Operation Isotrope: the use of the military to counter migrant crossings

Defence Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 18 Jan 2022 Closed: 6 Dec 2022 Parliament page
The session will consider the role of the Armed Forces in countering Channel crossings by migrants (Op Isotrope), and the wider implications for Defence, including what assets will be used, who will pay for them, how success will be measured and what the chain of command and reporting arrangements will … Read more
3 Recommendations
10 Conclusions
1 Report
2 Oral sessions
2 Events
Activity timeline 4 events
12 Jul
2022
Oral evidence
19 May
2022
Report published
11 Mar
2022
Report published
26 Jan
2022
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions
12 Jul 2022
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Paul Wyatt · Ministry of Defence Rt Hon James Heappey MP · Ministry of Defence
26 Jan 2022
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Commander (rtd) Tom Sharpe OBE Vice Admiral (rtd) Sir Charles Montgomery KBE
Recommendations & Conclusions
13 results
1 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope…
The announcement of this policy appears to have been made prematurely.
The announcement of this policy appears to have been made prematurely. When the Government has been asked for details, it has consistently responded that these were being worked out. Announcing a policy before finalising the details is bad practice, particularly … Read more
Ministry of Defence
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2 Recommendation
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope…
In line with our general policy on shipbuilding, we call on the Home Office to...
In line with our general policy on shipbuilding, we call on the Home Office to ensure that any new vessels are built in British yards, to ensure national capacity is maintained (Paragraph 11) Criticism of the policy
Ministry of Defence
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3 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope…
A successful military strategy requires clear ends, ways and means.
A successful military strategy requires clear ends, ways and means. The ends (or in this case the objectives) are anything but. The MOD appears to regard its objective as ensuring that no migrant lands on their own terms, but the … Read more
Ministry of Defence
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4 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope…
We are seriously concerned by the lack of a clear endpoint for this operation.
We are seriously concerned by the lack of a clear endpoint for this operation. Restoring public confidence in the immigration system is a task at which numerous governments have failed. It is not a task Defence is equipped to undertake. … Read more
Ministry of Defence
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5 Recommendation
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope…
We recommend that the Home Office and the MOD agree realistic indicators of success and...
We recommend that the Home Office and the MOD agree realistic indicators of success and explain them to both Houses of Parliament. Furthermore, we recommend that an agreed date for the operation to be handed over to the Border Force … Read more
Ministry of Defence
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6 Recommendation
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope…
We believe that the Government ought to reconsider its refusal to publish the details of...
We believe that the Government ought to reconsider its refusal to publish the details of strategic and operational responsibility. This confusion around where responsibility for the policy lies is compounded by the fact that, as noted above, the solution to … Read more
Ministry of Defence
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7 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope…
A public disagreement between two great offices of state, played out in the House and...
A public disagreement between two great offices of state, played out in the House and on Twitter, is deeply unedifying. If one of the objectives is to restore public 30 Operation Isotrope: the use of the military to counter migrant … Read more
Ministry of Defence
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8 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope…
It is clear that if Royal Navy vessels are to be committed to the operation...
It is clear that if Royal Navy vessels are to be committed to the operation in the Channel, some existing commitments will be given up. The Government ought to be clear, both with Parliament and the public what it is … Read more
Ministry of Defence
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9 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope…
The Defence budget (despite its recent uplift and multi-year commitment) is already inadequate.
The Defence budget (despite its recent uplift and multi-year commitment) is already inadequate. Adding responsibility for immigration without a further uplift in the budget takes scarce resources from an already overstretched Department. We do not understand why this operation is … Read more
Ministry of Defence
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10 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope…
Operation Isotrope’s potential to cause reputational damage to the Royal Navy (and even UK Defence...
Operation Isotrope’s potential to cause reputational damage to the Royal Navy (and even UK Defence as a whole) is significant. That risk comes from a number of areas: those who believe that this is not a defence task (but rather … Read more
Ministry of Defence
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11 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope…
The manner in which this decision was announced leaves a lot to be desired.
The manner in which this decision was announced leaves a lot to be desired. The confusion around the ways and means which will be used to achieve the strategic objective (let alone the strategic objective itself) is unhelpful and does … Read more
Ministry of Defence
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12 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope…
Furthermore, this operation distracts from other Defence tasks, which is a particular concern given the...
Furthermore, this operation distracts from other Defence tasks, which is a particular concern given the shortfalls we identified in our recent Report ‘We’re going to need a bigger Navy’. The operation will likely have long-term impacts on training, personnel leave … Read more
Ministry of Defence
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13 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope…
In short, the Government has not attempted to persuade us that Operation Isotrope is anything...
In short, the Government has not attempted to persuade us that Operation Isotrope is anything but an ill-defined policy, prematurely announced. The best case scenario for the Royal Navy is that it will leave with its reputation unharmed: there is … Read more
Ministry of Defence
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