UK Inquiry Tracker

Defence in the Grey Zone

Defence Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 18 Sep 2023 Closed: 14 Nov 2025 Parliament page

This inquiry was originally conducted during the 2019 Parliament and was interrupted by the 2024 general election. In November 2024 the re-established committee agreed to complete the inquiry. The grey zone can be defined as coercive activities that “…fall below perceived thresholds for military action and across areas of responsibility … Read more This inquiry was originally conducted during the 2019 Parliament and was interrupted by the 2024 general election. In November 2024 the re-established committee agreed to complete the inquiry. The grey zone can be defined as coercive activities that “…fall below perceived thresholds for military action and across areas of responsibility of different parts of the government”. Examples of grey zone conflict include cyberattacks, information campaigns and other hostile activities that fall below the threshold of armed conflict. However, as seen in Ukraine, these activities can also take place alongside more conventional military operations. This inquiry will ask whether the United Kingdom’s Armed Forces are sufficiently capable of operating in this part of the spectrum of conflict. It will examine how the grey zone interacts with more conventional military activities, and what lessons can be drawn from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Committee’s inquiry will focus primarily on the UK’s Armed Forces, looking across the rest of Government’s grey zone capabilities within this context, and scrutinise the Government’s ability to work cross-departmentally. The Committee welcomes evidence on the following questions: How well are the UK’s Armed Forces configured to operate effectively in the grey zone for defensive and, where appropriate, offensive operations? For example, are grey zone threats adequately factored across the Defence Lines of Development, such as suitable doctrine, training and equipment? How well does MOD work with allies and other friendly states to counter grey zone threats, and is UK Defence perceived to be a leader on the subject? Responding to the grey zone threat requires effective cross-departmental and inter-governmental coordination, involving private sector and other sub-state organisations. Where does responsibility lie across Government for the United Kingdom’s grey zone strategy, planning and coordination activity, and how does Defence fit in? What challenges and opportunities do different forms of government face in the grey zone, and how specifically can liberal democracies operate there effectively? Does the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in 2022 indicate a failure of Russia over the past decade to achieve its aims through the use of grey zone activities, or simply a rebalancing of conventional and unconventional capabilities? The deadline for written evidence is Tuesday 31 October. Show less

5 Recommendations

9 Conclusions

1 Report

5 Oral sessions

5 Events

Activity timeline 12 events

24 Oct
2025

Report published

5th Special Report - Defence in the Grey Zone: Government Response

9 Jul
2025

Report published

5th Report - Defence in the Grey Zone

25 Mar
2025

Oral evidence

Panel 1

25 Mar
2025

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster

Oral Evidence Session

21 Jan
2025

Oral evidence

Panel 1; Panel 2

21 Jan
2025

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster

Oral Evidence Session

14 May
2024

Oral evidence

Panel 1

14 May
2024

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster

Oral Evidence Session

13 May
2024

Oral evidence

Panel 1

13 May
2024

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

Oral Evidence Session

23 Apr
2024

Oral evidence

Panel 1

23 Apr
2024

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

Oral Evidence Session

Oral evidence sessions 5 sessions

25 Mar 2025

View on parliament.uk

Panel 1

Air Commodore Matt Bressani OBE · Ministry of Defence Luke Pollard MP · Ministry of Defence Paul Wyatt · Ministry of Defence

21 Jan 2025

View on parliament.uk

Panel 1; Panel 2

Dr Margriet Drent · Ministry of Defence (The Netherlands) Sir Alex Younger KCMG · Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)

14 May 2024

View on parliament.uk

Panel 1

Jānis Garisons · Latvian Ministry of Defence

13 May 2024

View on parliament.uk

Panel 1

James Appathurai · NATO

23 Apr 2024

View on parliament.uk

Panel 1

Elisabeth Braw · Atlantic Council Professor Andrew Mumford · University of Nottingham

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
5th Report - Defence in the Grey Zone	HC 405	9 Jul 2025	14	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

1 result

5 Recommendation Deferred

5th Report - Defence in the Grey Z…

Enhance JEF’s deployable capability, including Royal Navy ships, to combat grey zone threats in the Arctic.

The Government should consider enhancing the JEF’s deployable capability to combat grey zone threats, such as protecting seabed infrastructure and permitting extended military operations in the High North/Arctic, for example by reinforcing the bows of Royal Navy ships, including the … Read more

Government Response

The government accepted the recommendation with caveats, stating that specific capability commitments, such as for the Type 83 Destroyer or future icebreaker capabilities, will be considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan due in autumn 2025.

Ministry of Defence

View details

Government Response AI assessment · 14 of 5 classified

Accepted 11

Deferred 1

Rejected 2

Total 5 recs + 9 conclusions