Source · Select Committees · National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)
Recommendation 24
24
Accepted in Part
The Ministry of Defence should work with international partners to ensure there are viable plans...
Recommendation
The Ministry of Defence should work with international partners to ensure there are viable plans to escort cable ships without degrading wider NATO taskings. This plan could usefully include heightened surveillance of suspicious vessel activity, rules of engagement enabling a low threshold for physical interdiction of civilian and autonomous vessels, and input from industry. The Royal Navy should also practice live escorting exercises with cable repair ships to build confidence about their deployment in a security crisis. (Recommendation, Paragraph 147) 66 Governance and planning
Government Response Summary
The government partially agrees, stating escorting ships is an important task and rules of engagement are routinely reviewed. They are investing in new capabilities like underwater drones and the ‘Atlantic Bastion’ concept. They also state the Royal Navy already conducts routine live escorting exercises, which are frequently reviewed, but do not explicitly commit to new plans with international partners or a low threshold for physical interdiction.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
The Government partially agrees this recommendation. We agree that escorting ships is an important task, and needs to be prioritised against other NATO tasking, and we routinely review our rules of engagement to ensure these are relevant to respond to the threats we face. We are investing in new capabilities, such as underwater drones, to augment existing capabilities and offer a wider variety of options to respond to taskings. The ‘Atlantic Bastion’ concept, which is outlined in the Strategic Defence Review, will see a rapid growth in new capabilities, including a fleet of autonomous underwater sensors, to persistently and silently patrol the UK’s waters of interest. This will be augmented by drones, which can be used for more localised detection, and a new class of ships, optimised as a fleet of autonomy command platforms, will be introduced in the coming years. This also supports long-term growth in shipbuilding. On exercising, we partially agree. The Royal Navy already conducts routine live escorting exercises and has the capability to support a wide range of civilian vessels, including cable repair ships, in contested environments. This training is frequently reviewed to integrate emerging requirements into existing planned training.