Ministry of Defence

The Ministry of Defence is working closely with Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, The Department for Business and Trade and the Ministerial chaired Semiconductor Advisory Panel, alongside UK industry and allied partners, to ensure assured long-term access to both commercial and specialist semiconductor technologies essential to defence capability.

In addition to this, the Department is strengthening the resilience and sovereignty of semiconductor supply by improving visibility of lower tier dependencies and strengthening our ability to understand and influence the supply chain, supported by strong lifecycle and diversification measures.

The Ministry of Defence is working closely with Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, The Department for Business and Trade and the Ministerial chaired Semiconductor Advisory Panel, alongside UK industry and allied partners, to ensure assured long-term access to both commercial and specialist semiconductor technologies essential to defence capability.

In addition to this, the Department is strengthening the resilience and sovereignty of semiconductor supply by improving visibility of lower tier dependencies and strengthening our ability to understand and influence the supply chain, supported by strong lifecycle and diversification measures.

The hon. Member will know UK stocks have been reduced from gifting to Ukraine since Putin’s full-scale invasion. The Strategic Defence Review sets out the plan to recover stockpiles - munition stockpile levels are actively reviewed to ensure current holdings are balanced against threats, availability, industrial capacity and evolving technology. The announcement of six new energetics and munitions factories are part of this effort. It would not be appropriate to comment on specific stockpile levels, as this information is operationally sensitive.

The primary mechanism for lessons learnt from Ukraine's battlefield experience is through the Defence Lessons Identified Management System, which facilities their assignment and management.

For those of strategic relevance, the Military Commands will route lessons through the newly instituted Military Strategic Lessons Working Group for refinement and drafting of actionable recommendations or for further investigatory activity.

Once prepared, lessons are presented to the Integrated Warfare Development Board for validation and sentencing. After which, the Board will monitor the implementation progress of the lesson plus ensuring coherence across Military Strategic Headquarters and the Military Commands.

The median age of the Army’s Land Rover WOLF fleet is approximately 28 years.

Data is drawn from the Army’s Joint Asset Management and Engineering Solutions (JAMES), which is a live system providing real-time data. Therefore, the data provided represents a snapshot in time and may change as records are updated.

The number of personnel with a recorded code for the relevant symptom has been provided. It should be noted that personnel who had a recorded symptom for noise or vibration may have had this on their health record prior to their first Ajax use.

For any service person, use of Ajax will be mixed with other hazardous exposures in Defence, such as load-carriage, fitness tests and noise and vibration exposures from other sources such as small arms fire on ranges or other armoured vehicles. It is also possible that any symptoms may be non-Ajax related. Therefore, although a noise or vibration symptom may have been recorded on the health record since the individual first operated Ajax, it does not mean that the symptom was caused as a direct result of operating on the Ajax platform and could be entirely unrelated.

Of those recorded as using Ajax since the start of the Armoured Cavalry programme between 23 July 2025 and 13 November 2025:

• 25 personnel had a noise symptom recorded on their electronic medical record since they first used Ajax.
• 59 personnel had a vibration symptom recorded on their electronic medical record since they first used Ajax.

The number of personnel with a recorded code for the relevant symptom has been provided. It should be noted that personnel who had a recorded symptom for noise or vibration may have had this on their health record prior to their first Ajax use.

For any service person, use of Ajax will be mixed with other hazardous exposures in Defence, such as load-carriage, fitness tests and noise and vibration exposures from other sources such as small arms fire on ranges or other armoured vehicles. It is also possible that any symptoms may be non-Ajax related. Therefore, although a noise or vibration symptom may have been recorded on the health record since the individual first operated Ajax, it does not mean that the symptom was caused as a direct result of operating on the Ajax platform and could be entirely unrelated.

Of those recorded as using Ajax since the start of the Armoured Cavalry programme between 23 July 2025 and 13 November 2025:

• 25 personnel had a noise symptom recorded on their electronic medical record since they first used Ajax.
• 59 personnel had a vibration symptom recorded on their electronic medical record since they first used Ajax.

Decisions on the NATO qualifying status of these costs will be considered in the usual way, once the Treaty has entered into force.

We cannot release any further information on this matter due to operational security reasons.

As part of its routine responsibilities, UK Defence conducts assessments of the military capabilities of other states including in the Indo-Pacific. To protect operational security and safeguard national defence interests, the results of these assessments are not made public.

Operation Firecrest is intended to include key allies, including the US, Canada and Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) nations. We are continuing to refine with our allies the specific capabilities these will contribute to the deployment, although this information is operationally sensitive and therefore will not be disclosed.

The Government continues to review trends in allied demand for specialised anti‑submarine warfare capabilities as part of its assessment of the evolving and growing undersea threat.

As confirmed in June 2025 when the Ministry of Defence announced our intention to participate in NATO’s nuclear mission, the nuclear weapons allocated to the NATO dual capable aircraft nuclear mission are United States (US) nuclear weapons and the US retains control and custody over them, as the UK does with our own nuclear weapons.

The UK has a strong sovereign shipbuilding industry with a long history of delivering complex vessels for the Royal Navy. This expertise is also recognised by our allies and partners, including the £10 billion strategic partnership deal to export the Type 26 Frigate class to Norway that will be built by BAES on the Clyde. In Rosyth, Babcock Marine recently achieved the simultaneous steel cutting and rolling out of two Type 31 Frigates, highlighting the growing capacity to deliver concurrent builds. The work to recapitalise Harland and Wolff by Navantia is on track to return major naval vessel builds to Belfast.

The Type 26, Type 31 and Fleet Solid Support programmes, coupled with export success, have driven investment in the capacity and capability of our UK shipyards with new infrastructure, panel line technology and the development of our future skilled workforce. This capacity extends to our wider supply chain and to companies like APCL Group and our small and medium shipyards which play a vital role in delivering the Navy’s current and future ambitions. The £20 million Government investment to support the restoration of Inchgreen dry dock on the Clyde also secures additional strategic capacity.

The Shipbuilding and Maritime Technology Action Plan will set out further detail on our future ambitions for the sector and the actions we will take to ensure we sustain and grow capacity, capability and resilience in our UK shipbuilding sector and our wider sovereign supply chain.

The Department has no records of formal engagement with US counterparts or SpektreWorks regarding the Low‑Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS).

HM Naval Base Portsmouth operates on a continuous 24‑hour basis. Appropriate Duty Staff are in place at all times to maintain the safety, security, and operational availability of the site. He will recall from his time as a Defence Minister that for security reasons, the Ministry of Defence does not comment on specific staffing levels or detailed security arrangements at any defence establishment.

Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Review recommendations, including on autonomy, will be prioritised appropriately against the assessed threat picture as part of the future Integrated Force and will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.

The Office of the UK Defence Attache holds no record of the meeting as no formal record of the meeting was produced.

The Type 31 frigate has been designed as a capable, flexible and affordable general-purpose platform that will undertake a wide range of global tasks. The Department routinely assesses the potential merits of adapting Royal Navy (RN) platforms, including Type 31, to respond to evolving operational requirements.

As with all RN platforms, options for incremental upgrades are kept under regular review. For security and operational reasons, the Ministry of Defence does not comment on detailed capability development plans in the public domain.

All recruitment into the UK military is voluntary and no young person under the age of 18 years may join our Armed Forces unless their application is accompanied by the formal written consent of their parent or guardian. We take the duty of care towards all recruits seriously, in particular those under 18 years of age. We have robust, effective, and independently verified safeguards in place to ensure that under-18s are cared for properly.

Service personnel aged under 18 are not deployed on hostile operations outside the UK or on any operations where they could be exposed to hostilities; we have no plans to change that policy. All new recruits, regardless of age, can discharge within their first three to six months of Service. Our policies on under-18s in Service comply with national and international law. In addition to the comprehensive welfare system that is in place for all Service personnel, we remain fully committed to meeting our obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, and have taken steps to bestow special safeguards on young people under the age of 18.

Further, the provision of education and training for 16-year-old school leavers not only provides a route into the Armed Forces that complies with Government education policy and offers a significant foundation for development, but it also enables access to training in literacy and numeracy, as well as enrolment in apprenticeships. Ofsted regularly inspects our care of newly joined young recruits, and we are very proud of the standards we achieve.

The member may wish to visit gov.uk for the full personnel statistics for the Armed Forces:

Quarterly Service personnel statistics: 1 October 2025 - GOV.UK

In 2023 the Government announced a new scheme to allow public authorities to apply for a free portrait of His Majesty to celebrate the new reign. The National Museum of the Royal Navy accepted a portrait for each of its sites which includes the Royal Marines Museum and the Royal Navy Submarine Museum. The Royal Air Force Museum also accepted a portrait of His Majesty the King.

Ballistic Missiles are one of several threat categories that are managed through our Integrated Air and Missile Defence enterprise.

Integrated Air and Missile Defence investments will be prioritised appropriately against the threat as part of the future Integrated Force. Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Review recommendations, including of up to £1 billion on Homeland on Integrated Air and Missile Defence, will be prioritised appropriately against the assessed threat picture as part of the future Integrated Force and will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.

This Labour Government was elected on a promise to renew the nations commitment with those who served – and we are acting.

We've made record investment for our remarkable veterans alongside a landmark new Veterans Strategy celebrating them as a vital national asset. £50 million for VALOUR, £12 million for the Reducing Veteran Homelessness Programme, together with Ops COURAGE, RESTORE, FORTITUDE, ASCEND and NOVA.

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This Labour Government was elected on a promise to renew the nations commitment with those who served – and we are acting.

We've made record investment for our remarkable veterans alongside a landmark new Veterans Strategy celebrating them as a vital national asset. £50 million for VALOUR, £12 million for the Reducing Veteran Homelessness Programme, together with Ops COURAGE, RESTORE, FORTITUDE, ASCEND and NOVA.

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For security reasons, the Ministry of Defence does not comment on specific contracts, staffing levels or detailed security arrangements at any defence establishment.

HM Naval Bases operate on a continuous 24‑hour basis. Appropriate Duty Staff are in place at all times to maintain the safety, security and operational availability of the site.

The Ministry of Defence compiles and submits the return to NATO setting out the UK's core qualifying defence spend. As the return to NATO reflects the UK's position, its contents represent the agreed position across Government, involving other Departments as necessary.

We’re delivering on our Defence Industrial Strategy; we have created the Office for Small Business Growth; we are simplifying defence sector processes under commercial pathways. We aim to make the UK a top location for defence businesses, pledging an extra £2.5 billion spend by 2028 and addressing SME feedback on sector complexity.

The Ministry of Defence takes the security of its personnel, facilities, and operations in Ukraine extremely seriously. We do not comment on specific security matters or incidents, as doing so could compromise operational security and the safety of our personnel.

Defence continues to focus on ensuring its readiness, including for a high-intensity conflict, in line with the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR). The SDR is already being implemented, and the Defence Investment Plan will further shape our priorities to ensure we can continue to meet the threats we face.

The Royal Navy is strengthening its warfighting effectiveness by modernising its fleet, investing in its people, and accelerating adaptation to emerging threats. The First Sea Lord has set out his vision of a Hybrid Navy that combines new high‑end capabilities – such as the Type 26 and Type 31 frigates – with greater use of autonomous and uncrewed systems. These ambitions remain subject to the Defence Investment Plan.

The Strategic Defence Review sets out recommendations to enhance the readiness, agility and lethality of our armed forces, which will be implemented through the Defence Investment Plan, ensuring our Armed Forces have the capabilities to tackle current and future threats alongside our allies and partners.

The size and composition of the Royal Navy are kept under continuous review to ensure the force can meet Defence tasks and operational commitments.

The Resilience Action Plan sets out the Government’s strategic approach to how we will strengthen our domestic resilience and invest to protect the nation. Ministry of Defence officials regularly attend meetings to discuss the implementation of the Resilience Action Plan as well as matters of national security and defence.

The Ministry of Defence is actively contributing to this work, particularly playing a key role within the Cabinet Office-led Home Defence Programme. This is clear from the recent comments by the Chief of the Defence Staff at the Munich Security Conference. Under Defence Reform, the Ministry of Defence have set up dedicated civil servant and military teams to cohere the planning and to input to the Home Defence programme. The work is led from within the Defence Security Policy and Military Strategy Operations and Commitments areas, under DG Security Policy and Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Military Strategy and Operations, working across the Department of State, Military Strategic Headquarters, Defence Nuclear Enterprise and National Armaments Directorate Group. There is a dedicated SCS2 senior civil servant, Director Homeland Defence and Strategic Threats, who with Assistant Chief Defence Staff Military Strategy is cohering the programme across the SCS2/2 star civil servant and military leads delivering different aspect of the programme.

This continues to be an extremely challenging and unsettling time for many across the Middle East. The UK condemns Iran’s role in attempting to draw the region into a wider conflict. Our first priority is to protect British nationals, British interests and our partners. We support action that will help bring a swift resolution to this conflict, and an end to Iran's reckless and escalatory response.

I will not go into operational details but let us be clear, Iran has continued to support Russia in its on-going illegal war on Ukraine including through supplying unmanned aerial systems – like those now being used to target our Middle East partners.

We will continue to do all we can to ensure the protection of United Kingdom and allied personnel in the region

The Minister for Defence Readiness & Industry has been engaging with industry on how the UK can further support partners in the region.

The last government had 14 years to fix Defence family housing and failed, delivering instead record low levels of satisfaction.

We reversed the disastrous privatisation of military housing.

And our landmark £9 billion housing strategy will renew or repair 9 in 10 homes and we are legislating to create a new Defence Housing Service which will put the interests of service personnel first.

We have already rapidly improved military homes transforming 1,000 of the worst homes – ahead of schedule.

Labour has delivered more in eighteen months than the party opposite managed in fourteen years.

The Ministry of Defence manages its official social media channels under strict Governance and security policies, supported by mandatory training, active monitoring and established incident response processes.

As announced by the Prime Minister on 1 March 2026, the Government agreed to a US request to use British bases for specific and limited defensive purposes. A summary of the Government’s legal position associated with this authorisation was published at the same time.

Our relationship with the Republic of Cyprus has never been closer. During the Defence Secretary’s visit to the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) on 5 March, he met with Defence Minister Palmas and the Head of the Cypriot National Guard.

The Defence Secretary has not held discussions with Defence Minister Palmas or other Cypriot Government officials specifically on the sovereignty of the Sovereign Base Areas on the island of Cyprus. The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia are fully sovereign UK territory, established under the 1960 Treaty of Establishment.

The UK remains fully committed to NATO and continues to meet its longstanding obligations through close cooperation and collaboration with Allies across the Alliance. This work strengthens collective security and enhances shared situational awareness, from which the UK also benefits.

The Royal Navy routinely contributes to NATO's Standing Naval Forces, including Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1), as part of the UK's ongoing commitment to Alliance deterrence and defence. The specific dates of UK deployments are subject to operational planning and security considerations, but the UK continues to meet all NATO readiness and force generation requirements.

The Government of the Republic of Cyprus has not made any representations to the Ministry of Defence on the sovereignty of the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia since 1 March 2026.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) keeps its defensive posture in the region under constant review and decisions are made based on operational factors. The deployment of HMS Dragon is in addition to the considerable amount of capability positioned into RAF Akrotiri since January, including hundreds of armed forces personnel, radar, anti-air defence missiles and F35s to defend our bases, people and interests.

The MOD remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of security to safeguard our national defence capabilities.

As the Strategic Defence Review set out, a core role for Defence is the protection of the UK’s overseas territories, which includes maintaining a defensive military posture in the Falkland Islands. We review that posture regularly to ensure it reflects all relevant developments. I am confident that our current military presence in the region is appropriately scaled to ensure the security of the Islands.