What threat do Russia and China pose to the UK?

Tuesday 17 May from 10.30am

The session will explore the UK nuclear deterrent and its strengths and limitations, in particular in light of the announcements made in the Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper, both published in 2021. The session will be available to watch live or on demand at Parliament TV or attend in person in Committee Room 4A, Palace of Westminster.

Giving evidence will be:

10.30am

• Dr Susan Martin, Senior Lecturer, War Studies Department, King’s College London; and
• Professor Andrew Futter, Professor of International Politics, University of Leicester.

Questions may include:

• The Integrated Review has reversed the previous downward trajectory of the UK’s nuclear-warhead stockpile ceiling. What do you believe was the rationale behind this, and do you find it compelling?
  
  
• Does the Government’s policy of strategic ambiguity over its nuclear posture improve the efficacy of the deterrent, especially in the face of the challenge posed by Russia and China? Or conversely, may it lead to misperceptions and misunderstandings?
  
  
• What is your assessment of the UK’s deterrent posture more broadly? Is our capability and resolve adequate to credibly deter across the full spectrum of potential hostility?

Wednesday 18 May from 10.30am

The Committee will hear from two panels of experts. The first panel will focus on the challenges posed by China and Russia, especially in relation to the UK, while the second panel will focus on wider threats such as terrorism, pandemics and climate change.  The sessions will start from 10.30am and will be available to watch live or on demand at Parliament TV or attend in person in Committee Room 4, Palace of Westminster.

Giving evidence will be;

10.30am

• Professor Tracey German, Professor in Conflict and Security, King’s College London; and
• Meia Nouwens, Senior Fellow for Chinese Defence Policy and Military Modernisation, International Institute for Strategic

11.30am

• Professor Caroline Kennedy-Pipe, Professor of International Relations and International Security, University of Loughborough; and
• Dr Jennifer Cole, Lecturer in Global and Planetary Health, Royal Holloway University of London and Associate Fellow at RUSI.

Questions may include;

• The Integrated Review called Russia “the most acute direct threat to the UK” and China a “systemic competitor”. To what extent was this an accurate characterisation last year, and it is still valid today?
  
  
• How do China and Russia assess their own security and threats? What are their priorities of their national security strategies? What impact has the war in Ukraine had in this respect?
  
  
• Do Russia and China pose direct military threats to the UK, and if so, of what kind? Are our current and planned capabilities adequate to face that challenge, or do they need to be improved?
  
  
• How would you assess the Integrated Review’s plans to counter radicalisation and terrorism? Should countering terrorism be more, less, or the same priority – vis-à-vis interstate defence – compared to, say, a decade ago?
  
  
• How would you assess Defence’s contribution to the COVID-19 pandemic response? What are the key lessons learned? Might future pandemics pose even graver security challenges, and possibly compromise Defence’s operations?