A group of cross-party MPs have called for a ‘whole of society’ approach to combatting grey zone threats and strengthening homeland resilience in a report published on Thursday, 10 July.
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 have increased, the report states.
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, the report states.
Undersea cables are a key priority
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.
A blurred line between peace and war
“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,” said Chair of the Defence Committee MP Tan Dhesi.
“Grey zone threats bring war to the doorstep of 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.”
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, Dhesi said.
“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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