04 Feb 16. Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy. The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy is launching an inquiry examining the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 (NSS & SDSR 2015).
The Committee would welcome written submissions on this subject. The Committee is particularly interested in receiving submissions which consider:—
• Whether the NSS & SDSR 2015 is a practical guide to investment choices across Government Departments, to operational priorities and to crisis response;
• How the NSS & SDSR 2015 addresses risk and contingency planning;
• Whether the NSS & SDSR 2015 defines “national security” in sufficiently broad terms and achieves an appropriate balance between military, economic and environmental risks;
• Whether the military voice is sufficiently represented;
• The implications of merging the National Security Strategy with the Strategic Defence and Security Review;
• The extent to which the NSS & SDSR 2015 is founded on a realistic assessment of the UK’s future goals, position in the world and uncertain future relationships with international organisations and nation states;
• Whether the links between domestic security and international security are sufficiently developed in the NSS & SDSR 2015;
• How the UK NSS & SDSR 2015 compares with similar strategies in other countries, notably the United States and France.
• Whether Joint Force 2025 will meet the strategic requirements set out in the NSS & SDSR 2015;
Written submissions are invited and should be received by the Committee no later than 14 March 2016.
This is the first Joint Committee on National Security Strategy inquiry of the 2015 Parliament. The Committee is likely to take oral evidence in March.
Call for evidence
Please note: Written submissions should be submitted via the inquiry page on the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy website.
Form of written evidence:
Submissions should be no longer than 3,000 words. The main body of any submission should use numbered paragraphs. Each submission should contain:
• a short summary, perhaps in bullet point form;
• a brief introduction about the person or organisation submitting evidence, for example explaining their area of expertise or experience;
• any factual information from which the Committee might be able to draw conclusions, or which could be put to other witnesses;
• any recommendations for action by the Government or others which the submitter would like the Committee to consider for inclusion in its report to the House.
Submissions should be in malleable format such as MS Word (not PDFs) with no use of colour or logos. Guidance on submitting written evidence and data protection information is available here: Guidance on submitting written evidence
Inquiry-related questions:
Please contact Nick Beech, Second Clerk, Joint Committee on National Security Strategy at
03 Feb 16. Defence Committee – Two letters to Secretary of State:
VANGUARD SUCCESSOR
The Defence Committee has written today to the Secretary of State for Defence to ask him to set a date for a Commons debate and vote on the successor to the Vanguard class Submarine. The Committee say there is an unacceptable level of uncertainty not only in Parliament but also in the submarine industry. The text of the letter is set out below and is available on the Committee’s website.
Text of letter to the Secretary of State
There is growing concern in the Defence Committee—and more widely in Parliament—that the Government has yet to set a date for the debate and vote on the Vanguard Successor Programme.
This is causing an unacceptable level of uncertainty not only for Parliament, but for the main contractors and their supply chains.
The Committee would be grateful for an indication of when this long-anticipated vote is to be held and an explanation of any reasons for not proceeding forthwith, now that the political