Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to make changes to the headcount of UK staff based at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK is one of the largest contributors of personnel to NATO, underlining our commitment to deterrence and defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area, with personnel deployed over twenty-one countries.
The UK will be increasing its footprint within The International Military Staff based at NATO Headquarters, Brussels by seven posts over the next three years.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK staff were employed at NATO headquarters in Brussels in each of the last five financial years.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
UK Defence personnel posted to NATO’s headquarters in Brussels include members of the Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence Civil Servants. These figures are captured in the table below.
UK Military Staff
NATO HQ Brussels | Financial Year (FY) 2021-22 | FY 2022-23 | FY 2023-24 | FY 2024-25 | FY 2025-26 |
UK Delegation | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 |
International Military Staff (IMS) | 24 | 25 | 26 | 29 | 25 |
Total | 44 | 45 | 46 | 50 | 46* |
* This will increase to 47 in March 26
UK Civilian Staff
NATO HQ Brussels | FY 2021-22 | FY 2022-23 | FY 2023-24 | FY 2024-25 | FY 2025-26 |
UK Delegation | 15 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 12 |
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK and Germany sign £52m contract for cutting-edge artillery, published on 28 December, how many RCH 155 his Department plans to procure.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Department intends to procure one Early Capability Demonstrator under this contract, however the full production contract has yet to be placed. The total number of RCH155 to be procured will be decided upon receipt of full industry costed proposals.
On current plans, enough platforms will be procured to equip three Close Support Artillery Regiments, as a minimum.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK to develop new deep strike ballistic missile for Ukraine, published on 11 January 2026, whether the new missiles will also be manufactured for UK armed forces.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The new ballistic missiles developed under Project NIGHTFALL are intended to provide Ukraine with a long range-punch to counter Russian aggression. All decisions on missile capabilities we are acquiring are made in the Defence Investment Plan which will be published shortly.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what quantum of expenditure was included in UK NATO declared GDP of defence spending arising from VAT receipts in each financial year since 2010.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
It is not possible to provide that information within the time available to answer this question. I will write to the hon. Member shortly with an update and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Declaration of Intent between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, The French Republic and Ukraine relating to the deployment of multinational forces in support of the defence, reconstruction and strategic sustainability of Ukraine, whether he plans to increase military procurement for the (a) Army, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy as a result of the agreement to deploy UK service personnel as part of the Multinational Force Ukraine.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting Ukraine and leading the Coalition of the Willing.
As part of our preparations, we have allocated £200 million to prepare the UK Armed Forces to deploy as part of the Multinational Force Ukraine (MNFU) in the event of a cessation of hostilities. This £200 million will specifically fund preparations for any deployment of the MNFU to upgrade vehicles, communications systems, new counter-drone protection and additional force-protection equipment.