The Royal Navy's confirmation that HMS Dragon, a Type-45 air defence destroyer, will not be in Cyprus for at least two weeks is lamentable and shows the flabby and weakened state of this country’s defences.

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First, we have to look back at the last two decades of British governments that have cut, slashed and burned British capabilities. The reason for the delay in HMS Dragon’s deployment is that there are only 6 active-duty vessels; others are working other missions. Contrast this with the 16 Type-42s, the predecessor to the Type-45 in working the air defence mission. As if to emphasise this continued neglect, Rachel Reeves utterly failed to mention the Defence Investment Plan in the Spring Statement.

Second, we must look at this government’s slow reaction time to events and the rise of the FCDO lawyers. There is no doubt that Number 10 would have been privy to the US military build-up and planning in the Persian Gulf since late January 2026. We know from the resignation of at least one British diplomat this week that there is a stifling culture of dysfunction in the civil service in which “our entire foreign policy [is] dictated by what the lawyers tell us international law requires.” If true, this government is going to have to re-examine its ethos against its ability to defend British national interests.

Third, there is a growing realisation – only now reaching our political elites – that the war in Ukraine has seen a significant shift in the drone and missile threat. The UK will join France, Germany, Italy, and Poland in a new multilateral effort to develop air defence systems designed to deal with these new threats. As has been noted elsewhere, the lack of warning for British forces in Cyprus is due as much to the new threat posed by drones as to the surrounding hilly countryside. This new effort is also seeking to reduce timelines and produce platforms more quickly than traditional procurement processes.

All in all, the delay in the HMS Dragon’s deployment to Cyprus is a symptom of greater decay and neglect in our nation’s national security machine.

Dr John Hemmings is Director of the Henry Jackson Society National Security Centre.

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