Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has plans to improve the UK's hybrid warfare capability.

Hybrid threats present themselves across multiple domains, and consequently Her Majesty's Government considers a 'whole of Government approach' as critical to ensure effective resilience, response and deterrence.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a key role to play in this, and is firmly committed to collaboration with other Government departments, working in line with Fusion Doctrine to achieve a cohesive approach.

Informed by the policy direction set out in the National Security Capability Review (NSCR) and Modernising Defence Programme (MDP) MOD is actively working to evolve our vision for Joint Force 2025 to address the more uncertain, volatile international security environment that has developed since 2015.

As hybrid threats manifest in multiple domains, the UK needs to maintain credible forces to deter and defend against a broad spectrum of threats.

As we develop new capabilities to address emerging threats we must carefully and objectively balance this with the continued need to protect against conventional attack. Where possible we will seek to develop capabilities that have utility across the spectrum of conflict. We do not comment on the specifics of capabilities being developed in the interests of National Security, as these could be of use to a potential adversary.

Resilience is also key when dealing with hybrid threats, and we are aware that we must protect conventional capabilities from new threats. The MOD has, therefore, invested significantly in cyber defence and security across its capabilities and infrastructure, with £265 million being invested in a pioneering approach to root out cyber vulnerabilities within military platforms and wider cyber dependent systems, helping defence better understand and mitigate cyber risks.