The British Army sees itself as politically neutral. Hew Strachan examines its history since 1660 and reveals that this is a facade. Despite the fact that the British Army - unlike many other armies - has never staged a coup d'état, it is an inherently political entity, embedded in the fabric of the state, and intimately involved in the formation and implementation of policy. Professor Strachan goes on to show how this involvement is necessary and argues that a genuinely apolitical British Army would be a less effective contributor to the management of Britain's defense.