Improvements to Government’s annual report on NSS and SDSR
7 December 2012
The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy has welcomed Government’s 2012 Annual report on the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).
Last year the Committee was critical of the Government’s 2011 Annual Report saying that it had been “almost unrelentingly positive” and simply a “relatively uninformative implementation report on the SDSR”.
The Government’s 2012 Annual Report acknowledges that it “seeks to respond to JCNSS comments and recommendations with regard to the 2011 annual report by being both comprehensive and further enhancing transparency”. It covers a much wider range of topics than the 2011 report, including details on the NSS, the SDSR and a range of security threats and challenges facing the UK.
Quote from the Chair
The Chair of the Committee, Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP, said:
“We welcome this year’s Annual report on the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review which is much broader and more wide-ranging than last year’s report. However we regret the fact that it is not yet as complete, transparent, and strategic as it could be. We hope the Government will take the opportunity in next year’s report to focus more on the strategic aspects of events; for example this year’s report ignores the strategic impact of the Eurozone crisis. It also glosses over other problems the Government has encountered this year. Omitting altogether difficulties such as the numerous problems there have been with Border Security in the last year fools no-one.”
Additional information
- The Government’s National Security Strategy (published in 2010) promised an “annual report of progress on implementation” of the NSS and SDSR
- The Government’s first annual report was published in December 2011 as The Strategic Defence and Security Review: First Annual Report
- The Committee responded to the first annual report in its publication First review of the National Security Strategy 2010 (PDF 1 MB)
- The 2012 report is the second annual report by the Government and is entitled Annual report on the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review (PDF 444 KB)