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The UK Government has announced the Warsaw Defence Plan after Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and his counterpart, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, met in Warsaw and agreed to work together across sea, land, air, cyber, and industry to strengthen security and deterrence along Europe’s Eastern Flank.
The agreement sets out the first phase of defence cooperation under the new UK-Poland Security and Defence Partnership Treaty. According to the government, this represents the UK stepping up on European security to build a stronger Europe within a stronger NATO, aiming to strengthen joint work between the UK and Poland across multiple areas.
The announcement highlights collaboration on manufacturing and developing next-generation air defence missiles; co-developing drone and counter-drone technology; cooperating on cyber security and resilience; sharing lessons and experience from frigate capabilities; and increasing defensive maritime activity in the Baltic Sea.
Last month, the House of Lords International Agreements Committee published a report scrutinising the UK-Poland Security and Defence Partnership Treaty. Ed Arnold, Senior Defence Advisor at The D Group, gave oral evidence to the House of Lords International Defence Committee in June on the partnership, highlighting that bilateral agreements must reflect a changing security landscape in which threats span a range of domains. The evidence emphasised that the partnership's effectiveness depends on a robust programme of work for each commitment, or the UK risks losing sight of its goal.
The announcement of the Warsaw Plan marks a step in this direction, as it underscores that the UK and Poland will strengthen cooperation between defence industries, specifically through closer coordination on defence procurement. The government highlighted Poland’s procurement of its Narew air defence system from MBDA UK and that BAE Systems and Poland’s PGZ will expand large-calibre ammunition production capacity and capability.
As the UK Government has launched its campaign to raise awareness of threats to national security, including the growth of hybrid threats, the announcement of a plan aimed at deterring Russian threats is significant. The House of Lords International Agreements Committee report highlights that handling the volume of hybrid threats from Russia, for example, will require a joint, cross-departmental approach. Today’s budget is pertinent, as it will help to clarify ambiguities around the UK’s defence budget and other national security-related departmental budgets.
As the focus shifts to execution, increased government-industry collaboration and broader system reform will be essential to effectively advance UK defence capabilities and strengthen joint-defence programmes with NATO and other international allies. The D Group will continue exploring how to facilitate effective collaboration to deliver the skills and capabilities the Warsaw Defence Plan will require.
The announcement highlights that both countries' defence industries will collaborate to promote defence education, training and workforce mobility to build shared expertise. Next month, whilst the UK and Poland take part in a major Coalition of the Willing exercise in Poland, The D Group will be joined by Rafał Wiśniewski, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the Embassy of Poland in London, alongside the Ministry of Defence and MBDA to explore the UK-Poland defence and security relationship and the ways in which it can continue to be enhanced. We also look forward to engaging with key NATO partners and other international allies as we develop our 2027 programme.
If you are interested in working with The D Group, or would like to explore membership, please reach out to Robin McKenzie, Managing Director, via rmck@strategyinternational.co.uk. To enquire about joining an upcoming event, including on 19 November on the UK-Poland Security and Defence relationship, please enquire by emailing events@dgroup.co.uk.
