The Defence Vision

• Defending the United Kingdom and its interests
• Strengthening international peace and stability

A force for good in the world

We achieve this aim by working together on our core task to produce battle-winning people and equipment that are:

• Fit for the challenge of today
• Ready for the tasks of tomorrow
• Capable of building for the future

We have shown we succeed in what we do. We must continue to adapt to a more uncertain world. We will be flexible and creative, harnessing new technologies and ideas to make best use of our resources.

We will base our future direction on:

Providing strategy that matches new threats and instabilities

We face new challenges and unpredictable new conditions. Our strategy must evolve to reflect these new realities.

For the future this means:

• evolving strategy and military doctrine that is flexible and geared to changing conditions
• behaving with speed, flexibility and creativity as an organisation – in the way we work and the way we respond to external events
• holding fast, in the face of change, to our underpinning military traditions and commitment to public service

Maintaining flexible force structures

As our strategy evolves, we will develop force structures to maintain battle-winning capabilities that are relevant and effective against emerging threats.

For the future this means:

• greater focus on capability rather than delivery platforms
• developing pace of deployment and impact
• increasing precision of effect
• flexibility and agility in terms of platforms and equipment.
• the highest standards of professionalism among men and women imbued with fighting spirit, well trained and properly equipped

Reaching out into the wider world

We are major contributors to the business of government and to society as a whole. We will increasingly recognise and manage our contribution.

For the future this means:

• working closely with other Departments, with the private and voluntary sectors in the UK, and with our allies abroad, to integrate the military, diplomatic, economic and social components of crisis resolution
• strengthening our links with the Civil Departments to implement the government's domestic agenda – making our contribution in the regions, and providing support in civil emergencies
• playing a key role as part of wider society, for example in our contribution to training and skills and to health
• helping the rest of government benefit from making wider use of our skills in project management and delivery
• working in closer partnership with the private sector to deliver value for money

Leading a high-performing organisation

The many demands on the MOD, including its role as military headquarters, require us to be first class in the way we lead and manage the business of defence.

For the future this means:

• clear leadership at all levels, focussed on delivering the vision
• managers free to get on with tasks and held to account against clear objectives
• demonstrably effective management of our resources
• stripping out bureaucracy, with ways of working that are simple and "fit for purpose" and using common standards wherever possible
• working flexibly, with project and task-based teams

Investing in our people

We are world leaders in many aspects of how we manage and develop our people. We will build on this with strong leadership and focussed investment.

For the future this means:

• providing strong unified leadership, service and civilian personnel working together
• benefiting from diversity by recruiting service and civilian personnel reflecting society as a whole and with the right skills for the task
• balancing rewarding successful performance with robust management of poor performance
• being a learning organisation, sharing knowledge, committed to developing our people

By holding true to these principles we will move forward together to maintain and enhance our capability

We draw on our commitment to public service and military traditions, acting as one organisation to achieve our shared purpose.