Source · Select Committees · National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)
Recommendation 22
22
Accepted
As long as Russia continues its war in Ukraine, and acts of hybrid aggression against...
Recommendation
As long as Russia continues its war in Ukraine, and acts of hybrid aggression against the UK and its European allies, the Government must ensure that momentum in imposing ever greater costs on Russia is maintained. The UK must continue to take a leadership role in this within European NATO. With this in mind, the Government should hasten publication and progress of strategies, legislation and reviews relevant to the hardening and sharpening of the UK’s conventional, hybrid and cyber capabilities, including the Defence Investment Plan, the Defence Readiness Bill and the Rycroft Review. The Government should also set out its priorities in the Arctic and the High North in the response to this report, and engage fully and constructively with the Defence Committee’s inquiry in this area. (Recommendation, Paragraph 89)
Government Response Summary
The government accepts the importance of maintaining momentum against Russia and a leadership role. It commits to publishing the Defence Investment Plan shortly, responding to the Rycroft report in coming months with immediate implementation steps, and describes the purpose of the Defence Readiness Bill.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
We welcome the support from the Committee on the Government’s work to counter the threat from Russia and ensure Ukraine is supported militarily and financially in its defence against Russia’s illegal invasion. The Government will continue to work with NATO Allies to counter Russian aggression, as well as through other groupings in Europe as Europe continues to step up on defence, such as with the Joint Expeditionary Force where the UK is Framework Nation. The Government also agrees with the importance of the UK continuing to take a leadership role in a more European NATO. The Prime Minister set out his vision for this in his speech at the Munich Security Conference in February, where he noted the threat from Russia and the need for a stronger Europe and a more European NATO, underpinned by deeper links between the UK and the EU, across defence, industry, tech, politics, and the wider economy. The Arctic and High North is a significant priority for the government as part of this work and the UK is participating in NATO’s Arctic Sentry activity that is strengthening NATO’s posture in the Arctic and High North. The Defence Investment Plan (DIP) will be published shortly. The Defence Readiness Bill should provide the Government with powers in reserve to mobilise the Reserves and industry, should a crisis escalate into conflict. It should also facilitate external scrutiny of UK warfighting readiness. The Government will respond in full to the Rycroft’s report findings within the coming months, but we are already taking immediate steps to implement his recommendations for a cap on donations made by overseas electors and for a moratorium on donations made via cryptocurrency, which we will implement through the Representation of the People Bill.