6 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review borders. Today we face both and we must respond to both. So over the course of this Parliament our priorities are to deter state-based threats, tackle terrorism, remain a world leader in cyber security and ensure we have the capability to respond rapidly to crises as they emerge. To meet these priorities we will continue to harness all the tools of national power available to us, coordinated through the National Security Council, to deliver a ‘full-spectrum approach’. First, over the last five years we have reconfigured Britain’s Armed Forces so they are able to deal with modern and evolving threats. Where necessary, we will be ready to use force. We will ensure that our Armed Forces continue to remain world-leading. We will establish two additional Typhoon squadrons and an additional squadron of F35 Lightning combat aircraft to operate from our new aircraft carriers. We will buy nine new Maritime Patrol Aircraft, based in Scotland, to protect our nuclear deterrent, hunt down hostile submarines and enhance our maritime search and rescue. We will create two new Strike Brigades, forces of up to 5,000 personnel fully equipped to deploy rapidly and sustain themselves in the field. By 2025, we will have a highly capable expeditionary force of around 50,000, up from the 30,000 we committed to in 2010. We will double our investment in our Special Forces’ equipment. We will maintain our ultimate insurance policy as a nation – our Continuous At Sea Nuclear Deterrent – and replace our four ballistic missile submarines. In the longer term we will also increase the size of the Royal Navy’s frigate fleet. Second, we will do more to ensure our security and intelligence agencies have the resources and information they need to prevent and disrupt plots against this country at every stage. So we will invest an additional £2.5 billion, including employing over 1,900 additional staff and strengthening our network of counter-terrorism experts in the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. We will also increase our investment in counter-terrorism police and more than double our spending on aviation security around the world. Third, we will use our outstanding Diplomatic Service to promote our interests and project our influence overseas. We will use our formidable development budget and our soft power to promote British values and to tackle the causes of the security threats we face, not just their consequences. This includes refocusing our aid budget to support fragile and broken states and regions to prevent conflict – and, crucially, to promote the golden thread of conditions that drive prosperity all across the world: the rule of law, good governance and the growth of democracy. These interventions are not just right morally – they are firmly in our national interest. Our substantial aid budget means that Britain not only meets our obligations to the poorest in the world, but can now respond rapidly and decisively to emerging crises overseas which impinge on our security at home – and with this speed and agility of response comes greater influence in the world. Fourth, Britain’s safety and security depends not just on our own efforts, but on working hand in glove with our allies to deal with the common threats that face us all, from terrorism to climate change. When confronted by danger, we are stronger together. So we will play our full part in the alliances which underpin our security and amplify our national power. We will work with our allies in Europe and around the world – as well as seizing opportunities to reach out to emerging powers. History teaches us that no government can predict the future. We have no way of knowing precisely what course events will take over the next five years: we must expect the unexpected. But we can make sure that we have the versatility and the means to respond to new risks and threats to our security as they arise.

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