Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the United Kingdom is participating in, observing, or otherwise contributing to the European Union’s integrated resolve 2026 crisis management exercise; if not, whether it was invited to do so; and what arrangements exist for the United Kingdom to participate in European exercises testing responses to coordinated hostile-state hybrid attacks on critical national infrastructure.

The UK-EU Security and Defence Partnership provides a framework for increased cooperation to counter hybrid threats. This includes coordinated sanctions against cyber criminals linked to the Russian Intelligence Services as well as exchanges through UK-EU Hybrid Strategic Consultations.

The Partnership also provides the possibility for the UK and the EU to invite one another to each other’s respective crisis management exercises. As such, the UK has been invited to engage with certain aspects of the EU’s Integrated Resolve (IR26) exercise. Officials are now exploring what the UK’s role could look like.