Insights

In its September 2020 document, The Integrated Operating Concept 2025, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) explicitly outlines its intent to integrate a wider range of capabilities – nationally, internationally, and across the five domains – to meet modern defence and security challenges. In its September 2020 document, The Integrated Operating Concept 2025, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) explicitly outlines its intent to integrate a wider range of capabilities – nationally, internationally, and across the five domains – to meet modern defence and security challenges. The reasoning is clear: having studied the Western way of war, adversaries understand the risks they face in tackling Western allies head on in military conflict. Their solution? Change the game. Instead of competing against the West’s strengths, adversaries are identifying and exploiting its weaknesses. While conflict between militaries remains a risk, hostilities are increasingly directed at non-military targets, such as public institutions, populations, economies and critical infrastructure.

The effect of this ‘grey zone’ strategy is to weaken nations’ resilience and global influence without ever engaging in the type of warfare that would favour the West. There is no proportionate armed response to tactics like aggressive economic action or disinformation campaigns. Since these threats are not well suited to being countered with military force, a more integrated approach to national security is required which binds together defence and civil security forces and agencies with a wider range of institutions and organisations. The pursuit of this sort of national security requires these organisations and institutions to be able to communicate and operate together effectively,

Forming this holistic national security capability is a daunting task. In publishing its Integrated Review, the UK Government has taken a crucial first step – but significant challenges lie ahead. In this report, we examine those challenges and offer some thoughts on implementing the UK’s ambitions for integration securely, expeditiously and with maximum effect.