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The UK's defence industry is to be put on a 'war footing'. Douglas Fraser asks whether we can overcome the practical and political obstacles of rearming, to meet the challenges of a world that seems more unstable than ever.

When Keir Starmer got elected his government promised to keep their predecessors pledge of increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, albeit without putting a time scale on when it might happen. They鈥檝e since embarked on a review of the armed forces under former NATO secretary general Lord Robertson. Regardless of its conclusions the defence sector will be expected to increase its production capacity not only to replenish the stocks of arms and ammunition donated to Ukraine but restore the capabilities of our greatly diminished army, navy and airforce. Douglas asks how can that be done; and where should any new money be spent? Should it be led by the tactics we鈥檝e seen at play in Russia鈥檚 invasion with its almost World War I approach of massed artillery and trench warfare or by the defenders innovative use of drones and western supplied precision weapons? And how can a public desperate to see improvement in UK public services be persuaded that this will be money well spent?