Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of lethal drones and their commitment to the rule of law internationally.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Government's policy is to defend the UK and its citizens against threats to their security. In implementing that policy the Government may draw on a wide range of tools, including, in extremis, the use of military force to remove such threats when there is no other effective option. If the Government does resort to the use of military force then it will act in accordance with the requirements of applicable international law and we expect others to do likewise. This applies equally to Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems or 'drones' as it does to any other military asset or weapon. All UK weapon systems are reviewed to ensure their compliance with international law.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that UK personnel at Royal Air Force Menwith Hill are not directly or indirectly involved in drone activation including of Ghost Hunter, Ghost Wolf and other surveillance tools operated by United States service personnel.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
In accordance with long standing policy we do not comment on the details of the activities carried out at RAF Menwith Hill in providing intelligence support.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of governments that are, or are almost, able to mobilise new weapons systems capable of operating without meaningful human control; how soon they expect the UK will be able to deploy such systems; and what steps they are taking to secure international controls of such systems.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
UK policy is that the operation of weapon systems will always be under human control as an absolute guarantee of oversight and authority for weapons release - no UK weapons systems currently in development will be capable of attacking targets without human control and input. Officials from Her Majesty's Government are closely involved in international discussions on autonomy at the United Nations to ensure that developments occur responsibly and in line with international law.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Commanding Officers of nuclear submarines have access to a military lawyer about the law of armed conflict.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
All Service personnel, including Commanding Officers of ballistic missile submarines, receive training on the law of armed conflict (LOAC), including during initial basic training phases, staff courses and promotion courses. Personnel are also required to undertake annual LOAC training to agreed standards.
Her Majesty's Government, which receives legal advice, is clear that the use of nuclear weapons - like all weapons - would be subject to the requirements of the LOAC. Only the Prime Minister can authorise the firing of nuclear weapons and the Commanding Officer of the ballistic missile submarine must confirm that the authorisation to fire meets the rigorous authentication processes in place.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what distinction, if any, they draw between deterrence and preparedness to fight a nuclear war in (1) determining the UK’s nuclear weapons capability, and (2) assessing the nuclear weapons capability of other states; and whether the UK nuclear weapons strategy is based on deterrence or on preparedness to fight a nuclear war.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Nuclear war means deterrence has failed. The primary role of the Armed Forces is to deter: our nuclear deterrent sits at the apex of UK deterrence strategy, delivered through Continuous at Sea Deterrence which provides an invulnerable second-strike capability. We will continue to keep our nuclear posture under constant review in light of the international security environment and the actions of potential adversaries.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the new Russian nuclear weapons announced in the speech by President Putin to the Russian Federal Assembly on 1 March; and to what degree their introduction alters the strategic military balance in Europe.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
We regret that the Kremlin's focus is not working for strategic stability, but this announcement demonstrates why the UK cannot relax its guard. We remain completely confident in our minimum, credible, independent nuclear deterrent. We will continue to keep our nuclear posture under review in the light of the international security environment and the actions of all potential adversaries.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the implications of the US nuclear posture review for UK nuclear weapons and deterrence policy.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The UK welcomes the US Nuclear Posture Review which is largely a continuation of their current policy and posture. We remain confident we have a credible and capable nuclear deterrent.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the two new low-yield nuclear weapons, submarine-launched cruise missile and submarine-launched ballistic missile, contained within the US nuclear posture review; and what are the implications of the introduction of those weapons for NATO security and strategic stability with Russia.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The US Nuclear Posture Review reflects the worsening security situation in the world. It seeks to ensure a credible and capable deterrence against the threats we face. The review also makes clear that the US decision to modify a small number of existing warheads to provide a low yield option and, in the longer term, to pursue a new sea-launched cruise missile, are intended to enhance deterrence and to counter perception of an exploitable gap in US capabilities. NATO will remain a nuclear alliance for as long as nuclear weapons exist.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of (1) the effect of the US nuclear posture review plans to "strengthen the integration of nuclear and non-nuclear military planning", and (2) how those plans will affect UK nuclear planning with NATO.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The UK welcomes the recent US Nuclear Posture Review which is largely a continuation of current policy, whilst recognising the reality of the changed security environment since the last review in 2010. Crucially, it reaffirms the continued US commitment to Euro-Atlantic security through NATO. The US review does not affect the UK's continued nuclear deterrent commitment to NATO, nor does it impact on our support to NATO's planning processes.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between morale and overstretched resources in the armed services; and what steps they intend to take to remedy this situation.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The management of morale in the Armed Forces is a high priority for Defence. The Department seeks to measure morale in a robust, consistent and scientific manner, through forums such as the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey. Morale is influenced by many variables and the Department has made no specific assessment of a relationship with resourcing.
We have launched the Armed Forces Families Strategy and the Armed Forces Covenant to improve the Service Offer and lived experience of Service personnel.
We are also developing a number of other initiatives under the Armed Forces People Programme which is focused on modernising the employment offer for Service personnel to allow us to attract and retain the right mix of people and skills.