CDD0001

Written evidence submitted by Professor Alexander Evans

1.              Defence diplomacy continues to play a vital role in furthering UK influence, interests and soft power overseas. I have seen this first-hand in diplomatic postings to India, Pakistan and the United States. It is tempting to see cultural defence diplomacy as an ‘optional extra’ rather than as a vital ingredient in promoting Britain, deepening bilateral ties not just between military services but wider government and society.  However, it is necessary to further focus on measurable dividends from this activity – particularly through investing in and strengthening digital content.

2.              I offer these comments in my personal capacity as an academic.

A greater focus on digital content

3.              In light of growing financial constraints on UK public expenditure His Majesty’s Government should seek to enhance commercial sponsorship for cultural defence diplomacy, reducing the direct cost to the public purse of events, band visits, travel and subsistence.  Where appropriate, one or several paid public performances at commercial venues could form part of an official visit programme for a military band.

4.              There is scope for greater focus on digital content generated from cultural defence diplomacy.  While the reach of a bagpiper at a Remembrance event or King’s Birthday Party can be numbered in the hundreds, the right type of digital content could reach hundreds of thousands (or millions).  There could be a greater focus on the digital reach (and therefore marketing return on investment for the UK taxpayer).  This will depend on persistent and excellent digital content capabilities in government, particularly those associated with the planning and delivery of cultural defence diplomacy.

5.              When it works well, this reach is already in evidence. Some 900m people watched the opening ceremony of the London Olympics; while the YouTube video has gained 18 million digital views.  The latest QE Aircraft jet flights in New York have gained 761,000 views[1] while the Royal Marines band gathered 129,000 views during its visit to New York in September 2022.[2]  However, given the changes in digital appetites and consumption – particularly among younger people across different countries – HMG needs to be nimble, inventive and entrepreneurial in generating relevant and compelling digital content.  We cannot depend on Facebook-focused officials in a TikTok age.

The continuing value of Naval Assets

6.              Naval assets remain important for defence diplomacy.  They are symbols of force-projection and joint work with allies and likeminded states, and brilliant platforms for hosting diplomatic receptions, trade and investment missions, and King’s Birthday Party events.  The costs of these can be offset through commercial sponsorship.  Good practice should continue to encourage commercial sponsors for as many of these events as possible. At the same time, where sponsorship is received it should be openly acknowledged, and any conflicts of interest (real or perceived) properly considered.

7.              The benefits from military band visits can be significant – as I witnessed in India hosting the Royal Marines band during my posting.  A military band visit can foster closer ties with other militaries, generate publicity including digital branding for UK plc, including travel and regional tourism, and signal respect for the host country.  There is also a likely indirect benefit to UK defence exports.

An uncertain world

8.              As the 2021 Integrated Review set out, the UK is living in an uncertain world with revived Great Power Competition.  Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 is a hard reminder that UK national security and sovereignty depends on a strong defence capability, allies and partners, and ever close interoperability with friendly militaries.  Cultural defence diplomacy is a vital long-range investment in this.  Even if the direct return on investment is not always measurable, the value of sustained engagement with friends, partners and potential neutral states matters. 

9.              Military historians are generally more attentive to the history of war than the history of political or defence diplomacy with neutral states during war.  But in future crises our ability to reach, woo and persuade the political and military leadership in other countries will likely prove as relevant to British national security as it did during conflicts past.  And this is where visits, performances, and anchor events – be it bands, the Red Arrows, or ship visits – form a vital part of the UK’s national defence.

3 November 2022