Recommendations & Conclusions
35 items
1
Recommendation
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
The Government should ensure that it accelerates and further deepens defence and security cooperation with the EU and European partners, particularly France, on the threat posed by Russia and the countries that enable it, notably China. As a nuclear power, it is incumbent upon the UK to lead discussions within …
Government response. The government states it continues to deepen defence and security cooperation with European partners, citing existing initiatives like the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, contributions to NATO's Eastern Flank, and agreements with France, Germany, and Norway, as well as engaging China …
Ministry of Defence
2
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
Europe is over-reliant on US defence capabilities. Despite indications from successive US Presidents that Europe needs to step up, European NATO members have failed to invest in key strategic enablers. (Conclusion, Paragraph 14)
Government response. The government notes that NATO Allies committed to spending 5% of GDP on defence by 2035 at The Hague Summit, and the UK is increasing its own defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027 with an ambition to reach …
Ministry of Defence
3
Recommendation
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Acknowledged
The US needs to see European investment in defence capabilities for there to be any chance of an orderly transition of responsibilities. The Government should assess where the UK can lead in terms of replacing US capabilities in the event of them being withdrawn and establishing how it can best …
Government response. The government is considering where to prioritise investment, including UK involvement in EU capability development programmes and areas of US reliance, with details to be in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan. It also highlights an appointed interoperability champion, UK Carrier …
Ministry of Defence
4
Recommendation
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
The public need to understand not only the necessity of defence but also their role in it. We are therefore very supportive of the concept of a national conversation on defence and recommend that the Government (and MOD in particular) seek to increase public awareness of recent attacks against the …
Government response. The government states the Cabinet Office leads on national resilience and public communications, with work ongoing to develop further strategies and departments committed to the Resilience Action Plan's objectives. It highlights the Defence Secretary's speech and Chief of Defence Staff's …
Ministry of Defence
5
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Acknowledged
We are producing this Report prior to the publication of the Defence Investment Plan and as a result without the full picture of the future force posture. We timed this inquiry on the understanding that by now there would be an indication of broad prioritisation, if not specific investment decisions—because …
Government response. The government states it has accepted all 62 recommendations of the SDR, and implementation has begun promptly, to be refined through the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) process, which is being completed as soon as possible.
Ministry of Defence
6
Recommendation
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Acknowledged
We recommend that the Government review the Defence Industrial Plan and the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan, in light of our recommendations and conclusions in this chapter. (Recommendation, Paragraph 22) Defending Europe in the near term
Government response. The government welcomes the committee's examination of the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) and states it will carefully consider the recommendations and take them into account as the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) is developed.
Ministry of Defence
7
Recommendation
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
It is clear that the nuclear threat has increased in the recent past. The UK already declares its nuclear deterrent to the defence of NATO, the single most significant contribution it can make. Whilst we have not received sufficient evidence to recommend investing in a second sovereign delivery method for …
Government response. The government explains that a submarine-based system remains the most effective deterrent, and outlines investments in F-35A aircraft for NATO nuclear burden-sharing and the sovereign warhead programme, reaffirming its commitment to defining the post-Dreadnought nuclear deterrent within this Parliament.
Ministry of Defence
8
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
The Government has stated its intention to implement a NATO First approach. For this to be meaningful, it must implement SDR recommendations aimed at ensuring that the UK is a better Ally. Witnesses have highlighted a lack of mass, delays in developing promised capabilities in line with NDPP timelines, and …
Government response. The government states it has accepted all 62 SDR recommendations, including strengthening the UK's NATO offer, and is implementing the Integrated Force Model, aiming to increase the regular Army to 76,000. It also highlights £1 billion new funding for UK …
Ministry of Defence
9
Recommendation
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
We were concerned to hear that the UK’s lack of mass is denuding its leadership in NATO. In addition, the lack of resourcing dedicated to the UK meeting its Article 3 commitments is a further failure of leadership. We recommend that the Government addresses these criticisms in detail in its …
Government response. The government states it has accepted all 62 SDR recommendations, including strengthening the UK's NATO offer, and is implementing the Integrated Force Model, aiming to increase the regular Army to 76,000. It also highlights £1 billion new funding for UK …
Ministry of Defence
10
Recommendation
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Acknowledged
The Government should set out its plan for implementing the SDR. We recommend that the Government publishes an annual update on its implementation of the SDR commitments. In addition, we will continue to 57 seek regular classified updates on its progress against those commitments related to NATO and how it …
Government response. The government states that SDR implementation began immediately and the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) will deliver the SDR's vision. It commits to providing regular updates to the Committee on SDR implementation, including classified briefings.
Ministry of Defence
11
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
The lack of clarity about the Government’s approach to Integrated Air and Missile Defence, given the absence of European IAMD capability, is an area of critical importance that requires urgent action. (Recommendation, Paragraph 42)
Government response. The government has committed £1 billion in this Parliament to Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD), focusing initially on improving command and control, sensing, and existing capabilities to defeat attacks.
Ministry of Defence
12
Recommendation
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
The Government should provide the Committee with a briefing on the Strategic Effect Cycle. (Recommendation, Paragraph 46)
Government response. The government has agreed to provide the Committee with a classified briefing on the Strategic Effects Cycle as requested.
Ministry of Defence
13
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Acknowledged
It is not always clear how the UK’s many minilateral and bilateral defence relationships feed into the Government’s broader strategy or if the Department and Ministers have an assessment of their relative prioritisation. (Conclusion, Paragraph 47)
Government response. The government is implementing a new Defence Diplomacy Strategy, coordinating with other departments to prioritise defence instruments, and continues to work closely with FCDO on major defence partnerships.
Ministry of Defence
14
Recommendation
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
If certain relationships are vital to achieving Government goals then the Government should ensure that there is sufficient political attention and resourcing for these relationships. Given the calls on resources, we recommend the Government ensure it assesses the impact and outcomes of current structures and agreements before starting new rounds …
Government response. Through the Defence Diplomacy Strategy, the government commits to ensuring sufficient political attention and resourcing for key relationships and will refine its approach to international agreements to ensure they deliver impact and outcomes.
Ministry of Defence
15
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
The UK’s role as a framework nation in JEF means that it has to ensure it is leading both politically and militarily including by ensuring that it has the capabilities required for exercises and operations in the High North and Polar regions. The UK must ensure that the JEF is …
Government response. The government states that existing frameworks like the SDR, recent agreements such as the Lunna House Agreement with Norway, and current operations like JEF’s NORDIC WARDEN demonstrate the UK is already leading and ensuring JEF responsiveness in Northern Europe and …
Ministry of Defence
16
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Acknowledged
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. At present, the partnership is somewhat aspirational, awaiting the outcome of negotiations on a Framework Participation Agreement; access to SAFE; and movement on the UK’s Administrative …
Government response. The government agrees on the importance of collaboration, reaffirms its commitment to maintaining close industrial and defence relationships with European partners, and remains committed to a broad relationship with the EU.
Ministry of Defence
17
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
It is vital that British defence industry is not sidelined or excluded from working with their European counterparts—that will be the key measure (in relation to defence) of success when assessing the Government’s relationship with the EU. The Government will need to 58 ensure that its ongoing defence relationship with …
Government response. The government agrees on collaboration and commits to maintaining close industrial and defence relationships with European partners. It will also ensure that the benefits of its ongoing defence relationship with the EU are clearly communicated to the UK public as …
Ministry of Defence
18
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
The UK Government has endorsed greater EU-NATO working but should now identify specific measures through which it could best support the improvement of the relationship between the EU and NATO. This could include making it a discussion point in engagements with NATO and EU leaders and developing new ways of …
Government response. The government states it has long supported EU-NATO cooperation, actively engaging allies and advocating for openness in EU defence industrial programmes. It highlights the Security and Defence Partnership, which includes established regular foreign and security policy dialogues focused on strengthening …
Ministry of Defence
19
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
The defence industrial base has been subject to numerous reviews, plans and strategies, all of which have identified recommendations. However, many of those have only been partially implemented. Whilst the Government appears to be committed to solving some of the most intractable issues, it is too early at this point …
Government response. The government details £773 million in new funding for Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) commitments, including investment in six new munitions factories, launching a Defence Office for Small Business Growth, and a £400 million ringfenced budget for UK Defence Innovation.
Ministry of Defence
20
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
There is widespread recognition of the need to address the issues facing defence industry. We welcome the expansion of the defence industrial base and the engagement of HM Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade in finding solutions. However, Ministers will need to closely monitor the implementation and effectiveness …
Government response. The government confirms that ministers will closely monitor the implementation and effectiveness of defence industrial policies through the Defence Industrial Joint Council, the Defence Growth Board, and the Growth Mission Board.
Ministry of Defence
21
Recommendation
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
The National Armaments Director is a key post for implementation of policy changes in both the SDR and the Defence Industrial Strategy. As such, we believe that the Department ought to prioritise his giving evidence to Parliament. We recommend that the Government ensure that he appears before us as soon …
Government response. The government confirmed that the new National Armaments Director gave evidence to the Committee on 16 December, just under two months after his appointment, thereby fulfilling the recommendation.
Ministry of Defence
22
Recommendation
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
The long-standing issues with security vetting must be addressed. In response to this Report we expect the Government to set out how it intends to reduce waiting times. In addition, we recommend that the Government explore having a single clearance process used across all Government departments and agencies. Furthermore, we …
Government response. The government states that UK Security Vetting (UKSV) underwent a stabilisation programme in 2023 which recovered performance, and since April 2024, UKSV has consistently met its Key Performance Indicators for security vetting clearances.
Ministry of Defence
23
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
The evidence is that readiness is suffering because of in-year pressures on budgets at a crucial time of preparation to meet potential conflict. It is vital that the additional funds allocated to defence by the Government do not get swallowed by defence inflation. Both we and the Government recognise the …
Government response. The government agrees on effective spending and commits to delivering nearly £6 billion in new savings over this Parliament through efficiency measures, with the MOD publishing a Defence Reform and Efficiency Plan as part of the DIP.
Ministry of Defence
24
Recommendation
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
The Government should measure, benchmark and publish the capacity of the defence industrial base, reporting actual numbers and percentage increases to Parliament on an annual basis as part of its resilience reporting. (Recommendation, Paragraph 93)
Government response. The government will work with the Office of National Statistics and the Competition and Markets Authority to strengthen the quality and reliability of data on the defence sector, using a broad range of data points that will be reported within …
Ministry of Defence
25
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
Access to finance for defence industry is a significant issue as evidenced by the numerous publications and policy proposals from this year alone. We are frustrated that, given widespread recognition of the issue, no proposed solutions are likely to emerge before March 2026, with implementation likely to take much longer. …
Government response. The government will publish the Defence Finance and Investment Strategy (DFIS) in Spring 2026 to address finance issues, and will launch the Defence Office for Small Business Growth (OfSBG) in January 2026 to help smaller defence businesses access tailored financial …
Ministry of Defence
26
Recommendation
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Acknowledged
We recommend that the Government uses the Defence Finance and Investment Strategy to set out the data it holds and the conclusions it has drawn alongside its approach to resolving the issues with each type of funding difficulty. In the strategy the Government will need to set out how much …
Government response. The government states the Defence Finance and Investment Strategy (DFIS) will address finance challenges, considering implementation, ownership, and gaps in payment services, and is assessing the viability of a defence-specific fund; however, it states transparency to Parliament regarding the DIAG …
Ministry of Defence
27
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
We welcome cross-Government work on industrial resilience which we view as area of increasing importance. The measures proposed have the potential to strengthen the defence (and wider UK) industrial base if 60 implemented. However, we are disappointed that the Defence Industrial Strategy failed to recognise and address the threat of …
Government response. The government states that through the Defence Industrial Strategy, Defence is collaborating with industry to enhance sector security via enhanced threat reporting, including an incident reporting form, and by identifying vulnerable infrastructure through data-driven critical national infrastructure mapping.
Ministry of Defence
28
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
We question the Ministry of Defence’s ability to protect the UK and the Overseas Territories from crisis or conflict. This means the UK is not fulfilling its Article 3 responsibilities—a fact recognised by Government. Despite this recognition from Government (which has pledged to be ‘NATO First’), measures to remediate seem …
Government response. The government clarifies that the Home Defence Programme (HDP) is an enduring endeavour, not a single deliverable, and commits to providing further details to the Committee; it also states the MOD is refreshing military plans and protection plans for Overseas …
Ministry of Defence
29
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Acknowledged
We will ensure that our future examination of the thinking on capability and infrastructure requirements and the resultant force structure within the Defence Investment Plan will include scrutiny of the implications for defence of the UK and Overseas Territories. In addition, we will seek to establish how the decisions taken …
Government response. The government states that a renewed focus on home defence and resilience is vital and its delivery is being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which will deliver the vision for the defence of the UK and …
Ministry of Defence
30
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
Cross-government working on homeland defence and resilience is nowhere near where it needs to be. The Government has said repeatedly that we are in an era of new threat, yet decision-making is slow and opaque. (Conclusion, Paragraph 123)
Government response. The government highlights the Resilience Action Plan, published 8 July, which sets out the strategic vision and steps for a stronger UK, to be delivered over this Parliament, and also references the Home Defence Programme which will expand over coming …
Ministry of Defence
31
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
The Cabinet Office’s leadership in this area appears to be inward focused rather than engaging with other Government departments and wider society. What is required is a clear plan and consistent messaging with well-defined leadership responsibilities—resilience and readiness are not an internal government matter; they require whole of society engagement. …
Government response. The government has published the Resilience Action Plan on 8 July, which sets out a strategic vision, an all-hazards approach, and steps for whole-of-society engagement to build resilience and readiness, also highlighting the Home Defence Programme.
Ministry of Defence
32
Recommendation
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Accepted
We recommend that the Government produce a public timetable on the generation of the Home Defence Programme and that briefings (at whatever classification is required) are offered to the Select Committees scrutinising the Government departments with responsibilities under the plan. (Recommendation, Paragraph 125)
Government response. The Cabinet Office committed to following up with the Committee to produce a public timeline for the Home Defence Plan and provide briefings to relevant Select Committees.
Ministry of Defence
33
Recommendation
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Rejected
We reiterate our previous recommendation for the creation of a Minister of Homeland Security who should be responsible for delivery of the Home Defence Programme alongside the Resilience Action Plan and a public engagement strategy. (Recommendation, Paragraph 126) 61
Government response. The government rejected the recommendation, stating that national security is handled by existing ministerial roles (Chief Secretary to the PM and Security Minister) across departments, which it deems the most efficient structure.
Ministry of Defence
34
Conclusion
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Acknowledged
We welcome the proposal of a Defence Readiness Bill. However, the Government has not yet determined what specific measures it wishes to include in the Bill, let alone written it. This should be agreed within Government and legislation published as soon as possible. (Recommendation, Paragraph 127)
Government response. The government is reviewing and developing measures for Defence Readiness legislation, planning stakeholder engagement including with the Committee in 2026, but has not yet agreed on specific measures or a timetable for its publication.
Ministry of Defence
35
Recommendation
6th Report - The UK contribution to Eur…
Rejected
The Government should set out its timetable with key milestones for the defence readiness legislation in its response to this report, including its approach to pre-legislative scrutiny, and ensure that it has a strategy for engagement with Parliament and the UK public. Prior to the introduction of the legislation, we …
Government response. The government stated it does not yet have a specific timetable for the Defence Readiness legislation and is still reviewing legal powers and developing measures, with stakeholder engagement planned for 2026.
Ministry of Defence