09 Jul 25. Report: Defence in the Grey Zone. Chair of the Defence Committee Tan Dhesi is available for broadcast interviews.
Grey zone threats “bring war to the doorstep of each and every one of us”
A group of cross-party MPs has called for a “whole of society” approach to combatting grey zone threats and strengthening homeland resilience, in a report published today.
Grey zone activities are attacks below the threshold of war, encompassing a wide range of activities: sabotage, espionage, cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns. Recently, the speed, scale and intensity of grey zone threats in the UK has increased.
“Whole of society” approach to homeland defence
The Defence Committee’s report “Defence in the Grey Zone” urges the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to proactively engage with wider society – including businesses, schools and communities – to help generate an informed dialogue around grey zone threats to the UK and build consensus around a common response.
The MOD could pitch this ‘offer’ to society, in conjunction with building cyber skills and awareness – from protecting critical national industries, and preventing ransomware attacks, to teaching school children to stay safe online.
By sharing its crisis management expertise with other departments and wider society, the MOD can help strengthen long-term resilience planning and preparedness across the UK. This would also allow the Armed Forces to focus on their primary responsibility during any serious international conflict, deterring or defeating military threats, the report concludes.
To lead work across Government, the Committee calls for the appointment of a dedicated minister for homeland security.
Strengthening the Joint Expeditionary Force and protecting undersea cables
Today’s report underscores the role of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) in combatting grey zone threats.
The report concludes that, if JEF is to protect critical seabed infrastructure and support extended military operations in the High North, it must possess credible, deployable capabilities.
The Committee calls on the MOD 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.
The report calls on the MOD to consider increasing the permanent presence of JEF in the Baltic to provide a more responsive deterrent against sabotage to undersea cables, and to protect shipping lanes used by UK troops to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank.
Chair of the Defence Committee, Tan Dhesi MP, 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. 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.”
04 Jul 25. Minister for Armed Forces to face questions from the Defence Committee. Evidence Session: The UK contribution to European Security
Tuesday 8 July 2025, 10.30, Committee Room 16, Palace of Westminster
Watch on parliamentlive.tv
The Defence Committee will question the Minister for Armed Forces, Luke Pollard MP, in what is expected to be the final session of its inquiry into the UK contribution to European Security on Tuesday 8 July.
At the 2025 NATO Summit, it was announced that the UK, along with other Allies, had signed a new defence investment pledge of 5% of GDP by 2035. Unlike previous commitments, this pledge included investing in strengthening homeland security and national resilience as well as adopting a ‘NATO first’ approach.
This announcement followed the publication of the Strategic Defence Review, which marked the start of a new era for UK defence as it moves towards warfighting readiness.
In this session, MPs are likely to question the Armed Forces Minister on how prepared the UK Government is to implement the ‘NATO-first’ recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review, whether the UK could increase its commitments to NATO if required and the role Defence is set to play in homeland defence and resilience.
The Committee could also consider how the Government will increase the capacity of the defence industry and ask if greater efforts are needed to improve the levels of cross-departmental working required to achieve its defence ambitions.
8 July, 10.30:
- Luke Pollard MP – Minister for Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence