What security challenges does the UK face? What steps is the government taking in response to these challenges? The national security strategy from the UK Cabinet Office sets out how the government will address and manage the security challenges that the UK faces. It emphasises the integrated nature of the responses required to address a range of diverse but interdependent threats, risks and drivers of insecurity.
The UK faces various risks and threats, including terrorism, nuclear weapons, trans-national organised crime, global instability, fragile states, civil emergencies and state-led threats. Drivers of insecurity include challenges to the rule-based international system; climate change; energy competition; poverty, inequality and poor governance; and global economic, technological and demographic trends. The government’s response to these threats will be based on the UK’s core values and a hard-headed assessment of risks, aims and capabilities. It will favour tackling security challenges early on, multilateralism overseas, partnership at home and integration within government. The government will retain strong, balanced and flexible capabilities and will continue to invest, learn and improve to strengthen security.
The government is responding to the threats and risks faced by the UK through:
- Counterterrorism – Priorities include building capacity to disrupt terrorists at home and overseas, enhancing border protection, increasing capacity to deal with attacks and preventing violent extremism.
- Countering the threat of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction – Priorities include addressing concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme, making progress on multilateral agreements and reducing the risk from nuclear terrorism.
- Tackling trans-national organised crime – Priorities include giving law enforcement bodies necessary powers and support, recovery of criminal assets, targeting of crime at the borders and improved international data-sharing.
- Tackling global instability, conflict, and failed and fragile states – Priorities include building the capacity of weak states and regional organisations, and building UK and international capacity for peacekeeping, security sector reform and deploying civilians.
- Planning for civil emergencies and building resilience – Priorities include increasing expenditure on flood management, building capacity to respond to an influenza pandemic and building a network of organisations to respond to emergencies.
- Defending the UK against state-led threats – Measures include protecting against covert activity by foreign intelligence agencies and maintaining both an independent nuclear deterrent and strong conventional forces.
- Strengthening and reforming the international system – Priorities include leading reform of international institutions, strengthening NATO, strengthening the UN, EU and regional security institutions and improving peacekeeping funding mechanisms.
- Tackling climate change – Measures include working at all levels to make the transition to a low-carbon economy and analysing the likely impact of climate change on the UK.
- Tackling competition for energy and building energy security – Measures include working through the EU and bilaterally to promote open, competitive energy markets and diversifying the sources of primary fuels.
- Tackling poverty, inequality and poor governance – Measures include increased overseas development aid, greater transparency on how aid is spent and long-term support for more effective and accountable governance and security systems.
- Responding to global trends – Measures include supporting reform of international financial institutions, ensuring the security of new technology and supporting international efforts to manage migration and liberalise agricultural trade.
