Guidance

Global Strategic Trends – The Future Starts Today

This publication seeks to improve foresight and encourage better strategic choices to shape the future.

• From: Ministry of Defence
• Published: 2 October 2018
• Last updated: 27 September 2024 — See all updates

This publication was withdrawn on 27 September 2024

This publication is superseded by Global Strategic Trends: Out to 2055.

Documents

Global Strategic Trends – The Future Starts Today

PDF, 52.3 MB, 282 pages

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Global Strategic Trends – The Future Starts Today: YouTube video transcript

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Details

Global Strategic Trends – The Future Starts Today (6th Edition) (GST 6) seeks to improve foresight and encourage better strategic choices to shape the future we want, build preparedness for alternative futures, and create an organisation that can adapt to the evolving future. It aims to alert readers to changes that are likely to become threats but may, if addressed promptly, provide opportunities.

GST 6 also identifies 16 focus areas where the potential for profound change to humanity is high, and describes a series of short alternative future scenarios.

Global Strategic Trends: The future starts here

There is a transcript for this video. It is also attached above.

Who should read this publication

GST 6 describes a future strategic context for those in the Ministry of Defence, and wider government, who are involved in developing long-term plans, strategies, policies and capabilities. Without a context, there is a risk that planners, policymakers and capability developers may assume a future that adheres to preconceived thoughts and assumptions. GST 6 describes the characteristics of a world 30 years from now.

Related information:

• Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre
• Regional survey: Africa out to 2045
• DCDC Strategic Trends Programme Future Operating Environment 2035

Published 2 October 2018
Last updated 27 September 2024 + show all updates

1. 27 September 2024

   This edition is archived. PDF updated.

2. 1 April 2022

   Updated GST file with one that people can copy text from.

3. 15 October 2018

   Updated the web page with the sixth edition of the GST document and updated the web text to reflect the new Global strategic trends document release.

4. 2 October 2018

   First published.