Russian Aggression: Support for NATO Allies

Answer from James Heappey

We are currently supplying significant air power to NATO's eastern flank, as well as sending ships to the eastern Mediterranean. We have a well-established and enduring contribution to the NATO enhanced forward presence battle group in the Baltics and in Poland—in recent weeks we have almost doubled our military forces in Estonia to demonstrate that capability and our resolve to support that region.

Answer from James Heappey

NATO is acutely aware that the threat has evolved beyond the three conventional domains and into space and cyber-space as well, which is why that is a key part of NATO's transformation plans. The UK is to the fore in that, because we have invested ahead of many of our allies in both defensive and offensive cyber-capabilities. So the UK voice is very much to the fore in discussing with NATO how we develop a cyber-capability for the alliance.

Answer from James Heappey

Make no mistake: the NATO membership of our great friends and allies in the Baltic represents one of the great strengthening moments of the alliance generally. Nobody is prouder to fly the NATO flag than Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, and we stand four-square behind them and behind what it would mean if President Putin were to try to compromise the territorial integrity of those countries in any way. As for the hon. Gentleman's wider question about resourcing defence across the alliance adequately, I strongly agree; we are one of only a few countries that has been routinely spending the 2% of GDP target. It is fantastic that this moment of challenge within the euro-Atlantic has meant that other countries have now increased their spending to meet that target, too.

Answer from James Heappey

My hon. Friend and I will debate keenly the future of the land battle, but I am not sure that what we have seen on our TV screens over the past few weeks has been a justification for large amounts of massed armour. I think it is entirely a vindication of a change in the way in which the land battle is prosecuted.

Answer from James Heappey

Submarine operations in the north Atlantic are not routinely spoken about in public, but my right hon. Friend will be reassured to know that we are acutely aware that we must maintain awareness of what Russia is doing in the whole Euro-Atlantic and that the focus should not just be on the obvious point of conflict in Ukraine.

Answer from James Heappey

There is a constant regeneration of forces. As two battle groups are committed to Estonia, more battle groups need to embark on the training pipeline to make sure that we have contingent land forces at readiness. Similarly, ships have been deployed to the two NATO standing maritime groups and to Exercise Cold Response.

Answer from James Heappey

My right hon. Friend makes an excellent point. It suits our purpose to refer to the equipment we are providing in a defensive context, but defence intelligence reflects that small bands of determined people using lethal weapons systems have pushed back an armoured column near Kyiv, showing that all weaponry can be seen as defensive when used on one's own territory.

Answer from James Heappey

The hon. Gentleman will have to accept my apologies, but so important is the NATO strategic concept that it is something that the Secretary of State works on with his team immediately around him. He will need to write to the hon. Gentleman with the detail he asks for.

Answer from James Heappey

The discussions in NATO focus on Euro-Atlantic security implications of the conflict, but wider geopolitical and economic plans may be discussed outside of NATO within other groupings such as the G7, EU, etc.