The object of defence policy, states Lord Carver, is to provide those who direct affairs with the greatest possible freedom of action in furthering the interests of the nation. In telling the story of British defence policy from VE-Day to the Gulf War and the collapse of Communism, he illustrates the key decisions which had the greatest influence on us as a nation. His narrative pinpoints the painful transitions involved in a long retreat from Empire, and the adjustments which have been made - some voluntarily, some under pressure - to take account of Britain's changing role in the world. With some of the issues, Lord Carver was himself intimately involved as Chief of Defence Staff. But all of them, inclusing Suez, Vietnam, the Falklands, Northern Ireland and nuclear issues from the V-Bombers to Trident, are put into an historical perspective.