We protect the security, independence and interests of our country at home and abroad. We work with our allies and partners whenever possible. Our aim is to ensure that the armed forces have the training, equipment and support necessary for their work, and that we keep within budget.
This inquiry will examine the AUKUS partnership, a trilateral security agreement between Australia, the US and the UK which was …
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
Ministry of Defence does not have Bills currently before Parliament
Ministry of Defence has not passed any Acts during the 2024 Parliament
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.
At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.
Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.
We inherited a retention and recruitment crisis from the last administration and it is the policy of this Government to recover numbers in our Armed Forces and to grow the size of the Army. To deliver this we will be working with the new provider of the tri-service recruitment to deliver improvements in recruitment numbers.
From Full-Service Implementation in 2027, the Armed Forces Recruiting Service (AFRS) will deliver against annual recruitment targets and demand, which will be set by the three Services; the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force, via the Command Recruiting Support Plan (CRSP). The CRSP is generated and approved in conjunction with the single Services with the AFRS contract containing a mechanism to adjust demand during each Recruiting Year.
The Department's performance against its control totals for financial year 20245-25 will be set out in its Annual Report and Accounts, which will be published shortly.
The UK does not categorise nuclear weapon capabilities as either strategic or sub-strategic. The UK and NATO have said that any employment of nuclear weapons against NATO would fundamentally alter the nature of a conflict.
In reference to the Employment Tribunal of Milroy versus Ministry of Defence. The Ministry of Defence did not agree with the judgment of the Employment Tribunal in this matter, and an appeal against the decision was lodged with the Employment Appeals Tribunal. An appeal hearing date has now been set and is due to convene on 4 December 2025. As this is an ongoing legal process we are unable to comment further at this time.
This Government is resetting the relationship with nuclear test veterans and those that support them, and we remain committed to listening to their concerns and working collaboratively to address them.
As of 30 June 2025, officials have reviewed over 43,000 files, including files from the Merlin Database, as part of the exercise that is looking at points raised with me about some Nuclear Test Veterans' medical records.
I will update the House when we are in a position to share the findings of the exercise.
More information can be found in my statement to the House here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-06-30/hcws748
This Government continues to celebrate the stories of our nuclear veterans. Most recently the Universities of South Wales and Liverpool led a Government-funded oral history project which was published in early July.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on the 28 April 2025 to Question 45196.
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-04-08/45196#
The New Medium Helicopter programme is an initiative to acquire a modern medium-lift support helicopter, addressing multiple rotary wing requirements to improve efficiency and operational flexibility.
All capability requirements, including the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) programme, are being considered as part of the Government's Strategic Defence Review and the Defence Investment Plan which is due to be published later in the year. The NMH programme is currently awaiting Government approval which must be allowed to complete before a decision on contract award is made. Whilst this approval process continues, the Ministry of Defence cannot comment further.
The Mk4 warhead components are being disassembled and re-used, recycled or safely disposed of at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Burghfield site, following the transition to the Mk4A warhead in 2023. The cost of disassembling our nuclear warheads and details around the reuse of components are being withheld for national security reasons.
AWE is committed to the safe and secure handling, storage and disposal of radioactive materials, and this activity is regulated by the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency.
The Mk4 warhead components are being disassembled and re-used, recycled or safely disposed of at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Burghfield site, following the transition to the Mk4A warhead in 2023. The cost of disassembling our nuclear warheads and details around the reuse of components are being withheld for national security reasons.
AWE is committed to the safe and secure handling, storage and disposal of radioactive materials, and this activity is regulated by the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency.
26 of the 30 Tranche 1 Typhoon aircraft have been scrapped as of 1 July 2025; this equates to 87% of the Tranche 1 fleet.
The planned out-of-service dates for the RAF's fleet of Typhoon aircraft are given below:
Out of Service
Tranche 1 2027
Tranche 2 2040
Tranche 3 2040
The RAF does not have any Typhoon Tranche 3A aircraft.
The table below details the number of Typhoon aircraft currently in service with the Royal Air Force.
Tranche 1 | Tranche 2 | Tranche 3 |
4 | 67 | 40 |
The Royal Air Force does not have any Tranche 3A Typhoon aircraft.
The final fatigue index of the remaining Typhoon Tranche 1 aircraft remains in line with the response given to Question 19681 on 21 June 2022 to the hon member for Angus (Mr Doogan).
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-06-16/19681
The design, development and manufacture of the Challenger 3 tank is being undertaken by RBSL from its sites in Telford, Shropshire and Washington, Tyne and Wear. Challenger 3 sub-system design and manufacturing, including the fabrication of the turret structure and manufacture of the sighting systems, is being carried out by the wider UK supply chain.
The Establishment Management Plan (EMP) at His Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde does not include actions to monitor and manage any potential discharges of radioactive material into surrounding environments. Its focus is on maintaining safe, secure, and high-quality estate, buildings, and infrastructure. Whilst the EMP is not a nuclear safety document it will be informed by, and take into consideration, regulatory requirements.
While the treatment of radioactive material is outside of the scope of the EMP, I can confirm handling radioactive substances safely and securely at HMNB Clyde are of the utmost importance. HMNB Clyde engages frequently with regulators to ensure it is discharging its responsibilities in compliance with regulations concerning the treatment of radioactive materials. There are extant Defence and independent monitoring programmes in place also.
These projects are not formal projects within a broader programme. It is activity conducted by the Field Army that codifies ‘bottom-up’ efforts to improve how a modernised armoured battlegroup fights, through experimentation and innovation.
Any outputs will inform adjustments to the design of the future Army and how it trains, what equipment it uses and how, optimised structures, and better threat analysis.
These projects are not formal projects within a broader programme. It is activity conducted by the Field Army that codifies ‘bottom-up’ efforts to improve how a modernised armoured battlegroup fights, through experimentation and innovation.
Any outputs will inform adjustments to the design of the future Army and how it trains, what equipment it uses and how, optimised structures, and better threat analysis.
These projects are not formal projects within a broader programme. It is activity conducted by the Field Army that codifies ‘bottom-up’ efforts to improve how a modernised armoured battlegroup fights, through experimentation and innovation.
Any outputs will inform adjustments to the design of the future Army and how it trains, what equipment it uses and how, optimised structures, and better threat analysis.
These projects are not formal projects within a broader programme. It is activity conducted by the Field Army that codifies ‘bottom-up’ efforts to improve how a modernised armoured battlegroup fights, through experimentation and innovation.
Any outputs will inform adjustments to the design of the future Army and how it trains, what equipment it uses and how, optimised structures, and better threat analysis.
These projects are not formal projects within a broader programme. It is activity conducted by the Field Army that codifies ‘bottom-up’ efforts to improve how a modernised armoured battlegroup fights, through experimentation and innovation.
Any outputs will inform adjustments to the design of the future Army and how it trains, what equipment it uses and how, optimised structures, and better threat analysis.
These projects are not formal projects within a broader programme. It is activity conducted by the Field Army that codifies ‘bottom-up’ efforts to improve how a modernised armoured battlegroup fights, through experimentation and innovation.
Any outputs will inform adjustments to the design of the future Army and how it trains, what equipment it uses and how, optimised structures, and better threat analysis.
These projects are not formal projects within a broader programme. It is activity conducted by the Field Army that codifies ‘bottom-up’ efforts to improve how a modernised armoured battlegroup fights, through experimentation and innovation.
Any outputs will inform adjustments to the design of the future Army and how it trains, what equipment it uses and how, optimised structures, and better threat analysis.
These projects are not formal projects within a broader programme. It is activity conducted by the Field Army that codifies ‘bottom-up’ efforts to improve how a modernised armoured battlegroup fights, through experimentation and innovation.
Any outputs will inform adjustments to the design of the future Army and how it trains, what equipment it uses and how, optimised structures, and better threat analysis.
These projects are not formal projects within a broader programme. It is activity conducted by the Field Army that codifies ‘bottom-up’ efforts to improve how a modernised armoured battlegroup fights, through experimentation and innovation.
Any outputs will inform adjustments to the design of the future Army and how it trains, what equipment it uses and how, optimised structures, and better threat analysis.
The current estimate for the costs of infrastructure improvement works at Devonport including the Naval Base and Dockyard are £5 billion. This important activity, which includes works at HMNB Devonport and investment in Devonport Dockyard, will support the Royal Navy’s military outputs for decades to come.
These works include areas of the Nuclear Authorised and Licensed Sites at Devonport and will include the removal, upgrade and replacement of equipment/systems which have been identified as radioactive.
The cost of planned infrastructure upgrades at Rosyth Dockyard are £340 million. The cost includes the requirement to deliver a contingent docking facility for HMS DREADNOUGHT during its sea trial period.
The Submarine Dismantling Project (SDP) includes infrastructure works at Rosyth to enable the removal and processing of all legacy radioactive waste from dismantled submarines. Activity at Rosyth has begun, with HMS Swiftsure being dismantled and a further six decommissioned nuclear submarines awaiting disposal. The above costings include the elements of the SDP that are being undertaken at Rosyth.
93 ARES vehicles have been ordered as part of the Armoured Cavalry Programme.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 66728, which explains that the Army continues to undergo a combined programme of work to ensure our Land Forces will have lethality, protection and mobility to fight and win against any adversary. As part of this programme of work, the Army intends to equip anti-tank platoons with Ajax and Boxer. However, design of the full force structure remains ongoing.
No internal assessment has been made regarding the merits of procuring a mortar-capable variant of ARES.
The Armoured Cavalry Programme plans to deliver a further 55 platforms between July 2025 and December 2025. 182 platforms will be delivered by the end of 2025. A breakdown by variant is provided below.
AJAX | 26 |
ARES | 5 |
APOLLO | 1 |
ATLAS | 10 |
ATHENA | 13 |
ARGUS | 0 |
It is anticipated that a further 110 platforms will be delivered in 2026, with the remaining 297 platforms delivered by 2028.
To ensure alignment to the Army fielding plan and Defence priorities, the variant mix of vehicles is reviewed and agreed annually.
The programme remains on track to deliver all 589 vehicles by September 2029 as contracted.
Where the UK's drone industry can meet Ukraine's drone requirements, the Ministry of Defence sources from UK industry, and this is true of the majority of the spend on drone procurements for Ukraine.
As stated by the Defence Secretary at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on 4 June, where he pledged £350 million investment into drones this financial year, the majority of the spend is with British companies. The proportion of drone spending spent with UK suppliers has varied year on year but this financial year we are on track to spend over 70% through UK suppliers.
Where the UK's drone industry can meet Ukraine's drone requirements, the Ministry of Defence sources from UK industry, and this is true of the majority of the spend on drone procurements for Ukraine.
As stated by the Defence Secretary at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on 4 June, where he pledged £350 million investment into drones this financial year, the majority of the spend is with British companies. The proportion of drone spending spent with UK suppliers has varied year on year but this financial year we are on track to spend over 70% through UK suppliers.
The 2025 Strategic Defence Review described the increasingly demanding threat environments in which UK Defence will operate. The Defence Investment Plan will analyse this changing threat and determine our future mix of 4th and 5th generation combat aircraft, in order to provide the UK the most relevant and capable Combat Air capability. As part of the four Partner-Nation Eurofighter Programme, the UK is committed to upgrades to ensure the Typhoon aircraft remains competitive into the future, including the introduction of the European Common Radar Standard 2 radar.
We take the health and safety of our Service personnel and defence employees extremely seriously and have robust procedures around managing asbestos which comply with Health and Safety regulations.
We are responsible for circa 1,967 sites and each building with confirmed asbestos is listed on the relevant site asbestos register. This data is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation determined what buildings on Ministry of Defence land might potentially contain Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) material based on the period in which they were constructed and their construction type.
Surveys are currently being conducted on all buildings which may have been constructed using RAAC.
The Ministry of Defence is actively prioritising UK businesses and manufacturing through its Defence Industrial Strategy, aiming to boost economic growth and national security. This strategy focuses on supporting domestic businesses, fostering innovation, and enhancing the UK's sovereign defence capabilities, including in the aerospace sector (eg GCAP, Typhoon upgrades).
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 65493 from the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) on 14 July 2025.
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-07-07/65493#
The Strategic Defence Review recognised that the RAF must stay at the leading edge of Combat Air's evolution, through the transition from exclusively crewed Combat Air platforms to a Future Combat Air System (FCAS) with a mix of crewed, uncrewed, and increasingly autonomous platforms, integrated into the UK's digital targeting web.
Both Protector and Stormshroud, the RAF’s first ACP, entered service this year, the latter being an excellent example of how the RAF is taking modernising its approach to autonomous systems, by combining expertise of the RAF, the Governments Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and UK industry.
The RAF are committed to the exploitation of autonomy and other complimentary technologies in a range of systems, delivering effects across the Air domain. The pace of adoption will be facilitated by the Defence Investment Plan, due for publication later this year.
The Ministry of Defence regularly reviews its critical supply chains to identify and mitigate risks to defence capability.
The Department does not procure Chinese manufactured drones for use in operations.
The Department records contract awards based on the administrative address provided in the supplier’s successful tender. However, the actual delivery of goods or services may be carried out by an international parent company. To ensure accurate reporting of economic impact and regional value within the UK, we compile contractual statistics based on the location where the services are delivered.
Between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025, the Department awarded a total of 2,674 contracts, with a combined value of £23 billion. Of these:
The remaining 1,256 contracts, representing £3 billion, are currently undergoing reconciliation to determine the actual location of the supply base.
Journalists are routinely present at events where Ajax is demonstrated and/or discussed. Ajax is currently in the manufacturing and fielding platforms to the Army phase of the programme. Since 1 February 2025, there have been no Ajax-specific events to which to invite journalists.
I responded to the hon. Member’s letter of 1 July 2025 on 29 July 2025. This was within 20 working days of receipt, in accordance with longstanding policy.
We expect to publish the Defence Investment Plan this autumn, before the Christmas recess period.
The Armed Forces Covenant requires organisations to give due regard to the principle that Service personnel and their families should face no disadvantage when developing, delivering, and reviewing policies and decisions that may impact the Armed Forces community. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) remains committed to supporting the Armed Forces community under the Armed Forces Covenant and as announced by the Prime Minister in June, work is currently underway to put the Covenant fully into law. This means that the Legal Duty will apply across 14 broad policy areas, increasing from three, applying also to Central Government, Devolved Governments and at a local level.
The MOD recognises that, while there are challenges in accessing NHS dental care nationally, these difficulties are often exacerbated by the mobile nature of Service life. Defence actively works in close partnership with the NHS and other government departments to address these issues and explore solutions to improve access to essential services for Service families. Families of Service personnel who are currently receiving dental treatment in the UK and are about to be mobilised, or are returning from overseas can contact NHS England at england.armedforceshealth@nhs.net for advice on continuity of care.
The number of Service personnel who have received tax free operational allowance in each of the last five financial years including the financial year 2025-26 to date, can be found in the table below.
Financial Year | Number of Employees |
2020-21 | 5336 |
2021-22 | 5283 |
2022-23 | 3015 |
2023-24 | 2108 |
2024-25 | 2525 |
2025-26 to date | 435 |
Service personnel on deployed operations in the following Specified Operational Locations (SOL) qualify for the payment of Operational Allowance:
Chad (all locations)
Egypt (Sinai only)
Iraq (all locations)
Mali (all locations)
Somalia (all locations)
South Sudan (all locations)
Democratic Republic of Congo (Goma only)
Lebanon (Naquora only) – backdated to 7 Oct 23
Red Sea (within operational areas) – backdated to 19 Oct 23
I am withholding the names of some locations for the purpose of safeguarding national security, as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
The number of Service personnel who have received tax free operational allowance in each of the last five financial years including the financial year 2025-26 to date, can be found in the table below.
Financial Year | Number of Employees |
2020-21 | 5336 |
2021-22 | 5283 |
2022-23 | 3015 |
2023-24 | 2108 |
2024-25 | 2525 |
2025-26 to date | 435 |
Service personnel on deployed operations in the following Specified Operational Locations (SOL) qualify for the payment of Operational Allowance:
Chad (all locations)
Egypt (Sinai only)
Iraq (all locations)
Mali (all locations)
Somalia (all locations)
South Sudan (all locations)
Democratic Republic of Congo (Goma only)
Lebanon (Naquora only) – backdated to 7 Oct 23
Red Sea (within operational areas) – backdated to 19 Oct 23
I am withholding the names of some locations for the purpose of safeguarding national security, as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
The number of Service personnel who have received tax free operational allowance in each of the last five financial years including the financial year 2025-26 to date, can be found in the table below.
Financial Year | Number of Employees |
2020-21 | 5336 |
2021-22 | 5283 |
2022-23 | 3015 |
2023-24 | 2108 |
2024-25 | 2525 |
2025-26 to date | 435 |
Service personnel on deployed operations in the following Specified Operational Locations (SOL) qualify for the payment of Operational Allowance:
Chad (all locations)
Egypt (Sinai only)
Iraq (all locations)
Mali (all locations)
Somalia (all locations)
South Sudan (all locations)
Democratic Republic of Congo (Goma only)
Lebanon (Naquora only) – backdated to 7 Oct 23
Red Sea (within operational areas) – backdated to 19 Oct 23
I am withholding the names of some locations for the purpose of safeguarding national security, as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.