Select Committee · Defence Committee

Defence in the Grey Zone

Status: Closed Opened: 18 Sep 2023 Closed: 14 Nov 2025 5 recommendations 9 conclusions 1 report

This inquiry was originally conducted during the 2019 Parliament and was interrupted by the 2024 general election. In November 2024 the re-established committee agreed to complete the inquiry. The grey zone can be defined as coercive activities that “…fall below perceived thresholds for military action and across areas of responsibility of different parts of the …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
5th Report - Defence in the Grey Zone HC 405 9 Jul 2025 14 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

1 item
5 Recommendation 5th Report - Defence in the Grey Zone Deferred

Enhance JEF’s deployable capability, including Royal Navy ships, to combat grey zone threats in the Arctic.

The Government should consider enhancing the JEF’s deployable capability to combat grey zone threats, such as protecting seabed infrastructure and permitting extended military operations in the High North/Arctic, for example by reinforcing the bows of Royal Navy ships, including the future Type 83 Destroyers. (Recommendation, Paragraph 45) 27

Government response. The government accepted the recommendation with caveats, stating that specific capability commitments, such as for the Type 83 Destroyer or future icebreaker capabilities, will be considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan due in autumn 2025.
Ministry of Defence

Oral evidence sessions

5 sessions
Date Witnesses
25 Mar 2025 Air Commodore Matt Bressani OBE · Ministry of Defence, Luke Pollard MP · Ministry of Defence, Paul Wyatt · Ministry of Defence View ↗
21 Jan 2025 Dr Margriet Drent · Ministry of Defence (The Netherlands), Sir Alex Younger KCMG · Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) View ↗
14 May 2024 Jānis Garisons · Latvian Ministry of Defence View ↗
13 May 2024 James Appathurai · NATO View ↗
23 Apr 2024 Elisabeth Braw · Atlantic Council, Professor Andrew Mumford · University of Nottingham View ↗