Fighting continues in Ukraine and the most recent conflict in the Middle East again serves to show exactly how unpredictable the world can be.

From my perspective, we must pay heed and realise that we need to remain agile so that we are ready to do whatever is asked, whenever the call comes.

As soldiers, that means focusing on things within our control and making sure we get the basics right.

But I’d like to throw something else into the mix this month, too.

The chief of the general staff has asked us to think about what the British Army might do differently, if we knew that we were going to war next year.

This an opportunity to look at anything in our gift to further increase fighting power. And innovation is key to this.

On page 39 of this issue you’ll see how the Phantom Platoon within my old formation, 16 Air Assault Brigade, has been raising a few eyebrows on exercise by working in the digital domain.

The idea for the platoon came from a junior leader. It is being used as a training aid at the moment but the team’s specialist knowledge is now showing some potency.

Similarly impressive capabilities have also been demonstrated by 1st Battalion, The Royal Yorkshire Regiment and 1st Battalion, The Rifles.

I’d like to see more people using their initiative in this way. We need people to keep thinking creatively because, in the end, it’s the marginal gains that will make a difference.

That innovation thread will be part of the Regimental Sergeant Majors’ (RSMs) Convention in Sandhurst later this month, where we will focus on how a potential conflict could unfold in Europe – including how the Russian military thinks, operates and fights.

There will be sessions with senior officers, including the commander of Nato’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, and we’ll have guests from other nations and the defence industry.

The aim is to provide a checklist for RSMs to take back to their units ahead of a major Nato exercise next year.

With the world today as volatile as it is, let’s make sure that we are ready.