Rearming for Peace?

Defence budgets are rising, military capabilities are being rebuilt and governments are confronting questions about security that seemed unthinkable a decade ago. At NATO’s latest summit in Ankara, European allies committed to taking greater responsibility for their own defence. But the summit also exposed a deeper problem: growing uncertainty over America’s commitment to European security and a widening transatlantic trust deficit.

Britain, meanwhile, remains unprepared for a major conflict. Rebuilding its defence capabilities will require substantial investment at a time of economic strain and growing pressure to repair struggling public services.

Does rebuilding military strength make war less likely, or risk fuelling the tensions it is intended to deter? And alongside rearmament, where is the diplomacy and statecraft needed to prevent escalation?

Former Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood joins us to examine how we reached this point and what can be done to prevent a wider war. As governments prepare for a…