6.4 A key role for the Head Office is to assist Ministers, PUS and CDS in setting the direction for the Department and the Armed Forces. It supports PUS as the lead on policy advice and CDS as strategic military commander. We welcome the Government's commitment to publish a National Security Strategy (NSS) and conduct a Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) each Parliament. This will need to be the focus for strategy making in Defence. The NSS and SDSR should be the means by which the Government determines the high level direction on the tasks the Armed Forces should undertake and plan for now and in the future.
6.5 The Head Office should lead this cross-Government process for the Department. Its role should be both to inform the formulation of the National Security Strategy and to ensure that Defence plans and uses the Armed Forces most effectively to deliver its objectives. To this end, the Head Office should produce a Defence Strategy with the same frequency. This should be the single authoritative means of setting direction to the Department. It should be developed, agreed and managed by the Defence Board.