Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 24
24
Accepted
Paragraph: 98
Review cold weather capability needed for High North defence, focusing on Scotland-based assets.
Conclusion
The UK Government must review, and report to the House, the extent to which, now and in the future, what capability is needed to operate in extremely cold environments at the scale required to meet evolving defence and security objectives in the High North. The review should consider what equipment and technology might be needed, and whether there are sufficient numbers of appropriately trained personnel to operate in such environments. Because of Scotland’s Arctic-facing geography, Scotland- based capabilities must be a focus of this review. The UK Government should report its findings to the House before Parliament dissolves for the next general election.
Government Response Summary
The government states it is already developing, testing, and analysing cold weather capabilities through existing programmes and exercises. Its Cold Weather Warfare doctrine has been refreshed and will be tested in Q1 2024 and ratified in Q2 2024.
Paragraph Reference:
98
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The UK’s Defence Contribution to the High North committed to developing sustainable, modernised, and proportionate Defence capability for the region, including through investment in research and development. The UK will also seek to conduct cold weather training with Arctic partners on a regular basis, including Finland and the United States. In support of these capabilities, UK Defence will examine options to bolster its cold weather capability to ensure that Arctic-appropriate equipment, activity, environmental support, and infrastructure are all developed and maintained. The capabilities required to conduct likely UK operations in the High North are regularly tested during exercises, and wargames are used to analyse the likely future quantity and capacity of required cold weather assets. This analysis includes an assessment of personnel, training, information, enablers, and logistics for sustainment, as well as the platforms that form part of that capability. Any identified shortfalls are examined as part of Defence’s balance of investment assessments. The UK’s Cold Weather Warfare doctrine has been recently refreshed and will be tested during the first quarter of 2024 and ratified in the second quarter.. The Department sets out its spending plans for the next 10 years to Parliament on an annual basis through the Equipment Plan. The report sets out the Department’s cost and budget forecasts, provides an update on progress in delivery of key programmes, and explains how the Department is making improvements to the management of the plan. The report is published in parallel with a review by the National Audit Office (NAO), who review our plans each year and provide feedback on areas for improvement. MOD capability requirements inform and are indicated within the MOD’s Defence Command Paper and HMG’s 2023 Integrated Review Refresh.