Reconceptualising Defence: Integrating Civil Protection into the UK’s 5%NATO Commitment

Written by Frank Long

Interlocution 

On the 25th June 2025 at The Hague, the UK Government signalled its intent to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030, with an ambition to reach a 5% GDP threshold in alignment with NATO’s evolving focus on comprehensive security. This paper argues that the UK must reconceptualise national defence to include civil protection capabilities and will specifically reference the Fire and Rescue Services, Border Force, HM Coastguard, and Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC), although others may well warrant inclusion as integral components of national and collective defence. These institutions represent critical capacities in responding to hybrid threats, climate-related disasters, and adversarial disruption of civil infrastructure. Their inclusion in the UK’s defence expenditure under the NATO target would align with Article 3 of the NATO Treaty, reinforce national resilience, and enable enhanced investment in underfunded public protection services without increasing the overall fiscal burden. This paper offers a strategic rationale for redefining defence to include civil defence and outlines a policy framework to implement this shift within NATO reporting mechanisms.

Expanding the Boundaries of Defence

The traditional conception of national defence, primarily defined by military capability and international deterrence, is increasingly inadequate in addressing the multifaceted risks of the 21st century. Modern threats like cyber attacks, pandemics, and climate disasters blur the line between civilian and military domains because they target the critical systems, such as energy, health, and communications, on which both society and military operations depend. By undermining the civil infrastructure that sustains national function, they threaten the very platform from which defence is mounted, eroding both resilience and deterrence.

The UK Government’s March 2024 pledge to work towards a 5% of GDP defence spending target, mirroring similar ambitions articulated by other NATO states, presents an opportunity to strategically broaden the definition of defence.

This paper advances the argument that Civil Defence, including but not necessarily limited to the Fire and Rescue Services, HM Coastguard, UK Border Force, and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC), must be formally recognised as contributors to national and alliance-wide security. This redefinition would align spending with NATO’s own strategic evolution, allow more coherent use of public funds, and strengthen national resilience against contemporary threats, including hybrid warfare, terrorism, climate disruption, and critical infrastructure sabotage.

NATO’s Strategic Evolution: Resilience as Deterrence

NATO’s 2022 Strategic Concept and subsequent resilience frameworks have significantly widened the Alliance’s understanding of defence. Article 3 of the North Atlantic Treaty requires member states to "maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack." In recent years, this mandate has expanded to include non-military threats, ranging from cyber-attacks and pandemics to energy insecurity and the disruption of civil society systems.

NATO’s Baseline Requirements for National Resilience now include:

• Continuity of Government and Critical Government Services

  Ensure the government can continue to function under all circumstances, including wartime.

  
  

• Resilient Energy Supplies

  Safeguard energy infrastructure and maintain energy flows during crises.

  
  

• Ability to Deal Effectively with Uncontrolled Movement of People

  Manage large-scale movements of displaced populations due to conflict or disaster.

  
  

• Resilient Food and Water Resources

  Ensure populations have access to sufficient food and drinking water.

  
  

• Ability to Deal with Mass Casualties

  Maintain medical services and surge capacity to treat mass casualties.

  
  

• Resilient Civil Communications Systems

  Guarantee communications (including with NATO) under stress or attack.

  
  

• Resilient Transportation Systems

  Protect and maintain mobility for civilians, military, and critical goods during crises.

These Requirements closely align with UK national policy as set out in the Integrated Review and the UK Government Resilience Framework, both of which emphasise the importance of whole-of-society resilience, continuity of essential services, and integrated civil-military preparedness in safeguarding national security.

These developments signal an explicit recognition that defence cannot be achieved solely through armed forces. Instead, it requires an integrated, whole-of-society approach. The UK should seek to engage with this reconceptualisation by integrating Civil Defence within its own 5% defence budgetary framework.

Civil Protection Agencies as Strategic Enablers of National Defence

Fire and Rescue Services

The UK Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) serve as frontline responders to a wide spectrum of high-impact incidents, including large-scale industrial accidents, terrorism involving chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear agents (CBRN), wildfires, floods, and the collapse of critical infrastructure. Their contribution to national resilience, the continuity of essential services, and the protection of communities directly aligns with NATO’s baseline requirements for resilience.

Despite this crucial role, FRSs across the UK continue to suffer from chronic underinvestment. Many services operate with outdated equipment, limited training budgets, and reduced personnel, which significantly undermines their capacity to manage major emergencies or support military operations in times of crisis.

By integrating FRS funding within the 5% NATO defence commitment, the UK could significantly enhance national crisis response capacity, promote greater interoperability between civil protection agencies and the armed forces, and support comprehensive joint civil-military planning and exercising. Such investment would also reinforce the continuity of domestic services during conflict or disaster, contributing directly to NATO’s vision of whole-of-society resilience.

HM Coastguard

Given the UK’s island geography, maritime resilience is a central pillar of national security. HM Coastguard fulfils this role by providing both routine maritime safety and strategic civil protection. Its core functions include coordinating search and rescue missions, responding to marine pollution incidents, safeguarding maritime borders, and managing responses to severe weather and climate-related events. The Coastguard also plays a critical role in supporting military maritime operations during times of national emergency.

The growing impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels and more frequent extreme weather, will amplify coastal risks in the coming decades. Simultaneously, increases in illegal maritime migration and smuggling continue to place pressure on operational capacity. By incorporating Coastguard funding into the defence budget under the 5% NATO target, the UK would not only strengthen its maritime infrastructure and resilience but also affirm the strategic value of coastal protection as part of its broader national defence posture.

Border Force and Customs

The UK Border Force and Customs Authority form a vital line of national defence, tasked with preventing the entry of illicit goods, weapons, and hostile actors into the country. Their responsibilities increasingly intersect with national security, particularly in areas such as counter-terrorism, biosecurity, and cyber-enabled smuggling.

These agencies are also essential to the protection of national supply chains, including those for food, medicine, and energy, and play a crucial role in sustaining the continuity of infrastructure during emergencies. Investment in these services, particularly in technologies such as AI-driven surveillance and digital customs infrastructure, would directly contribute to the fulfilment of NATO’s resilience standards.

Incorporating Border Force and Customs within the 5% defence spending commitment would therefore strengthen the UK’s capacity to prevent hybrid threats, mitigate the risk of systemic shocks, and ensure the secure movement of goods and people during national or allied contingencies.

Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC)

The Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) provides an armed policing presence dedicated to protecting the UK’s civil nuclear infrastructure, a set of assets that are not only vital to national energy security but also represent high-value targets in any future conflict or hybrid warfare scenario.

CNC officers are highly trained to national armed policing standards and operate closely with both the Ministry of Defence and intelligence agencies. Their primary mission is to safeguard nuclear facilities, materials, and movements from terrorist threats, sabotage, and other adversarial actions. In times of national emergency, the CNC is capable of providing rapid support to military operations, contributing to the continuity of national infrastructure and defence.

Recognising the CNC as part of the UK’s broader defence architecture and funding it through the 5% NATO commitment would reinforce the protection of energy sovereignty and ensure alignment with NATO’s emphasis on securing critical infrastructure and energy systems from attack or disruption.

Strategic and Fiscal Rationale

Strategic Alignment with NATO Intent

The integration of civil protection funding into the 5% GDP target aligns with NATO’s stated ambition to bolster resilience and reduce the military’s over-reliance on external civilian capabilities. The UK’s move would set a precedent for other member states, ensuring the alliance is adequately prepared for cross-domain challenges where the military is dependent on civilian functionality.

Efficient Use of Public Funds

Rather than creating a new budgetary stream, incorporating Civil Defence into the 5% commitment allows investment in essential public services without breaching overall fiscal targets. This approach addresses funding gaps in emergency response and border protection services, while fulfilling international obligations.

Rebuilding Domestic Confidence in Defence Spending

In an age of political and economic uncertainty, public scepticism around rising defence expenditure remains. Channelling defence resources into visible, community-serving institutions such as Fire and Rescue or Coastguard services can improve legitimacy, demonstrating that defence spending serves both national security and societal well-being.

Implementation Pathway

To operationalise this strategic shift, the UK Government should:

• Expand the Definition of National Defence in Strategic Reviews

  Embed Civil Defence as a pillar of UK defence in the next Integrated Review or Defence Command Paper.

  
  

• Engage NATO on Reporting Classification

  Work with NATO to ensure alignment of civil protection funding within the alliance’s GDP-based spending benchmarks.

  
  

• Create a Civil-Military Resilience Investment Fund

  Ring-fence part of the 5% GDP target to support shared investments in cross-sector resilience capabilities.

  
  

• Incorporate Civil Protection into Strategic Policy Planning

  Ensure that measurable improvements in civil protection are embedded at the strategic policy level.

Conclusion: Towards a Unified Concept of Defence

The UK’s commitment to increasing defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2030 provides a unique opportunity to redefine national defence in line with contemporary threats. Fire and Rescue Services, HM Coastguard, Border Force, and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary are not peripheral actors in this new landscape. They are the first to respond to crises and are enduring guardians of public safety and state continuity.

Including civil protection services within the UK’s defence commitment not only supports NATO’s strategic direction, but also fosters a more secure, prepared, and resilient society.