Almost the first thing I ever did on social media was live tweet a lecture by Joe Nye. His concept of 'soft power' was in almost every way brilliant. The name, however is rubbish. It invites us to imagine that enduring cultural power is ineffective, unreliable, or incompatible with combat power. This is the time of year when I come to Windsor Castle. I focus my mind on leadership, and I can't forget the tower up at the top of the hill, which used to house the core of a heavy cavalry unit that controlled the river crossing. There are two barracks in Windsor for modern British Army units: the Coldstream Guards in Victoria Barracks and the Welsh Guards and a squadron of Household Cavalry in Combermere Barracks. The combat power in those lines are integrated with the enduring power of the king. There's nothing soft about that.

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