Opting to change? British defence policy and the end of the Cold War, 1982-1991
Defence Academy, Shrivenham, Swindon
Join us for the next Defence Studies Department Research Seminar:Opting to Change? British Defence Policy and the End of the Cold War, 1982–1991
How do armed forces adapt to seismic shifts in the global order? This seminar explores how Britain responded to the end of the Cold War through the lens of Options for Change — a major defence review conducted between 1990 and 1991.
Professor Huw Bennett (Cardiff University) draws on new archival research to challenge common portrayals of Options for Change as merely Treasury-driven. Instead, he argues it was a pivotal, strategic recalibration of British defence, shaped by economic necessity and the shifting international threat landscape.
Key themes include:
- The real financial and political pressures behind the review
- The varying impact on different branches of the Armed Forces
- Why Options for Change marked a turning point in Britain’s ability to conduct independent military operations
- The long-term relevance of this review to contemporary defence policymaking
This seminar offers a valuable case study of the enduring tensions between strategic ambition, fiscal constraint and shifting global dynamics — themes that continue to shape defence planning today.
Please note: This event will be held live online via Microsoft Teams, and in-person at the —Defence Academy of the United Kingdom
About the speaker:
Professor Huw Bennett is Professor of International Relations at Cardiff University. He previously taught in the Defence Studies Department at King's College London and at Aberystwyth University.
His publications include Fighting the Mau Mau: The British Army and Counter-Insurgency in the Kenya Emergency and Uncivil War: The British Army and the Troubles, 1966–75 (Cambridge University Press).
At this event
Lecturer in Defence Studies
Search for another event