Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 17 of his department's Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, in what way UK Defence is delivering for the UK economy; and in what way UK defence is delivering for the warfighter.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Investment Plan will see £298 billion invested over four years and is transforming the Armed Forces through investment in autonomy, artificial intelligence, munitions, the Digital Targeting Web and modernised maritime, land and air capabilities. This ensures our people have the technology, equipment and operational advantage needed to deter threats and, if required, fight and win.
For the Royal Navy, this includes investment in a New Hybrid Navy, combining conventional platforms with autonomous and uncrewed systems. Investment in new frigates, support ships, autonomous vessels and critical underwater infrastructure protection will support British industry and skilled employment while increasing the Navy's lethality, resilience and ability to operate alongside NATO allies.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 110 of his Department’s Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, what progress he has made on using advanced simulation for training.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Army continues to make progress in the use of advanced simulation to support training. Over the past 12 months, advanced simulation has been increasingly integrated into collective training exercises, helping to provide wider Brigade or Divisional context for training audiences.
This approach also supports validation activity by allowing units to train in a broader operational setting. Elements of individual training are also increasingly delivered in simulated environments, helping to keep training aligned with current equipment, tactics and real-world threats.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made since the publication of the Strategic Defence Review in reforming training and education.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
Since the publication of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) work on the Whole Force by default training and education is progressing across a number of strands. This includes the strategic work around the Pan Defence Skills Framework (PDSF) launched in March 2026 which aims to ensure that skills are transferable across Defence, allowing improved workforce management, as well as helping individuals to better shape their careers. PDSF is the first skills framework spanning military personnel and civil servants. The framework provides a common approach to defining, recording and validating skills, creating greater visibility of workforce capability across Defence and supporting a more integrated, whole force approach to workforce planning, training and career development. A key enabler is Defence-wide onboarding to the framework, which is continuing through to spring 2027.
Further work is continuing to look at areas of training and education to consider Whole Force and integrated training solutions that will improve productivity and increase efficiency. Areas that are currently being reviewed include Defence Engineering training, supporting the development of science, technology, engineering and mathematic skills across Defence, which in the longer term also addresses broader skills shortfalls across society. Further areas under consideration include the training and education of our Reserve Forces, and the outcome will inform future work.
In line with wider Defence Reform transformation introduced in April 2026, significant reform of Defence training and education has taken place. Defence has established clear responsibilities and authorities for training and education within the Military Strategic Headquarters (MSHQ), supported by new governance structures designed to improve decision-making and coherency across Defence. As part of the clarification of ownership, the MSHQ is in the process of writing a new Defence Training and Education Strategy, and supporting plan, that will provide a vision centred around improving adaptability, driving integration and enabling readiness through reform of training and education across Defence.
As a result of these changes, the lived experience of our sailors, soldiers, and aviators have been impacted by reform in several areas. One example is in the Defence Accreditation Review which is piloting AI-supported tools to help expand opportunities for Defence personnel to gain recognised civilian qualifications from their military training.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 69 of his Department's Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what progress his Department has made on rolling out the Pan-Defence Skills Framework.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
Since the publication of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) work on the Whole Force by default training and education is progressing across a number of strands. This includes the strategic work around the Pan Defence Skills Framework (PDSF) launched in March 2026 which aims to ensure that skills are transferable across Defence, allowing improved workforce management, as well as helping individuals to better shape their careers. PDSF is the first skills framework spanning military personnel and civil servants. The framework provides a common approach to defining, recording and validating skills, creating greater visibility of workforce capability across Defence and supporting a more integrated, whole force approach to workforce planning, training and career development. A key enabler is Defence-wide onboarding to the framework, which is continuing through to spring 2027.
Further work is continuing to look at areas of training and education to consider Whole Force and integrated training solutions that will improve productivity and increase efficiency. Areas that are currently being reviewed include Defence Engineering training, supporting the development of science, technology, engineering and mathematic skills across Defence, which in the longer term also addresses broader skills shortfalls across society. Further areas under consideration include the training and education of our Reserve Forces, and the outcome will inform future work.
In line with wider Defence Reform transformation introduced in April 2026, significant reform of Defence training and education has taken place. Defence has established clear responsibilities and authorities for training and education within the Military Strategic Headquarters (MSHQ), supported by new governance structures designed to improve decision-making and coherency across Defence. As part of the clarification of ownership, the MSHQ is in the process of writing a new Defence Training and Education Strategy, and supporting plan, that will provide a vision centred around improving adaptability, driving integration and enabling readiness through reform of training and education across Defence.
As a result of these changes, the lived experience of our sailors, soldiers, and aviators have been impacted by reform in several areas. One example is in the Defence Accreditation Review which is piloting AI-supported tools to help expand opportunities for Defence personnel to gain recognised civilian qualifications from their military training.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 68 of his Department's Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what progress his Department has made on whole force by default training.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
Since the publication of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) work on the Whole Force by default training and education is progressing across a number of strands. This includes the strategic work around the Pan Defence Skills Framework (PDSF) launched in March 2026 which aims to ensure that skills are transferable across Defence, allowing improved workforce management, as well as helping individuals to better shape their careers. PDSF is the first skills framework spanning military personnel and civil servants. The framework provides a common approach to defining, recording and validating skills, creating greater visibility of workforce capability across Defence and supporting a more integrated, whole force approach to workforce planning, training and career development. A key enabler is Defence-wide onboarding to the framework, which is continuing through to spring 2027.
Further work is continuing to look at areas of training and education to consider Whole Force and integrated training solutions that will improve productivity and increase efficiency. Areas that are currently being reviewed include Defence Engineering training, supporting the development of science, technology, engineering and mathematic skills across Defence, which in the longer term also addresses broader skills shortfalls across society. Further areas under consideration include the training and education of our Reserve Forces, and the outcome will inform future work.
In line with wider Defence Reform transformation introduced in April 2026, significant reform of Defence training and education has taken place. Defence has established clear responsibilities and authorities for training and education within the Military Strategic Headquarters (MSHQ), supported by new governance structures designed to improve decision-making and coherency across Defence. As part of the clarification of ownership, the MSHQ is in the process of writing a new Defence Training and Education Strategy, and supporting plan, that will provide a vision centred around improving adaptability, driving integration and enabling readiness through reform of training and education across Defence.
As a result of these changes, the lived experience of our sailors, soldiers, and aviators have been impacted by reform in several areas. One example is in the Defence Accreditation Review which is piloting AI-supported tools to help expand opportunities for Defence personnel to gain recognised civilian qualifications from their military training.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 90 of his Department's Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, what steps he has taken to provide additional capabilities for the protection of bases and CNI in the event of (a) crisis and (b) conflict.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Strategic Defence Review committed to strengthening the protection of Defence bases and Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) in crisis and conflict. Defence is investing an additional £470 million to improve the security of military sites in the UK. This is supportive of broader home defence planning to ensure the resilience of the UK’s most important CNI. By contributing Defence data to the Cabinet Office's CNI Knowledge Base, we are fulfilling the commitments set out in the Resilience Action Plan and improving our understanding of the infrastructure, dependencies and vulnerabilities that would be most critical in a conflict scenario.
This analysis is informing our Home Defence planning by ensuring that we align Defence resources and capabilities to the protection of the most important infrastructure against a broad spectrum of threats, from hybrid activity through to conventional conflict. It will also help to identify what Defence could contribute to support the protection of other priority CNI that is essential to the functioning of the country.
Through the Defence Investment Plan and the wider Home Defence Programme, we are also investing in capabilities including Integrated Air and Missile Defence. Defence is investing £240 million in Project PRESAGIUM, an enhanced counter-drone system, providing effective detection and defeat of emerging drone threats. We are growing and equipping the Reserves to support Homeland Defence tasks and enhancing capabilities to protect critical underwater infrastructure. Our Integrated Air and Missile Defence capabilities will be prioritised against the assessed threat as part of the future Integrated Force.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 68 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what steps is his Department taking to lead on joint force doctrine within NATO.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Strategic Defence Review noted that the United Kingdom already does more than any other NATO ally to develop and maintain joint doctrine. The UK is currently the custodian for 20% of NATO’s joint doctrine. The Ministry of Defence remains committed to maintaining its influence and continues to actively support the development of joint doctrine within NATO. Through fostering consensus and promoting agreed standardisation, the Department is enhancing interoperability across the Alliance.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on increasing the UKs options for threatening retaliation since the publication of the Strategic Defence Review.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 8 September 2026 to the member for Huntingdon to Question 22869.
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-08-28/22869