How did concepts of energy security and sustainable security affect British defence policy between 1997 and 2010?

The issue of energy security rose in prominence in British political discourse between the years of 1997 and 2010, partly due to diminishing North Sea oil and gas reserves, and partly due to the increasing recognition that significant measures would have to be taken in order to mitigate the effects of man-induced climate change. Indeed, the UK became increasingly reliant on imported fossil fuel supplies for a substantial proportion of its energy needs. Given these facts, and the British armed forces historical requirement for large amounts of fuel in order to conduct effective operations, this thesis asks what impact energy security considerations had on British defence policy during the tenure of the previous Labour government and whether a more sustainable conception of energy security became evident as Labour's time in power progressed. Using a framework for analysis adopted from Ian Bellany's book Reviewing Britain's Defence, in addition to explanatory tools adopted from the Oxford Research Group, Graham Allison and Andrew Dorman, this thesis demonstrates that energy security considerations did indeed have a noticeable impact, but this impact varied at each level of defence policy. Where the impact of energy security considerations was evident in British defence policy, it tended to manifest itself as a control paradigm approach, with an emphasis on the securing of energy resources through military action. However, the increased political saliency of environmental issues in the run-up to the 2010 General Election saw the espousal of more sustainable energy security ideas within British defence policy, as the government became eager to demonstrate its 'green' credentials. In addition, there were some positive developments in the field of alternative energy technology for use by the armed forces as Labour's time in power came to an end