Counter Terrorism Strategy

A quiet revolution?

The coalition government has overhauled the UK’s approach to national security with several new initiatives and strategies.

The Prime Minister has established a new National Security Council for the UK and created the additional position of national security adviser. In October 2010, the coalition published a new National Security Strategy (NSS) and a Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR). The 2010 spending review declined to ring fence national security expenditure and the government is implementing a radical programme of police reform.

Furthermore, the coalition has placed a major new focus on the UK’s strategy for cyber security and information assurance, with a commitment of £650m to new public sector investment in this area. A revised UK counter-terrorism strategy, Contest, is expected to be announced before the summer which promises to make further changes to existing arrangements.

Links with international security
Alongside these developments, the government has placed a major new priority on the international elements of security and counter-terrorism. It correctly believes that in a highly interconnected world the distinctions between domestic and international security are breaking down. It has decided that the UK’s approach must be configured to take account of the global nature of security. The Foreign Secretary has observed that domestic government departments have an increasingly international aspect to their work. 

Reflecting this, the Home Office and other government departments have been seeking to develop new levels of bilateral security cooperation with the UK’s international allies. This was demonstrated in August 2010 with the news that the UK and Kuwait signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on security matters. The SDSR committed the UK to work more closely with its major international partners on security issues and then, in November 2010, the UK and France agreed to cooperate more closely on counter-terrorism and cyber security issues within the context of their new treaties on defence and security.

The renewed focus on stronger bilateral security cooperation has been welcomed in industry. But it will also be important for the UK to remain fully involved in the activities of multinational organisations in the field. In particular, the European Union (EU) is advancing its approach to security in completely new ways. The Lisbon Treaty means that the EU is expected to play a much greater role in counter-terrorism and security.

EU involvement
The EU’s involvement in counter-terrorism policy is not completely new, but it is evolving considerably. Its role in the business elements of security is also a relatively recent phenomenon.

For example, the EU’s latest Framework Programme of Research includes a security component. There are useful opportunities for government departments and the UK-based security industry to seek funding from the EU’s €1.4 billion budget (2007-2013) available for collaborative research and development investment in the fields of security and counter-terrorism.

The EU’s new Defence and Security Procurement directive is scheduled to be transposed into law in August 2011. Whilst some see the implementation of this directive as more of a threat than an opportunity, concerns are generally combined with recognition that, where possible, open competition within European security markets could open up new business for the UK security industry.

At the operational level, many leading figures believe that the EU’s Border Agency, Frontex and the European Police Office (Europol) are valuable European contributions to international security. The EU is advancing a CBRN Action Plan, which seeks to enhance multinational cooperation in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear protection.

The EU has also published the priorities of its new Internal Security Strategy. The organisation also has its own counter-terrorism coordinator who is becoming an increasingly important figure in the implementation of this strategy and other counter-terrorism policies across Europe.

Future developments
Looking to the future, key figures in Brussels are considering the value of an EU industrial policy for security, much as it already has in place for other sectors. It is understood that the commission has begun early work on a draft for a European Industrial Security Policy. Many UK companies would be supportive of a more robust framework for industrial policy relating to security; especially one which included stronger EU standards and even legislation in the field of counter-terrorism.

These initiatives are just a few of the many examples which show how the EU is becoming an increasingly influential player in the international counter-terrorism arena. They also illustrate how the commission is becoming more involved in the business aspects of security.  Reflecting the importance of these issues, the International Working Group of UK Security and Resilience Industry Suppliers’ Community (RISC) has been established as a UK security industrial forum that meets in London regularly to consider the implications of EU and wider international security policies.

The development of any proposed European Industrial Security Policy would be a significant evolution in the EU’s involvement in security. To date, this new idea has attracted surprisingly little attention in UK security policy circles. If it develops as anticipated, government and industry should work together to understand the potential implications of this new initiative and ensure that the UK’s voice is at the forefront of any future discussions.

For more information:
Web: www.adsgroup.org.uk