The Security Minister and the Minister for the Armed Forces will chair chief executive roundtable threat briefings with critical national infrastructure and industry leaders, following similar briefings given earlier this year to university leaders and political parties on the threat of foreign interference, according to an answer given in Parliament.
Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative member for Huntingdon, asked what public engagement activities are planned as part of the National Conversation, and in a second question asked how increased public preparedness, participation and resilience will be measured and what the success criteria will be.
Louise Sandher-Jones, the Minister for the Armed Forces, said: “The National Conversation is a Cabinet Office-led programme of public engagement delivered as part of the Home Defence Programme. As I confirmed in my previous answer, this engagement is already underway and will continue through 2027, with Defence playing a key role in supporting its delivery.
“Defence will support a range of public engagement activity designed to improve understanding of the threats facing the UK, strengthen awareness of preparedness and resilience, and support the development of a whole-of-society approach to national security. The Security Minister and I will chair CEO roundtable threat briefings with CNI and industry leaders respectively, which follow similar briefings held earlier this year to update university leaders and political parties on the threat of foreign interference.”
Answering the question on measurement, the minister said: “The Government continues to work building national resilience through the Cabinet Office Home Defence Programme. The Ministry of Defence plays a key role connecting with industry, local resilience fora, the voluntary sector, and working with our active reserves and local cadet groups to facilitate a whole of society approach to defence and security.
“Government messaging on defence and security will continue to build ahead of ALBISTON SHADOW, a major UK Home Defence exercise, and NATO’s Crisis Management Exercise in spring 2027.”
Briefing company bosses directly on the threat picture marks a change in how the state handles this material, since the intelligence assessments behind it have traditionally stayed inside government and inside cleared parts of industry. Splitting the work between the Security Minister for critical national infrastructure and the Minister for the Armed Forces for industry gives each a defined audience.
University leaders and political parties were given equivalent briefings earlier this year on foreign interference, covering Chinese and Russian activity aimed at research, funding and candidate selection. Extending the same treatment to energy, water, telecommunications and transport operators brings it to the sectors that would be targeted first in a campaign of sabotage.
Exercise ALBISTON SHADOW is the largest home defence exercise Britain has run in decades, and has been described as a test of whether the public would know what to do and where to go if the country came under attack. Pairing it with NATO’s Crisis Management Exercise puts the national and alliance rehearsals in the same window in spring 2027.
‘The National Conversation is a Cabinet Office-led programme of public engagement delivered as part of the Home Defence Programme.’
Minutes of the meeting (leaked). You saw it here first:
‘You’ll want that, won’t you, Wilson? The particulars of the rowing boat.
“15 feet long, five-foot beam, four oars. Seaworthy condition.” Blah, blah.
That’s not very much good, is it? You can’t go rowing about in the sea in wartime.
It isn’t actually on the sea. It’s a mile upstream. Anybody can look at it if they want to.
Now, I think we’d better get down to this- Wait a minute. I’ve had an idea.
– Be careful, sir. Please, be careful.
River patrols! That’s it, Wilson. River patrols! Half a dozen determined men armed to the teeth with a boat, they could play havoc with the Russkis. What? Do you see it? Swift, silent patrols hitting the enemy where it hurts most, then disappearing into the night, quietly, without a sound, silently. Cutting through the water. Muffled oars, of course.
– Muffled oars?
– Oh, yes. That’s how Wolfe captured Quebec. Rowed up the St Lawrence with muffled oars. Taught those Froggies a thing or two.
What exactly are muffled oars?
Well…We’d ask somebody about that.
We’re on duty five nights a week, from the Novelty Rock Emporium to Godfrey’s cottage. The railway bridge, the gasworks, the telephone exchange, mobile patrols in Jones’s van. I mean, really… Isn’t it…too much?