On Thursday 21 May at 10.30am, the House of Lords National
Resilience Committee will hear from:
- Lieutenant General Sir Charles Collins KBE DSO, Deputy Chief
of the Defence Staff, British Armed Forces
- Lieutenant General Paul Griffiths CB, Commander, Standing
Joint Command, British Armed Forces
- Damian Johnson, Director of Homeland Security, Ministry
of Defence
Questions are likely to include:
What practical role does the Ministry of Defence play in
implementing a whole of society approach to national resilience,
both in peace and war?
What is being done to improve recruitment and retention in the
Armed Forces and how is this impacted by the need to respond to
threats in Europe and the Middle East?
What role do reserves play in homeland defence and resilience and
how does this compare to the systems in other jurisdictions, such
as the Nordic and Baltic countries?
Has the Ministry of Defence been involved in discussions on
creating a civil reserve?
The committee takes place in Room 3 of the Houses of Parliament
and can be followed here on Parliament TV, live
or later.
It has been set up to assess geopolitical, economic and
technological threats and examine how the the UK might best
prepare for, and respond to, national crises and disruptions.
It has already heard that resilience cannot be viewed narrowly as
an emergency response capability, and is looking at several areas
such as energy networks, vulnerabilities in digital
infrastructure, disinformation and other threats - and how
closer cooperation between government, public and private sectors
could mitigate risks. .
The session on Thursday forms part of an inquiry that will report
in November 2026.
