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In a report published yesterday, the Defence Committee sounds the alarm over the UK’s ability to defend its homeland and Overseas Territories, finding that we may be failing to meet our NATO Article 3 obligations to “maintain and develop individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack”.

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While the UK remains a leading European military power, its ability to sustain that leadership is under pressure. In particular, the report finds that the UK and its European NATO allies have failed to invest in critical capabilities and remain over-reliant on the US. 

The report calls for the UK to urgently strengthen its conventional and nuclear capabilities, improve interoperability with Allies, strengthen its defence industrial base and ensure it can defend the UK homeland and overseas territories. 

Chair comment

Chair of the Defence Committee, Tan Dhesi MP, said: 

“Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, unrelenting disinformation campaigns, and repeated incursions into European airspace mean that we cannot afford to bury our heads in the sand. Our report, published today, calls on the UK to lead the European response to Russian aggression and do all in its power to hold the NATO Alliance together. 

“Despite clear, consistent signals from successive US presidents that European allies needed to step up, Europe has continued to bank on protection from the US and under-invest in its own defence. 

“We are therefore calling on the Government to assess where the UK can replace US capabilities in the event of them being withdrawn. Accelerating the speed of industrial change is essential, and readiness must be at the top of this Government’s agenda.  

“We have repeatedly heard concerns about the UK’s ability to defend itself from attack. Government must be willing to grasp the nettle and prioritise homeland defence and resilience. 

“In achieving this, Government cannot shy away from direct engagement with the public. Wars aren’t won just by generals, but by the whole of the population getting behind the Armed Forces and playing our part. There needs to be a co-ordinated effort to communicate with the public on the level of threat we face and what to expect in the event of conflict.  

“This was the first inquiry we launched as a Committee, because of its absolute importance to our country’s future. This report should be a wake-up call for the Ministry of Defence: as a nation we need to move much faster, and go much further.” 

Over-reliance on the US 

Today’s report urges the UK Government to assess where the UK can lead in terms of replacing US capabilities in the event of them being withdrawn. It calls on the Government to ensure that it expends every effort to hold the NATO Alliance together. 

Closer working with European counterparts 

The Committee calls on the UK Government to engage the EU and European partners, particularly France, on the threat posed by Russia and the countries that enable it.  

The UK's security and defence partnership with the EU is a welcome recognition of the importance of both parties to the defence of Europe. 

The report finds that the UK’s defence industrial base is not yet configured for sustained collective defence. It faces challenges in capacity, skills, innovation, procurement, and financing.  

It is vital that British defence industry is not sidelined or excluded from working with their European counterparts – that will be the key measure of success when assessing the Government's relationship with the EU.  

UK failure to defend the homeland  

The Committee questions UK Defence’s ability to protect the UK and the Overseas Territories from crisis or conflict and fulfil its Article 3 responsibilities.  

The Government seems to be moving at glacial pace – today’s report expresses deep concern at reports that the work on the Home Defence Programme is still ongoing, a year after it was originally due to be complete. 

The report finds that cross-government working on homeland defence and resilience is nowhere near where it needs to be. It concludes that despite the Government repeatedly saying that we are in an era of new threat, decision-making is slow and opaque. Yesterday’s report is critical of the Cabinet Office’s leadership in this area, saying that it appears inward focused. 

The Committee urges Government to produce a public timetable on the generation of the Home Defence Programme and reiterates its call for the Government to create a Minister of Homeland Security, with responsibility for the Home Defence Programme, the Resilience Action Plan and a public engagement strategy. 

While the report welcomes the proposal for a Defence Readiness Bill, it highlights that the Government has not yet determined what specific measures it wishes to include in the Bill, let alone written it. The Committee calls on the Government to introduce the legislation as soon as possible, setting out key milestones and its approach to pre-legislative scrutiny and public and parliamentary engagement.  

Engaging the public in defence 

The public need to understand not only the necessity of defence but also their role in it, the report finds. The report is supportive of the Strategic Defence Review suggestions for a “national conversation” through the use of regular public briefings on attacks against the UK, including on sabotage, and cyber-attacks, but questions why there has seemingly been no Government progress on enabling this.