How valuable are the armed forces in contributing to the security of Britain

The winner of the Trench‐Gascoigne Essay Competition, Commander Latham defines the term ‘security’ as an individual, national and international requirement, the achievement of which is dependent upon the political, economic and social trends dominant in the world. With the end of the Cold War and the new international realignments that have subsequently occurred, he argues that the security of Britain and her allies in particular, will focus increasingly on the non‐military aspects of security, with smaller, mobile military units as defence, rather than on the current superstructure of weapons and armed forces.