Limited Cold Weather Defence Capability
Limited specialised cold weather capability within the UK armed forces to meet objectives in extremely cold environments.
Source spread
Where this theme appears
This theme appears across 3 independent accountability sources, so the source mix matters as much as the headline total.
1 PFD report
26 committee recs
2 IMB recs
Browse by source
Source-grouped records are useful for tracing where a concern came from. Large sections show the 50 strongest matches for that source; counts still show the full theme total.
Select committee recommendations(26)
#27 —
Recommendation: The Government should also pursue this contingency through continuing to develop strategic partnerships with non-NATO allies in other parts of the world. In addition to working to shore up European NATO’s capabilities, the UK should plan to move away from …
Response attribution not verified
#25 —
Recommendation: The UK has strategic dependencies on the United States for core capabilities in nuclear, intelligence and conventional defence. While it is positive that the Government has recognised the need for the UK to prepare for a future where the United …
Response attribution not verified
#21 —
Recommendation: The Government has identified Russia as the primary threat to the UK’s national security and continues to do good work to deter further Russian aggression. The Committee commends the Government for its continued military and financial assistance for Ukraine and …
Response attribution not verified
#5 — Revise Cold Weather Payment for daily rates, minimum temperature, and advance payments.
Recommendation: In its current form, the Cold Weather Payment is an outdated, old-fashioned scheme. The Government should revise the Cold Weather Payment as follows: to be applicable on a daily rate after a one- or three-day cold-wave below freezing; to be …
Response attribution not verified
#74 — Expand HMS Protector’s logistical role by upgrading sensor systems and adding a helicopter.
Recommendation: Additionally, HMS Protector’s role in logistics should be expanded, by upgrading her sensor systems with potential for collecting valuable data such as sea ice observations and oceanographic data. The Ministry of Defence should consult experts on expanding its onboard sensor …
Response attribution not verified
#5 — Enhance JEF’s deployable capability, including Royal Navy ships, to combat grey zone threats in the Arctic.
Recommendation: 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 …
Response attribution not verified
#11 — Explore reforming Cold Weather Payment to provide daily payments during sub-zero forecasts.
Recommendation: The Government should explore reform of the Cold Weather Payment considering whether a £10 payment could be made to eligible households every day that the Met Office forecasts that the average temperature will be zero degrees or below the following …
Response attribution not verified
#10 — Cold Weather Payment criteria are too high and payments inadequate for vulnerable households.
Recommendation: The criteria for triggering the Cold Weather Payment is set too high and does not reflect the impact that extreme cold can have on vulnerable households. Inadequate and unpredictable payments, sometimes made weeks after a period of cold weather, do …
Response attribution not verified
#29 — Committee to scrutinise Defence Investment Plan's implications for UK and Overseas Territories defence.
Recommendation: 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 …
Response attribution not verified
#28 — Ministry of Defence's slow progress threatens UK's Article 3 defence responsibilities.
Recommendation: 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 …
Response attribution not verified
#23 — Defence readiness suffers from in-year budget pressures, exacerbated by defence inflation.
Recommendation: 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 …
Response attribution not verified
#15 — Ensure UK provides leadership and required capabilities for JEF operations in High North
Recommendation: 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 …
Response attribution not verified
#11 — Develop clear approach to Integrated Air and Missile Defence, given critical importance
Recommendation: 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)
Response attribution not verified
#3 — Assess UK leadership in replacing US defence capabilities and supporting EU development programmes
Recommendation: 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 …
Response attribution not verified
#2 — European NATO members remain over-reliant on United States defence capabilities
Recommendation: 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)
Response attribution not verified
#1 — Accelerate and deepen defence and security cooperation with EU and European partners on Russia threat
Recommendation: 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, …
Response attribution not verified
#24 — Review cold weather capability needed for High North defence, focusing on Scotland-based assets.
Recommendation: The UK Government must review, and report to the House, the extent to which, now and in the future, what capability is needed to operate in extremely cold environments at the scale required to meet evolving defence and security objectives …
Response attribution not verified
#23 — UK possesses limited specialised cold weather capability for High North objectives.
Recommendation: The UK needs a clear sense of what kind of specialised cold weather capability it will need to meet its objectives in the High North. We heard that the UK currently has limited capability for operating in extremely cold environments. …
Response attribution not verified
#28 —
Recommendation: We welcome the Government’s efforts to diversify partnerships, illustrated by deepening trade and security collaboration with India and engagements with Gulf countries. This work is crucial both to ensuring the UK can draw on breadth and depth in its partnerships …
Response attribution not verified
#20 —
Recommendation: The UK must be prepared to take on more of the cost for its and Europe’s security through investing in partnerships and multilateral dialogues with other ‘middle powers’, for example Canada, Australia and India, to avoid being squeezed by great …
Response attribution not verified
#19 —
Recommendation: Global and UK security is poorly served by the increasing tensions brought about by great power competition between the United States and China. If this process continues to accelerate, the economic shock costs of military confrontation will go down, making …
Response attribution not verified
#25 — Department dismisses concerns over grid supply levels, asserting routine system operation
Recommendation: The Department described energy security and the security of supply as its highest priority. We asked the Department what it thought about concerns, set out in a document published by Net Zero Watch called “Blackout Risk in the GB Grid”, …
Response attribution not verified
#12 — UK experiencing a severe and escalating energy debt crisis impacting millions of customers.
Recommendation: The UK is experiencing a severe energy debt crisis that shows little sign of abating. Millions of customers currently owe more than £4bn in debt and arrears, a record figure that has more than tripled in just five years. This …
Response attribution not verified
#3 — Millions in fuel poverty or with disabilities remain ineligible for Warm Home Discount scheme.
Recommendation: The Warm Home Discount is a crucial mechanism to tackle fuel poverty and we welcome the Government’s plans to broaden eligibility for the scheme for winter 2025–26. However, it is deeply troubling that millions of households in fuel poverty and …
Response attribution not verified
#15 —
Recommendation: Since October 2020, the Department has made a series of smaller funding commitments for the winter months, including a £10 million Cold Weather Fund, £12 million Protect Programme and £10 million in January 2021 for extra COVID protection for people …
Response attribution not verified
#1 — Assess Joint Expeditionary Force adaptation needs for climate change developments in the Arctic.
Recommendation: The increasing exploitation of the Arctic for international trade and exploration for critical minerals gives greater importance to the role of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) as a security alliance in the ‘High North’. The Ministry of Defence should assess …
Response attribution not verified