This is Paul Adamson and I'm in conversation with Alexandra Hall.

Alexandra Hall is the Research Group Director for Defence Security and Infrastructure at RAND Europe.

And I should point out at the very beginning that I'm on Rand Europe's Council of Advisors.

So Alex, you've recently recently this report on defence and security after Brexit.

What was the origin of the report in the first place?

Well, this report was a piece of work that was internally funded by the Rand Corporation.

And what we really wanted to do was think about the defence and security

implications of the Brexit decision, or at least the possible implications, trying to take an

evidence-based approach. So we have relevant documents and engaged with over 50 senior stakeholders

to try and capture a whole range of views about the defence and security implications

of this decision.

Right.

It's true.

I think up until now, on nine months since the Brexit vote last June, the debate has tended

to be dominated by discussion on the economic impact of Brexit on the UK economy, obviously,

discussions about access to the single market, membership of the customs union, and very little,

if any at all, attention given to security and defence aspects. So what were your main findings

in a nutshell of the report? Well, they were very well invaried. I mean, I think I would agree

with your assessment that defence and security received relatively

little attention in the run-up to the referendum vote.

I think it's received more in the months subsequently, and partly that's been a response

both in the UK and the EU.

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