Committee publication · Report · 19 November 2025 · HC 520
6th Report - The UK contribution to European Security
From: Defence Committee
Inquiry: The UK contribution to European Security
Government response deadline: 19 January 2026
Summary
The Defence Committee examines UK contributions to European security amid elevated threats from Russia, China, and others. It finds the UK a leading European military power but warns its ability to sustain that leadership is under pressure. The report covers NATO contributions, defence industrial capacity, and homeland resilience, concluding that the UK must urgently strengthen conventional and nuclear capabilities, improve interoperability with allies, and reform its defence industrial base while preparing to defend British territory.
Key findings
- The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a catalyst for European instability; peace must be on Ukrainian terms. The UK and France, as nuclear powers, lead deterrence conversations but Europe lacks a cohesive response to the systemic challenge posed by Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.
- Europe is dangerously over-reliant on US defence capabilities (intelligence, surveillance, air-to-air refuelling, strategic lift). US prioritisation is shifting to the Indo-Pacific and homeland; European NATO members have failed to invest in key strategic enablers despite decades of US messaging that Europe must do more.
- The Strategic Defence Review sets ambitious 2035 goals (leading tech-enabled defence power) but lacks specifics on prioritisation and capability trade-offs. The Defence Investment Plan (due autumn 2025) must clarify where investment is directed and what the UK will no longer do.
- The UK's defence industrial base is not configured for sustained collective defence; it faces challenges in capacity, skills, innovation, procurement, and financing. The UK has minimal Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) compared to peers; Germany, Norway, Sweden, Spain, and Italy are investing significantly.
- The UK lacks a plan for defending its homeland and overseas territories. The Prime Minister's 'national conversation on defence and security' has not started, and the proposed Defence Readiness Bill has not been written. Cross-departmental coordination is weak and public engagement on preparedness is inadequate.
Recommendations
- Accelerate and deepen defence and security cooperation with the EU and European partners, particularly France, on the threat posed by Russia and enabling countries, notably China. The UK, as a nuclear power, must lead discussions on forming a coherent European response.
- Assess where the UK can lead in replacing US defence capabilities if they are withdrawn; establish how to best support EU capability development programmes (particularly 'ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030') and increase crossover between NATO and EU capability development. Ensure the UK plays a leading role holding NATO together.
- Review the Defence Industrial Plan and forthcoming Defence Investment Plan in light of committee recommendations and conclusions, particularly regarding prioritisation and capability trade-offs.
- The Prime Minister must personally lead a national conversation on defence and security at the most senior levels of Government; it is a Cabinet-wide endeavour. The MOD should not lead this. Government should set out cross-Government measures, expected timeframes, and responsibilities.
- Address criticisms of lack of mass denuding UK leadership in NATO, and failures in resourcing Article 3 commitments. Set out actions with implementation timelines.
- Publish annual updates on Strategic Defence Review implementation; continue seeking regular classified updates on progress against NATO commitments and improving personnel offers for NATO deployment.
- Set out detailed reasoning for dismissing a second sovereign delivery method for nuclear deterrence.
Tone
CriticalTopics
defence-securitynato-alliancesnuclear-deterrencedefence-industrial-basehomeland-resilience
Key actors
Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Lord Robertson, Dr Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer, Secretary of State for Defence, Chief of Defence Staff, Vice Chief of Defence Staff, Ministry of Defence, NATO
Notable line
“The UK must urgently strengthen its conventional and nuclear capabilities, improve interoperability with Allies, strengthen its defence industrial base and ensure it can defend the UK homeland and overseas territories.”
Key Quotes
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine; the collapse of arms control treaties and threats of nuclear proliferation and use; incursions into European airspace; espionage, assassination and sabotage across the continent and in the UK—the current threat to European security is significant.”
“"France and the UK today are leading the overall deterrence security guarantee conversations, because these are the two European nuclear powers".”
“Europeans are still hyper- dependent on the United States in critical areas such as "intel, satellites, transportation of troops and air-to-air refuelling".”
“"the plausible worst-case scenario for [European] NATO right now is the potential for the US to be at war with China, or at least heavily engaged in a crisis with China, and Russia comes in and tries to take advantage of that situation".”
“We must be clear that peace in that conflict is only achieved for Europe if it is a peace on Ukrainian terms.”
“… there was a great deal of anxiety about the UK not providing the military, naval and air leadership that all of them felt the UK, as a permanent member of the Security Council and a nuclear- armed power, should provide.”
“… as recognition of the threat. He told us that the "UK by comparison has next to nothing", 92 a view which appears to be shared by others within industry and UK think tanks.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗