Recommendation 6

HM Government Accepted

We note and partially agree the Committee’s recommendation to forward base additional military capabilities in the Baltic region. The UK’s current approach is designed to maximise the effectiveness of NATO’s collective capabilities while ensuring strategic resource prioritisation. The UK remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting NATO allies in the Baltic region, through our role as the framework nation for the JEF, as well as our enduring commitment of Forward Land Forces (FLF) in Estonia and contributions to NATO’s enhanced vigilance activities, such as ‘Baltic Sentry’. These efforts underscore our dedication to regional security, deterring adversaries across NATO’s eastern flank and countering all threats. In the land domain, the UK is focused on countering the threat posed by Russia in peacetime, crisis and conflict. Our planned enhancements to the NATO FLF in Estonia include a more mobile, agile, and lethal force package, tailored to the terrain and designed to deter adversary activity in the Gulf of Finland. Within NATO maritime planning, the UK’s primary focus in the region is on theatre anti-submarine warfare and seabed warfare in the North Atlantic and the Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap, while Baltic NATO partners lead efforts in the Baltic Sea. This division of responsibilities reflects both fleet capabilities and existing legal and political frameworks, ensuring a balanced and effective approach to deterrence. That said, the UK recognises the critical importance of the Baltic region and remains committed to supporting its allies through multi-domain contributions. Under Baltic Sentry, the UK contributes Rivet Joint and P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, to NATO’s activity to enhance maritime domain awareness and reinforce deterrence. Additionally, episodic deployments to the region further demonstrate our commitment to NATO’s collective security. While forward basing additional capabilities in the Baltic region could enhance deterrence and responsiveness, the UK must balance this against the need to sustain credible deterrence effects across all domains and regions. Strategic prioritisation of resources is essential to ensure the UK remains prepared to counter adversaries wherever they pose a threat, while continuing to reassure allies and contribute to NATO’s collective defence. In terms of longer-term planning, the UK also works closely with allies on capability planning and procurement to ensure we have the capabilities we need to deter and defend. The UK is an active participant in NATO’s Conference of National Armaments Directors framework, working with Allies to identify collaborative opportunities to co-research, co-develop, and co-produce military equipment and weapons systems. The UK strongly supports NATO’s Defence Production Action Plan and NATO Industrial Capacity Expansion pledge, both of which emphasise the need for greater coherence and cooperation between Allies to foster an innovative, competitive, sustainable defence industry and increase multinational procurement. We also engage closely with NATO Support and Procurement multinational programmes to gain access to capabilities, strengthen multinational cooperation, and enhance interoperability.