Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to reviewing defence spending since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
As the Secretary of State for Defence has made clear, Defence spending and our capabilities will be based on the threat picture and to that end we are constantly evaluating our priorities.
Following SR20, Defence spending increased by over £24 billion over the next four years up to 2025: the biggest investment in the UK's Armed Forces since the end of the Cold War.
This commitment cements our position as the second largest Defence spender in NATO, clearly exceeding the 2% of GDP target.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent progress they have made in delivering actions set out in their policy paper Global Britain in a Competitive Age: Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, published on 16 March 2021 and updated on 2 July 2021.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Integrated Review (IR) sets out the vision for a Global Britain in a more competitive age, by integrating foreign, security, defence and development policies. It addressed the unprecedented challenges and geopolitical shifts posed by a deteriorating global security environment.
We believe the Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper hold true, but we are continuing to monitor the situation in Ukraine to ensure our strategic approach remains threat-led and in line with the agile planning and delivery mechanisms developed following the Integrated Review. We will continue to review our capabilities and readiness levels accordingly.
Recent examples of progress delivering on the IR's objectives can be seen respectively through:
(i) Defence's commitment of least £6.6 billion for next generation capabilities and research, especially cyber and space, with investment currently forecasted to surpass this target;
(ii) CSG21's deployment in the Indo-Pacific and the permanent deployment of HMS Tamar and HMS Spey to the Western Pacific, an example of a multilateral deployment of cutting-edge military capabilities focused on developing global partnerships and strengthening existing alliances;
(iii) our response to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, which has shown the UK at its best, united with our allies to deter Russian aggression on NATO's eastern flank;
(iv) from a peak of 5,000 personnel in March 2021 in support of the COVID response, Defence's continued provision of personnel and support across the UK and in support of the Devolved Administrations to manage the pressure on their health services.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist NATO allies in providing military assistance to Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The UK is at the forefront of the international effort in support of Ukraine and was instrumental in the convening of two International Defence Donor Conferences for Ukraine, which included representation from the EU and NATO. Alongside partner nations, the UK established an International Donor Coordination Centre in Stuttgart in February. This plays a leading role in the international community that ensures the military aid to Ukraine is as coordinated and effective as possible. The UK will continue to give military support and is conducting logistics operations to support the delivery of donations from partner nations.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to maintaining, rather than reducing, army size targets since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
There are currently no plans to reverse the decision to reduce the number of regular Army personnel to 73,000. The Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper made clear that we must focus on Defence capability rather than troop numbers in response to changing threats and priorities. The British Army will be more integrated and active, with a whole force of over 100,000 regulars and reservists, to address current and future threats.
We are continuing to monitor the situation globally, including in Ukraine, and, in line with planning and delivery mechanisms developed following the Integrated Review, we will continue to review our capabilities and readiness levels accordingly.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their plan to reduce the army troop size to 72,500 by the year 2025 still remains, as set out in their Defence in a Competitive Age command paper, published on 22 March 2021 and updated on 30 July 2021.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
There are currently no plans to reverse the decision to reduce the number of regular Army personnel to 73,000. The Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper made clear that we must focus on Defence capability rather than troop numbers in response to changing threats and priorities. The British Army will be more integrated and active, with a whole force of over 100,000 regulars and reservists, to address current and future threats.
We are continuing to monitor the situation globally, including in Ukraine, and, in line with planning and delivery mechanisms developed following the Integrated Review, we will continue to review our capabilities and readiness levels accordingly.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government to provide a summary of the military assistance being provided to Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
We are working constantly with the Ukrainian Government to supply defensive military equipment. We have sent over 6,900 anti-tank missiles, including NLAW and Javelin, Air Defence systems including Starstreak anti-air missiles, 1,360 anti structure munitions and 4.5 tonnes of plastic explosives. We have also sent over 200,000 pieces of non-lethal aid including helmets, body armour, range finders and medical equipment to help sustain the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The UK has confirmed substantial funding for military operations and aid to Ukraine. This includes the Prime Minister’s 3 May announcement of funding for electronic warfare equipment, a counter battery radar system, GPS jamming equipment and thousands of night vision devices.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it remains their policy to only provide defensive military assistance to Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The UK intends to continue to provide military aid to Ukraine so that it can defend itself against Russian aggression. This will include forms of lethal and non-lethal equipment; weapons have been provided to the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the understanding that they will be used in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent progress they have made on delivering outstanding Ajax armoured vehicles.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
I refer the Noble Lord to the written statement (HCWS42) made by my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement (Jeremy Quin) in the House of Commons on 19 May 2022.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK armed forces personnel are currently deployed in the UK; and of these, to which local authorities they are deployed.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
As of the 9 December 2021, there were 1,022 personnel deployed on UK resilience tasks. They were deployed to the following locations: Wyton; Edinburgh; Leconfield; Cardiff; London; Aldershot; Manston; Sheerness; Glasgow; Coningsby; Liverpool; Catterick; Inchinnan; and Birmingham.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK armed forces personnel are currently deployed in the UK to deal with the supply chain issues.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
As of 6 December 2021, there were 161 personnel deployed to assist with supply chain challenges. 137 Service personnel were deployed to support the continuity of fuel supplies around the UK. Defence has also provided 24 Defence Driving Examiners to assist the Department for Transport in their effort to enhance the number of tests offered to prospective HGV drivers in Great Britain and as a result generate more HGV drivers to service the UK in the run up to Christmas.