Written submission on the UK Strategic Defence Review (-)

List of Key Chapter Titles

1. Scope and Sequencing of SDR24
2. From Power Projection to Defence: Reassessing the UK's Military Posture
3. The Middle East and Alliances with Authoritarian Regimes: The Dilemma of Military Presence
4. Alliance Transparency and Scrutiny: NATO, AUKUS, and Others
5. Peacekeeping and Conflict Prevention: An Underutilised Option
6. New Technologies and Their Regulation: An Opportunity to Shape Norms
7. Nuclear Weapons Accountability: The Lack of Cost, Decision-Making, and Public Oversight

Document Introduction

This report was submitted in September 2024 by the UK non-profit network "Rethinking Security". It aims to provide independent, critical policy recommendations regarding the UK government's ongoing Strategic Defence Review (2024-2025). The report's core concern is that this review is detached from a broader examination of national security strategy, which may lead to its conclusions becoming disconnected from the UK's long-term security, obligations under international law, and the goal of sustainable peace.

The report first analyses the fundamental procedural and scope-related issues of SDR 2024-2025. The authors point out that this review was hastily initiated without the guidance of an updated National Security Strategy. Furthermore, its terms of reference exclude core issues such as the NATO alliance, nuclear weapons, the AUKUS pact, defence commitments to key regions like the Indo-Pacific, and the target of 2.5% of GDP for defence spending from in-depth consideration. This makes the so-called "thorough review" a misnomer. The report emphasises that without a comprehensive security strategy analysis, a defence review will struggle to fully consider the contribution of non-military means—such as diplomacy, development aid, and long-term peacebuilding—to security. It may even contradict the government's stated primary goals, such as addressing the climate crisis.

The report's core analytical chapter sharply questions the cornerstone of UK defence policy since the end of the Cold War—the posture of global power projection. The authors argue that the UK's long-term prioritisation of developing expeditionary warfare and offensive "strike" capabilities, rather than focusing on the direct defence of the homeland, Northern Europe, and the North-East Atlantic, carries high opportunity costs and strategic risks. By detailing the UK's network of military bases globally (including in former colonies) and its ongoing military operations in the Middle East, the report reveals the negative consequences of this posture: financial drain, entanglement in distant conflicts, exacerbation of regional tensions, and significant carbon emissions. The report specifically criticises the discussion in the "Integrated Operating Concept" regarding "competition using military means below the threshold of war," questioning its legal status and warning that it could lead to the UK's military forces becoming overstretched and entangled in more conflicts without clear strategy or democratic oversight.

The report further focuses on the UK's military presence in the Middle East and its alliance relationships with authoritarian regimes. The authors raise serious legal and ethical questions regarding the UK's reliance on military bases in the region and its continued provision of military and intelligence support to countries such as Saudi Arabia and Israel, calling for a reassessment of the necessity and purpose of these relationships. Simultaneously, the report strongly advocates for increased transparency and parliamentary oversight of the UK's military alliances (particularly NATO and AUKUS), suggesting the establishment of a dedicated standing parliamentary committee to scrutinise NATO affairs and ensuring full debate on major agreements like AUKUS.

Regarding alternative approaches, the report argues that the SDR should recommit the UK to participation in multilateral peace support operations, such as those under the UN, and recalls its successful experiences in Sierra Leone, North Macedonia, South Sudan, and Mali, among others. Furthermore, the report calls for the UK to take a leadership role in regulating new generations of military technology, such as artificial intelligence and autonomous weapon systems, and to promote multilateral nuclear disarmament processes.

Finally, the report dedicates significant space to examining the "accountability deficit" of the UK's nuclear weapons programme. The authors reveal the startling data that the "Defence Nuclear Enterprise" is projected to consume nearly 39% of the defence capital budget over the next decade. They criticise the fact that major issues such as the programme's costs and the potential return of US tactical nuclear weapons to UK soil are excluded from parliamentary and public scrutiny. The report concludes that if the SDR continues to avoid these fundamental strategic choices and accountability issues, its final outcome will struggle to genuinely serve the long-term security of the UK and its people.