Monday 28 April, 16.30, Committee Room 4a, Palace of
Westminster
Recent months have seen major shifts in the assumptions
underpinning UK national security, most notably a change in US
support for European security and its approach to the Ukraine
conflict. How should the UK respond, and what challenges and
risks are posed by planning to offset strategic reliance on US
security support?
The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy will
consider these questions as it holds an evidence session on the
UK's strategic posture on Monday 28 April. Witnesses will include
former senior officials from the Ministry of Defence, GCHQ and
Cabinet Office, alongside academic experts.
They are likely to ask witnesses how changing policy from the
United States affects the UK's exposure to security risks at home
and abroad, and the implications for the UK's intelligence
operations and cyber resilience.
They may explore whether the UK's contributions to Ukraine's
defence are credible without significant US support, and consider
the extent to which the UK should begin preparing to reduce its
reliance on the most critical US defence capabilities.
The session comes ahead of the Government's proposed new National
Security Strategy, expected to be published this summer. MPs and
peers will quiz security experts on how the new strategy should
take account of a rapidly changing international environment.
Witnesses
From 16.30:
- Sir David Omand GCB, former UK Security and Intelligence
Coordinator in the Cabinet Office
- Dr Rob Johnson, Director of Oxford University's Changing
Character of War Centre; and former Director of the MoD's Office
of Net Assessment and Challenge
- Professor CB, former Chief Executive
of the National Cyber Security Centre
- Dr Leslie Vinjamuri, Director of the US and Americas
programme at Chatham House and Professor of International
Relations at SOAS University
