The budget boost for defence explained.

The chancellor has promised an extra £2.9bn for defence next year, but what does that actually mean for our armed forces? Professor Malcolm Chalmers explains why it amounts to a small increase in spending power and not the step change many want, but why that could still come down the line. Amid reports that the UK’s top military officer could get sweeping new powers General Lord Richards tells us how, when he had the job, he had to explain to the Prime Minister that the Chief of Defence Staff doesn’t actually command the three services. And Sitrep’s own Professor Michael Clarke reveals the secrets uncovered for his new book and podcast about great British commanders, including one who had a major sideline writing romantic fiction and another who firmly believed in fairies.