Dual in the Crown: Ports, Resilience and the UK’s Strategic Edge

Having just returned (as of 15^th April) from the annual Exercise PORT DEFENDER at the Port of Rotterdam, it is a timely reminder that, when it comes to Dual Use, availability is as critical as mobility with respect to the UK’s major ports supporting defence of the realm.

Dual use is not a new concept for the UK ports sector. Major ports are designed to support everyday trade at scale, while retaining the flexibility to respond to disruption, crisis or surge requirements when needed. Ports around the UK continue to evolve and adapt, meeting the changing requirements of customers and modernising their operations. As the Government places renewed emphasis on a ‘home defence’ approach to security and resilience, ports are increasingly recognised as part of the UK’s strategic base: civilian infrastructure that can adapt quickly, integrate with government and defence partners, and deliver resilience without compromising commercial performance.

Our board (nine CEOs of port owning groups) fully committed in September 2025 to dual use of major ports in the UK to keep supply chains open, grow trade – and in parallel enhance critical military mobility with UK and international partners. This builds on the well-established and considered relationship the MoD has with Associated British Ports (ABP).

Commitment and clarity is a two-way challenge in a multiagency/cross-government model. Constructive and accountable dialogue is required way to the left of the ‘call’ coming late at night to ensure that industry and colleagues across the British state are aligned on Dual Use of the major ports in every nation of the UK.

In the same way that commercial trade has little or no consideration for national, local, county and political borders or ownership of key transport nodes in the public or private sector – military preparedness should also take a proactive approach to remove burdens, barriers to availability and capability to rapidly adapt to a changing global environment.

As an official UK observer to the multiagency approach taken by the Port of Rotterdam with partners, I am struck by the pressing need for new and collaborative ways of working across the permanent state to ensure our major ports have an enhanced protective ring of resilience – that is mutually defined – from national level right down to port level agreement. This includes who has responsibility, firstly, to keep our ports protected in advance of any disruption; secondly, in a denial of access scenario – it is crucial that our security and policing, cyber, transport, and military colleagues have clear lines of responsibility to support in ensuring a port can be brought back online or remain operational – working hand in glove with the port owning group – and minimise any disruption for both trade and military purposes.

We often debate the role of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) when it comes to UK assets, but nonetheless it is a phrase open to interpretation between industry and Governments. In a new geopolitical landscape, the UK’s major ports are the key pieces and the ‘dual’ in the crown of critical international infrastructure (CII). A practical example for both commercial trade and military movements is the distinction between inside and outside the port fence in the UK’s largest ports.

Crucially, infrastructure that surrounds CNI/CII is the most important element in ensuring we can respond effectively to a changing dynamic globally. Careful thought is needed regarding infrastructure that sits outside the port estate (fence/gate) – roads, rail connections, grid connections and regulatory processes need to be readied for the new normal and to support Dual Use. Connectivity by road and rail to and from our ports has received limited investment over recent decades. It is vital to recognise that an ultra-modern and efficient major port in the UK also needs the same modern and efficient connections outside the port gate. Many other countries have worked diligently to create seaport, road and rail military mobility corridors (North-Sea Baltic, Rhine-Alpine, Atlantic, East-Med Corridors) – achieving a balance between port adaptability and a new efficiency with road, rail connections that will create a seamless journey to and from the port. In North Africa they have done this for trade purposes, unlocking and enabling growth in the region.

We don’t have that defined or agreed plan here in the UK, public investment is roughly 20 to 25 years behind private investment in the port industry. We now need both a remedial and strategic approach from HM Government, both inside and outside the port fence in the UK. New thinking is urgently needed to ensure the movement inland to and from the port matches or even exceeds the levels of investment and sophistication of movements inside the port. In the same vein, regulatory processes will also need to reflect the new reality – we can do away with unnecessary burdens and lengthen timelines for licenses we need. We can also speed up planning decisions and the creation of an environment with an ability to react within a very short timeframe. The result is a dual output – realising the plan for military capability, whilst also improving the trading and investment conditions for our major ports for the decades ahead.

Resilience relies on a plan, and a plan relies on assumptions. We have some of the most modern and highly productive ports in the world in the UK – but we must redouble our collective effort to keep these key pieces of Critical International Infrastructure protected and operational 24/7, no matter how the geopolitical context develops. In Rotterdam, I witnessed the challenges and effective way of working across multiple agencies and NATO that allows for the vast majority of scenarios to be considered. I also saw the impact measured and acted upon to protect our colleagues working in the ports, protect assets that cannot be ‘switched’ off and on and keep them available for whatever the need going forward.

Given the small (in a global context) islands of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are considered militarily strategically important as a ‘lilypad’ for our military aims as well as our allies – we can work at pace to build a plan to position the major ports as effective, available and prepared for dual use in the coming years – and have mutually defined agreements in place.

Trade operates like water flowing downhill, can Dual Use do the same?

Trade wants to, and always will, move between producer and consumer in the most efficient and effective way, using modern ports as the foundational factor in international and global trade. This is particularly acute for island nations like the United Kingdom.

Trade abhors bottlenecks, supply chain disruption and burdens that restrict the fast, safe movement of goods to market. This is the same challenge for military capability, not today, but in a more hostile environment – the ability to plan and adapt but maintain efficiency of movement is the difference between an effective military response or an outcome that gets caught in unnecessary burdens or complexity.

It is for these reasons that the board of the UK Major Ports Group is working closely with MoD and across Government departments and agencies to ensure that, as well as capability to operate, pivot and show the necessary flexibility, we also have the visibility to operate in a dual context – to keep trade flowing and to support wider military efforts in the most seamless way possible.

As gateways to the world, the UK’s major ports are fundamental to the country’s prosperity, connectivity and security. Around 95% of the UK’s physical trade by volume moves by sea, with ports acting as critical nodes in national and international supply chains and as major economic hubs for regions across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In an era of heightened geopolitical uncertainty, that role is being viewed through a sharper strategic lens. Across the UK Major Ports Group, there is growing recognition that ports represent a dual in the crown: infrastructure shaped by commercial demand and private investment, yet essential to national resilience and defence readiness.

The experiences of Associated British Ports with dual use assets contributes to that wider sector conversation by offering a port operator perspective on how dual use capability can be developed and sustained in practice. While grounded in the experience at Marchwood, the themes explored, building long-term relationships with Defence, embedding readiness within commercial operations, and aligning investment with national resilience outcomes, resonate across all of the UK’s major ports. Together, they illustrate how the sector is helping ensure that the UK’s most important gateways continue to support both economic growth and national security, now and in the decades ahead.