Schools, businesses and communities should be part of a “whole of society” effort to counter cyber attacks, espionage and sabotage conducted by hostile states like Russia, MPs have said.
A new homeland security minister should coordinate the response to “grey zone” actions, which fall short of all-out military conflict.
The chairman of the Commons Defence Committee Tan Dhesi warned grey zone threats “bring war to the doorstep” of ordinary citizens.
The cross-party committee said that “current grey zone attacks indicate that Russia already believes it is in an existential struggle with the West”.
Grey zone activities can include propaganda, economic pressure, espionage including computer hacking, the weaponisation of migration, sabotage and assassination.
The committee warned that the increase in defence funding to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product by 2027 must include “sufficient resources” to address grey zone threats, rather than focus on the UK’s ability to fight a war.
The committee’s Labour chairman Mr Dhesi 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.”
“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 committee heard that in Finland there were lessons on detecting disinformation in primary schools.
The MPs said the Ministry of Defence should do “far more” engagement with wider society “both public and private—for example, critical national industries, schools and communities—to help generate a dialogue around those threats to the UK and build consensus around a common response”.
The UK and allies should also do more to protect seabed cables and infrastructure, including by reinforcing the bows of new Royal Navy destroyers to allow them to operate more effectively in the Arctic.
Additional military capabilities should be based in the Baltic region for extended periods, the MPs suggested, to “enhance their deterrent value against adversaries” and increase the ability to respond to grey zone threats.
Mr Dhesi said: “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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