(MENAFN) The United Kingdom currently has “no plan for defending the homeland” and is struggling to prepare for escalating international dangers, according to a powerful committee of MPs.

Although the UK continues to be a leading military power in Europe, its ability to maintain this status is reportedly “under pressure,” as noted in a House of Commons Defense Select Committee report released on Wednesday.

The report highlighted that NATO—referred to as the “cornerstone of UK defense policy”—is confronting challenges from "Russian aggression," shifting priorities in the US, and “systemic threats posed by China, Iran, and North Korea.”

The committee emphasized that the government must “urgently strengthen” both its conventional and nuclear forces, expand the capacity of its defense industry, and ensure it can protect the UK and its overseas territories.

Ministers were also urged to remain “clear-eyed” about the implications of the war in Ukraine, described as “a war to defend Europe and protect civil society against Russian aggression.”

MPs warned that Europe faces a “significant” security threat, pointing to “the Russian invasion of Ukraine; the collapse of arms control treaties and threats of nuclear proliferation and use; incursions into European airspace; espionage, assassination, and sabotage across the continent and in the UK.”

The report further criticized the government’s strategic defense review and national security strategy for setting ambitious objectives that “lack detail on prioritization and capability trade-offs.”

Finally, MPs insisted that the upcoming defense investment plan must address these shortcomings to ensure the UK is adequately prepared for current and future security challenges.

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