The House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee has today published its report, ‘Ukraine: a wake-up call’. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine serves as a stark reminder of the risks associated with complacency and antiquated beliefs in defence policy, underscoring the pressing necessity for the United Kingdom to incorporate the insights gained from the conflict.
The report states that the UK and Europe must re-establish a credible deterrent stance in response to Putin’s Russia and that it is essential for the UK and NATO to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the reasons behind the failure of their deterrence policy prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Additionally, it highlights that there is a need to gain a deeper understanding of Putin’s strategies and intentions, including the potential influence of other nations, such as China, on his decision-making processes.
It also underlines that the war in Ukraine has exposed the limitations of UK military strength and that the British Armed Forces lack the mass, resilience and internal coherence necessary to maintain a deterrent effect and sustain prolonged conflict.
Commenting on the report, Lord de Mauley, who chairs the Committee said:
“In February 2024, two years after Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the Committee launched an inquiry to draw interim lessons from the conflict and assess its implications for the UK. We identified two key lessons. First, our deterrence strategy towards Russia clearly failed. If we are to restore the credibility of NATO’s nuclear and conventional deterrence posture towards Putin, we must develop a clearer understanding of the reasons for this failure.”
“Secondly, the invasion exposed significant weaknesses in both the UK’s and NATO’s military strength, and the UK’s ability to sustain large-scale warfare. Successive governments have attempted to maintain the notion of the UK as a global power, but the war in Ukraine has been a wake-up call, laying bare the gap between that ambition and reality.”
“We welcome the Government’s launch of the Strategic Defence Review, which presents an opportunity to set clear priorities and develop a holistic model for strengthening UK Defence that mobilises all elements of national power, leveraging technology, industry, Reserves, allies, and wider society. Given the perilous threat environment, the Government must not miss this chance and must commit to spending more on defence and spending better.”
Key conclusions and recommendations of the report include:
Army size and readiness: While size is not the only measure of capability, the Committee is concerned that the British Army cannot, as currently constituted, make the expected troop contribution to NATO or sustain prolonged conflict. The Committee calls on the Government to address recruitment and retention challenges, and reinvigorate the Reserves to help build up numbers.
Homeland defence: Russia has targeted Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure through hybrid and conventional attacks, and the UK is not exempt from these threats. A whole-of-Government effort is urgently needed to build resilience and to protect our critical national infrastructure (CNI).
Defence industry preparedness: The UK’s defence industry is unprepared for sustained conflict due to years of underinvestment. There is a lack of trust between government and the defence industry, which needs to be addressed through clearer, long-term Government commitments to allow industry to take risks and increase output.
Innovation: Non-traditional defence suppliers, such as start-ups, SMEs and tech companies, are key to innovation and accelerating the pace of delivery, but they face barriers in accessing the defence market. The Government needs to facilitate a ‘broad church’ of industry engagement, beyond the traditional defence sector.
Public engagement: National defence is not just the military’s responsibility. The Government should foster public engagement and resilience, learning from models like the Scandinavian “total defence” approach.
Nurturing partnerships: The UK must bolster diplomatic efforts, particularly in the Global South, to counter Russian (and Chinese) influence. It must do so by seeking a consistent role where it has credibility and expertise, such as international development.
Importance of air superiority: The war in Ukraine has demonstrated that air defences are essential to prevent attritional ground conflict. Investment in integrated air and missile defence and collaboration with NATO allies must be a top priority.
Cyber and electromagnetic warfare: Space, cyber, and electromagnetic warfare are closely interlinked and have featured heavily in the Ukraine war. We need to do more to attract high-tech talent, and the Government should consider establishing a cyber and electromagnetic warfare centre.
