Joint Committee explores UK’s sovereign capabilities in defence industry and AI
On Monday 17 November, MPs and Peers will examine the Government’s ambition set out in the National Security Strategy (NSS) to increase the UK’s ‘sovereign and asymmetric capabilities’.
In the National Security Strategy (NSS) ministers set out ambitions to rebuild the UK’s core defence industrial base, protect and cultivate sovereign capabilities foundational to the country’s competitiveness, and “channel particular national strengths into asymmetric strategies”. The NSS also sets out the Government’s ambition to achieve asymmetric advantage in AI and other areas.
The UK’s sovereign capabilities can range from traditional industries critical to national security such as shipbuilding and nuclear, to new and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
However, the Government has not set out a clear definition for these terms and some commentators have said that the meaning of ‘sovereign’ and ‘asymmetric’ have been left ambiguous.
Meeting details
In the session, Committee members are likely to ask what the terms mean in practice, what challenges the Government may come up against in trying to deliver them, and whether both the NSS and Defence Industrial Strategy give clear enough direction to industry.
Members will also explore the lessons the UK can learn from Ukraine’s approach to defence and from international defence and technology collaborations such as AUKUS.
They are also likely to ask about efforts to boost UK strength in emerging technology. For example, should the UK be seeking to achieve data sovereignty, will the Government’s approach be enough to achieve asymmetric advantage in AI and other areas, and how should it use the £4bn funding pledged for autonomous systems?