I normally only focus on matters which are devolved to the Welsh Parliament. However, I am going to make an exception this week because I want to talk about defence.

Last week several MSs (including myself) spent the day at the Sennybridge Training Area. Every autumn since 1959, the British Army has organised the Cambrian Patrol for military personnel (regulars and reserves) from all over the world. It is regarded as one of the toughest exercises of its type.

It is an important part of keeping our soldiers ready for combat. I was born in the 1970s and therefore lived through much of the Cold War. I agree with those who say the world is a much less predictable and more dangerous place now. Yet when I knock doors (and I have knocked very many this year) the topic of defence is very rarely mentioned. In fact on most occasions, it never gets mentioned by voters.

Why is this? That we now spend much less on defence is regularly reported. We have seen that the Royal Navy has fewer than ten combat ships available. The RAF has only around one hundred fighter jets to deploy. The entire British Army would comfortably fit inside the Principality Stadium.

We also see war in Europe, war in the Middle East and the potential for war in the Far East. Those wars severely affect us and possibly our whole way of life.

I have purposefully used the word war several times here because it is war with which we are confronted. We have become accustomed to talking about defence, and to think that nuclear weapons make traditional war obsolete. Even as far back as the 1950s we had the Malayan Emergency. The War Office was abolished in 1964 and became part of the Ministry of Defence. In 1982, there was a tendency to talk about the Falklands Conflict.

The Americans are far more likely to talk about war for what it is. The British people are now sensing that there is an urgent need to adapt to this new world, and politicians must show proper leadership. The best way to avoid war is to prepare for war. This is not a pleasant topic of conversation. But talk about it we must.