew how to thank him enough. Alex became a friend as well. In the years since we both left office we would see each other from time to time. He was always so kind, so thoughtful, so smart. His deep love of his country was surpassed only by his deep commitment and love of his family. Decent and proper - and funny as hell - Alex was "C." As espionage requires, he was quiet, not attention seeking. He knew what evil was and he was ruthless in his efforts to crush it with every legal tool at his command. And he knew who his friends were and committed himself to supporting them. I miss Sir Alex Younger. He was a role model for me and a man with whom every minute I spent was valued and savored. Blessings to you Alex. Praying for you and for your family. Well done and may you rest in peace in His hands.

Day 2 of Brother Phil’s charity walk in memory of our late mother. Please support with whatever you can. instagram.com/reel/DZPJxGCMC…

So very sad to have learnt of the untimely death of a great friend and colleague, Sir Alex Younger. We were at St Andrews University together, had parallel careers and retired together in autumn 2020. He was an outstanding national security leader. I will miss him terribly. Love and condolences to Sarah and the family.

NATO as a protected enterprise is finished. US won’t keep the sea lanes open alone. Britain’s answer is expeditionary forces — anchoring NATO’s northern flank and reaching the Gulf and Indo-Pacific. My latest @spectator: spectator.co.uk/article/mini…

Five structural forces. US-China rivalry. Hormuz — the largest energy market disruption in history. Taiwan. And one verdict for business. afr.com/chanticleer/business… linkedin.com/posts/marksedwi…

Further to Blair. Literally every honest sensible person in all the main parties privately agrees with all these propositions: - welfare spending is too high and is throwing good people on the scrapheap - defence spending is too low - the triple lock is unsustainable - without cheap energy we cannot exploit the AI revolution - we should be investing in EVERY form of energy: renewables, nuclear and the North Sea - migration needs to be controlled to boost social cohesion and because the boats look like a huge failure of the state - any new relationship with the EU will be imposed on us until we are stronger and cannot involve the closeness some desire without freedom of movement - we are deeply embedded with America in ways which the public does not understand and cannot be told and however joyous it makes us feel to hate Trump, disengagement at the deep state level is not only wholly unrealistic but also undesirable - Whitehall needs a total overhaul so specific project expertise and political appointees can be brought in quickly Blair basically says all that. The one thing he doesn’t say and which the same group of people agree on is this and it’s something Blair left behind: - judges and quangos have too much power, are unaccountable and without redressing the balance in favour of parliament it is very difficult to do anything big fast - the bare minimum that needs to change in this regard is to reform judicial review and planning law so we can put building and economic growth ahead of newts and NIMBYs None of that above really ought to be up for discussion. It is all common sense but not one of our politicians will publicly say all of it Whatever you think of Blair, engage with what he’s saying not how he makes you feel. The bare minimum we should expect from any leader is that they have an analysis of the current situation and a plan to deal with it which is as coherent and realistic as his intervention. Pretty well every critique I’ve read so far has failed to meet this requirement. Over to Andy and Keir and Kemi and Nigel and Zack and all the others

RT @EmilyThornberry: Following Sir Olly's evidence, the Foreign Affairs Committee has today requested that Cat Little, Ian Collard, Sir Phi…

Exclusive Sir Keir Starmer should retract his accusations against Sir Olly Robbins and reinstate him, former cabinet secretary Lord Sedwill says In a letter to The Times he points out that the PM appointed Mandelson against official advice, without conducting security vetting and was 'well aware' of the issues surrounding Mandelson, including his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein 'In his evidence to the foreign affairs committee, Sir Olly Robbins displayed the calm integrity and intelligence which have characterised his distinguished career of public service 'The prime minister appointed Peter Mandelson against official advice, announced that appointment without security vetting having been completed and claims that he would have changed his mind had he been told that the vetting process had raised the concerns about Mandelson’s previous conduct of which he was already well aware. 'As Robbins explained yesterday, the question for him was not whether to tell the prime minister what he already knew, but whether those issues could be mitigated enough to allow Mandelson access to the secret intelligence necessary to do his job. He made the professional judgment that they could 'Unwisely as it turned out, he shouldered his responsibilities rather than shunting them 'The prime minister should retract his accusations against Olly Robbins and reinstate him to the job the country needs him to do of getting the diplomatic service into shape for the second quarter of the 21st century.

Olly Robbins acted with the calm integrity and intelligence that have defined his public service. His job was to judge whether #Mandelson’s risks could be mitigated, not tell the PM what he already knew. Starmer should retract his accusations and reinstate him.

“President Trump is clearly particularly exercised by the enriched uranium and that could be the most difficult factor in this.” Lord Mark Sedwill, former British diplomat and National Security Advisor, gives us his analysis of the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the US.

President Trump has criticised western allies and called on them to 'build up the courage' to secure the Strait of Hormuz. Former national security adviser Lord Sedwill says the Gulf countries do not agree with the comments, but do want other nations to help get the route open.