Jul 14, 2026 · 39 min · 12 segments
Former UN Ambassador and National Security Advisor Sir Mark Lyall Grant discusses the challenges facing delivery of Western security strategies. In this season of *Talking Strategy* we have explored…
Mark Lyall GrantGuestPaul O'NeillHost
Beatrice HeuserHostA lot of security strategies today appear to be based on assumptions of societal security at home and mutual security abroad.
Well, I find it helpful to distinguish between national security and personal security, because the public concerns really in any country, let's take the United Kingdom, isn't about nuclear war with Russia or cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure.
It's probably around local crime, it's around terrorism, it's around cyber scams, it's around misinformation perhaps.
And what is interesting to me is that those last three, the state cannot really guarantee the security of its citizens on them on its own.
And everyone of course says that the state's greatest duty is to keep its citizens safe, but the reality, which many governments are very reluctant to say publicly, is that the government is no longer in a position to do that.
If we take, for instance, lone wolf terrorism, which is perhaps the most worrying form of terrorism for most people, the government really can't prevent an individual picking up a knife and attacking people in the streets, or hiring a car and driving it into a crowd at the bus stop.
If you travel on the London Underground, you're inundated by this irritating slogan about, "See it.
Sorted." That is essentially asking the public to be vigilant and help the state with its task of identifying terrorism.
And then if you look at cyber, private companies spend tens of millions of dollars to protect the integrity of their IT systems, and individuals are under their own responsibility to keep their passwords safe and protect themselves from cyber scams in that way.
In the same way, overseas, the government needs other countries' help to ensure their security.
We rely on allies, whether that's the United States or alliances like NATO, as part of some form of collective defense.
So is that a risk, that you're dependent on the public at home and you're dependent on allies overseas? I mean, yes, you could argue that that is a potential vulnerability or potential risk, but I think that is the inevitable outcome of where we are in today's world.
A lot of security strategies today appear to be based on assumptions of societal security at home and mutual security abroad.
Well, I find it helpful to distinguish between national security and personal security, because the public concerns really in any country, let's take the United Kingdom, isn't about nuclear war with Russia or cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure.
It's probably around local crime, it's around terrorism, it's around cyber scams, it's around misinformation perhaps.
And what is interesting to me is that those last three, the state cannot really guarantee the security of its citizens on them on its own.
And everyone of course says that the state's greatest duty is to keep its citizens safe, but the reality, which many governments are very reluctant to say publicly, is that the government is no longer in a position to do that.
If we take, for instance, lone wolf terrorism, which is perhaps the most worrying form of terrorism for most people, the government really can't prevent an individual picking up a knife and attacking people in the streets, or hiring a car and driving it into a crowd at the bus stop.
If you travel on the London Underground, you're inundated by this irritating slogan about, "See it.
Sorted." That is essentially asking the public to be vigilant and help the state with its task of identifying terrorism.
And then if you look at cyber, private companies spend tens of millions of dollars to protect the integrity of their IT systems, and individuals are under their own responsibility to keep their passwords safe and protect themselves from cyber scams in that way.
In the same way, overseas, the government needs other countries' help to ensure their security.
We rely on allies, whether that's the United States or alliances like NATO, as part of some form of collective defense.
So is that a risk, that you're dependent on the public at home and you're dependent on allies overseas? I mean, yes, you could argue that that is a potential vulnerability or potential risk, but I think that is the inevitable outcome of where we are in today's world.
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