Hostile activities bring war to the doorstep of each and every one of us, new report warns
There are calls for the UK to increase its military presence in the Baltic region as MPs warn that hostile activities are bringing war to every doorstep of the UK.
A new report by the Defence Select Committee has outlined recommendations to guard against grey zone threats such as sabotage, espionage, cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns.
The findings of Defence in the Grey Zone call for the whole of society to play a part and for the Ministry of Defence to help strengthen long-term resilience planning and preparedness across the country.
The document says this will allow the Armed Forces to focus on their primary responsibility during any serious international conflict, as well as deterring or defeating military threats.
The committee is also urging the MOD to consider basing and operating assets more regularly in the Baltic from the UK to offer additional reassurance for allies.
It says this will offer better protection of the sea lanes of communication to reinforce troops in Estonia, and accelerate any response to an actual incident.
The MOD is also being urged to consider reinforcing the bows of Royal Navy ships, including the future Type 83 destroyers, to ensure they can operate for longer periods in the Arctic.
And the report also says the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) should be strengthened to help it protect against hostile activities.
The MPs conclude JEF must possess credible, deployable capabilities to protect critical seabed infrastructure and support extended military operations in the High North.
A permanent presence of JEF in the Baltic to provide a greater deterrent and to protect shipping lanes used by UK troops to reinforce Nato's eastern flank has also been recommended.
The report, published today, calls for a "whole of society" approach to combating grey zone threats and strengthening homeland resilience.
It says attacks below the threshold of war against the UK have increased in speed, scale and intensity.
Defence Committee chair Tan Dhesi said: "Our adversaries have purposefully blurred the line between peace and war. Grey zone threats pose a particularly insidious challenge – they unsettle the fabric of our day-to-day lives and undermine our ability to respond.
"Grey zone threats bring war to the doorstep of each and every one of us. These attacks do not discriminate; they target the whole of our society and so demand a whole-of-society response, in which we all must play our part.
"Today's report calls on the Ministry of Defence to engage with the rest of government, with industry and with wider society to improve our resilience and strengthen our defences at home.
"This means working with businesses, schools and community groups to increase awareness of grey zone threats and to help us all take the steps needed to protect ourselves, for example, from cyberattacks, or from disinformation.
"The MOD plays an important part in defending the nation from grey zone attacks, but it is only a part."
Mr Dhesi went on: "We must now assume that any vulnerability will be exploited against us. The industries and technologies we rely on most are clear targets for hostile states. This is why, in today's report, we are calling for a shoring up of our digital and cyber skills and protections.
"The damage repeatedly caused to undersea cables highlights the importance of protecting critical infrastructure. The UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force needs additional capabilities to provide further deterrence against Russian sabotage, and the MOD should consider increasing our military presence in the Baltic."
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