Oral Answers to Questions

James Sunderland Excerpts

Monday 28th March 2022 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[James Sunderland (Bracknell) (Con)]

1. What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Army’s Future Soldier programme.

[Douglas Ross (Moray) (Con)]

20. What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Army’s Future Soldier programme.

[The Minister for the Armed Forces (James Heappey)]

Future Soldier will see the largest transformation of the British Army in more than 20 years. This change, which is only just beginning, will create an Army that is more integrated, agile and lethal; a modern force fit to face up to current and future threats.

[James Sunderland]

Can the Minister please assure me that the Army Future Soldier programme will keep pace with any emerging doctrinal lessons from Ukraine, and that the British Army will be structured and equipped to meet associated threats?

[James Heappey]

I certainly can. The integrated review was based on operational analysis of the land campaigns in northern Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh. We are keenly watching the operational analysis as it comes in with regard to what is going on in Ukraine. At the moment, I think we would reflect that the nature of the land battle is exactly as we expected it to be, but clearly if the threat changes, the policy changes.