A day into his new job, Phillip Hammond would be excused for sitting back and wondering
what he has let himself in for. The job of defence secretary is every Tory’s dream, and the businessman-turned-politician is well-placed to excel in it. But the armed forces and the Ministry of
Defence face a number of challenges that would test even history’s greatest defence and war secretaries.
Six challenges stand out:
1) To reshape the military’s structures, systems and capabilities. This should be done according to the decisions taken in the SDSR to place defence on a surer financial footing. Much of what needs to be done has been set in train, but it will be crucial that the new defence secretary ensures decisions are not undermined in the change-over, and that the process continues post-haste.
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