Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 90 of his department’s Defence Industrial Strategy, published 8 September 2025, what progress has been made on streamlining decision-making processes.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

This Government inherited a slow and burdensome procurement system. We have announced a series of changes to speed up procurement. As part of this effort, the Department is streamlining decision making as part of reforms to drive pace and agility into acquisition. Business cases are now considered at a single decision point, removing sequential endorsement and approval points whilst ensuring there remains appropriate rigour in the investment approvals system. Our teams have access to tools that enable proportionate project delivery assurance tailored to their programmes and work to review and improve our tools and assurance processes continues.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, , with reference to page 67 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, to what extent operation planning for enduring deployments at scale takes into account pastoral, practical, and financial support for families.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

The British Armed Forces defines fighting power through three core, mutually supporting components detailed in doctrine (JDP 0-01): the conceptual, the moral, and the physical. Pastoral care, practical and financial support form part of the moral component and is therefore, central to our operational planning.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his proposed timetable is for increasing funding for the total number of Active Reserves by 20%.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

Any funding for increasing the UK's Active Reserve forces will be considered as part of future Spending Reviews.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 68 of the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026. whether the funding for science, innovation and technology from 2030 to 2035 is already factored into his Department's budget.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As set out in the Defence Investment Plan, funding for investments beyond 2029-30 will be set out as part of future Spending Reviews and subsequent budget-setting processes, in the usual way.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide a breakdown of funding sent and allocated to Ukraine.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

In line with the figures for 2022-23 and 2023-24 previously published as part of the NAO’s report into the military support provided to Ukraine, the table below sets out the figures for 2024-25 and 2025-26.

The figures in the Department’s Annual Report and Account for 2025-26 include a further £191 million accountancy adjustment, which has been excluded for clarity.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 88 of his department’s Defence Industrial Strategy, published 8 September 2025, what progress has been made on portfolio driven delivery.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to thanswer I gave on 8 September 2026 to Question 22886.

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-08-28/22886

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many regular personnel there are in the Armed Forces.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

The Department publishes quarterly service personnel statistics at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2026

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 106 of his department’s Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, what steps his Department is taking to maintain reaction systems through which allies can track potential threats together.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

As part of working with other government departments and commercial partners, the Royal Navy is working closely with the Cabinet Office, DSIT, DESNZ, DfT, the Joint Maritime Security Centre (JMSC), industry partners and international allies to strengthen the security and resilience of the UK's undersea infrastructure.

Alongside the continued work with JEF, NATO and international partners to track potential threats, further efforts are focused on clarifying departmental responsibilities, enhancing maritime domain awareness and intelligence sharing, improving cross-Whitehall coordination and developing advanced surveillance and response capabilities through initiatives such as Atlantic Bastion. Within this framework, the Royal Navy is emerging as the lead operational authority for countering state-based threats to UK undersea infrastructure, while supporting wider government and commercial partners responsible for regulation, resilience and recovery.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 92 of his Department’s Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, what progress he has made on exploring options for the protection of CNI in partnership with private-sector and allied operators.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

Defence is continuing to work closely with the Cabinet Office and other Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) Lead Government Departments to deliver the Strategic Defence Review recommendations for a new deal for the protection of CNI.

Defence recognises that effective protection of the UK’s CNI requires close partnership between Government, industry and international allies. Communicating the threat and risk to the private sector is key in ensuring the protection of the UK's CNI and mitigating the impact of any potential hostile activity. Lead Government Departments for the CNI sectors maintain regular engagement with industry, while Government provides advice and support to CNI operators through the expertise of the National Technical Authorities.

We are also working across Government to take a data-driven approach to identifying the CNI most essential to the UK’s ability to sustain and respond to conflict. 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.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on building national resilience since the Strategic Defence Review.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The Government has worked to build national resilience through the Cabinet Office-led Home Defence Programme. This has seen extensive engagement across Government, and with industry experts, academia, devolved administrations, and local partners to improve national preparedness. Across the Home Defence Programme, Defence plays a key role in aligning military and civil coordination and planning, developing the cross-government National Conversation, building the resilience of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), and developing proposals for legislation.

The Defence Investment Plan includes significant investment in new capabilities which will support national resilience. This includes additional funding for Integrated Air and Missile Defence, cyber and electromagnetic services, and space-based capabilities.

Alongside the Government’s commitment to rewriting the War Books, the Government is also preparing a comprehensive exercising and testing programme for Spring 2027, including ALBISTON SHADOW, the largest UK home defence exercise in decades. We will test and exercise those plans both in the UK and with our NATO allies.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what changes have been made to the plans set out in the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, in order to meet the UK's most recent NATO spending commitment.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The Defence Investment Plan (DIP) implements the UK’s ‘NATO First’ approach. It places NATO requirements at the heart of UK capability planning and has been developed to deliver the optimal UK contribution into NATO’s warfighting plans, driving vital transformation of our warfighting approach and modernisation of our Armed forces.

We are prioritising our focus on deterrence and warfighting in the Euro-Atlantic, taking tough decisions to ensure we invest in the best kit for our Armed Forces. We have always met our NATO spending commitments and remain one of the top defence spenders in the Alliance as NATO's third-largest cash spender on defence, based on the latest figures.

As set out in the DIP: The Government has committed to increasing defence spending to 3% of GDP in the next Parliament, with funding and plans to be set out at the next spending review where defence will be the number one priority. Alongside NATO allies, the UK has committed to reach 3.5% of GDP on defence spending by 2035.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies if the Arctic and High North are ice-free by 2040.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The Strategic Defence Review stresses the importance to Defence of the likelihood that the Arctic and High North will be ‘ice-free’ each summer by 2040, and the need for the Armed Forces to be prepared for new geographical realities created by climate change.

The Ministry of Defence is reviewing the numerous implications with a range of allied partners through analysis, strategic wargaming, and capability reviews, including via NATO through contribution to their Climate Change and Sustainability Centre of Excellence.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the level of sub-threshold aggression has changed since the publication of the Strategic Defence Review.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The Government keeps the threat landscape under constant review. The Ministry of Defence works closely with partners across Government to assess threats to the UK and our interests, and to ensure that Defence's posture, capabilities and preparedness remain appropriate to the risks we face.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps is he taking to provide novel ways of entry to the Armed Forces, including to attract people from a wider range of backgrounds.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

Defence is already delivering a range of new and more flexible routes into service designed to widen participation, attract specialist talent and improve access to military careers. These include the Armed Forces Foundation Scheme, the Defence Direct Entry Cyber pathway and the Zig Zag Careers Pathway, alongside wider recruitment reforms to reduce barriers to entry and improve the journey from application to service.

The Armed Forces Foundation Scheme provides a new, paid opportunity for young adults to experience military service, develop valuable life and employability skills, and gain first-hand insight into the work of the Armed Forces. Delivery is already underway, with Royal Navy participants currently in training and Army candidates progressing into Basic Training, whilst the Royal Air Force continues preparations for implementation later this year.

Alongside this, Defence has introduced new pathways to help address skills challenges in areas where there is strong competition from the civilian labour market. The Defence Direct Entry Cyber pathway provides a streamlined route for individuals with existing skills to enter the Armed Forces, while the Zig Zag Careers Pathway supports more flexible routes into service and helps Defence access specialist talent from a broader pool of experience and expertise.

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 Defence running training and education when it cannot be obtained externally at suitable cost and quality.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

The Department does make use of externally provided training and education where this offers the best value and quality, while retaining and developing Defence-delivered provision where military-specific requirements, operational needs or specialist expertise cannot be met externally.

Across the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force, service training remains responsible for delivering domain-specific skills and expertise. Defence is increasing the use of common and joint education where this can be delivered on a “whole force by default” basis. This approach supports interoperability, readiness and the development of a shared warfighting culture across Defence and with NATO.

Army training and education that is primarily military continues to be delivered by military instructors, with a blended model of civilian partnership used as appropriate for other training. Wherever a suitable civilian equivalent exists, Army training and education are aligned with Recognised Qualifications and professional standards, supporting skills development, recruitment and retention, transition into civilian employment and the portability of skills between Defence and wider industry.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 12 of the Strategic Defence review, published on 2 June 2025, what progress his Department has made on the pivot to a new way of war.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The Defence Investment Plan (DIP) outlines how Defence will outpace threats through sustained investment in warfighting readiness, the rapid introduction of new capabilities, and the integration of advanced and emerging technologies across the force. This requires a model of constant innovation and there is therefore no end state for the Integrated Force.

As set out in the DIP, our investments within the Integrated Force have been tailored to include lessons learned from recent and ongoing conflicts, focusing on capabilities that will counter emerging threats to our Armed Forces and the UK. The DIP also secures funding for critical warfighting enabling capabilities, such as our previously underfunded infrastructure and in developing UK Defence Industry capacity. These combined efforts will allow us to deter threats through our warfighting readiness and sustain forces deployed on operations.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on improving signalling of defence requirements to industry.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence is improving how Defence signals future requirements to industry through the Strategic Defence Review, Defence Reform and the Defence Industrial Strategy.

We are providing earlier and clearer demand signals through strengthened market engagement, including working with industry at an earlier stage to discuss capability challenges and desired outcomes before requirements are set.

Through the Defence Industrial Joint Council, Task Force SABRE and new capability development processes, we are testing and embedding new approaches to engagement. The Defence Investment Plan also provides greater transparency on future investment priorities, giving industry more confidence to invest, innovate and build capacity in support of Defence needs.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 106 of his Department's Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, how he plans to achieve the ambition for the Royal Navy to get the mix of high-low capabilities while moving towards a more powerful but cheaper and simpler fleet.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Royal Navy is implementing a Hybrid Navy concept which will integrate crewed, uncrewed and autonomous systems, enabling affordable mass to complement its high-end warfighting capabilities. This will be delivered progressively through experimentation, spiral development and closer integration with industry, ensuring that investment is focused on capabilities that provide the greatest operational effect and value for money.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 53 of his department's Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, what new funding models have been identified to make defence innovators a more attractive proposition for private capital.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Delivering on commitments set out in the SDR, DIS, and the DIP, we will publish a Defence Finance and Investment Strategy later this year to set a clear framework for how Government and responsible private capital can work together in support of security, resilience and growth.

To inform the Strategy, the MOD announced a sprint to explore how private investment can be leveraged to drive innovation and growth across the defence sector. Supported by HM Treasury, the Office for Investment, UK Government Investments, public financial institutions and private investors, the MOD has identified a pipeline of investable opportunities and funding models through which private capital could accelerate priority capabilities.

This work will help establish a long-term framework with clearer priorities, improved routes for investor engagement, and more modern delivery models, which will attract private capital at scale, support defence innovators and supply chains, and strengthen resilience across the UK.

Working with the Defence Investors’ Advisory Group (DIAG) and wider stakeholders, we will ensure that investment opportunities are presented in a detailed form and are suitable for risk, investment and compliance committees for each type of private capital with individual opportunities being taken forward where there is clear value for money for the taxpayer, operational need, and deliverability. This will ensure the DFIS reflects market realities and is capable of unlocking investment at scale.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 50 of his department's Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, what progress has been made by his Department to a) protect digital spend as a no-fail priority and b) embed a culture of constant innovation with a target of minimum annual shift of 10% expenditure from current to next-generation capabilities on its enterprise digital platforms and services.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Defence Investment Plan sets out how the Department is investing to deliver the vision of the Strategic Defence Review, including significant investment in the Digital Backbone, the Digital Targeting Web, artificial intelligence, cyber capabilities and other next-generation technologies.

Work is underway to implement the Review's digital recommendations, including improving oversight of digital expenditure, developing the pan-Defence digital operating model and supporting the continuous improvement of Defence digital services. This will enable the Department to prioritise critical digital investment and progressively replace legacy systems with modern, cross-Defence platforms.

The Department is also developing the arrangements required to measure and assure progress against the target to shift a minimum of 10% of relevant expenditure annually from current to next-generation enterprise digital capabilities.

Progress against the Defence Investment Plan will be reported to Parliament through the Department's annual delivery update.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 56 of his department's Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, what progress his department has made in regularly revisiting key priorities, cutting projects that are not delivering and ensuring headroom in the budget for emerging themes.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The department’s research priorities remain agile, based around responding to the problem set provided by the MSHQ to the National Armaments Director whilst sustaining critical science and technology capabilities required for Defence – and routinely halting projects as circumstances dictate. The NAD Group's move towards a portfolio approach will improve this agility, allowing new work addressing emerging priorities to be commissioned and funding reallocated at greater pace, with an appropriate headroom held at portfolio level.

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 seeding early-stage research.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As part of the NAD Group's move towards a portfolio approach, a greater emphasis on early-stage research is being delivered, allowing it to be commissioned in a simpler manner and with greater linkage to military problems. This complements both the additional £400 million for UK Defence Innovation, and the launch of the Defence Universities Alliance.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 28 of his department's Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, what countries his department considers as emerging middle powers.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The Strategic Defence Review set out the case for transformation, including growing multipolarity and strategic competition, this included the reference to ‘middle powers.’ The Defence Diplomacy Strategy published in March 2026 sets out our intention for UK Defence to be more deliberate, targeted and coherent in deepening its international relationships with allies and partners to support defence and wider foreign policy. However, any detailed assessments beyond this of the United Kingdom's interests, relationships and the international security environment are necessarily classified and held internally within the Ministry of Defence.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 115 of his Department’s Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, what progress he has made on reviewing storage and other standards to remove regulations that place unnecessary constraints on training and impose significant unnecessary cost in the lifecycle of highly expensive weapons.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As recommended by the Strategic Defence Review, Defence is reviewing standards, regulations and processes to remove unnecessary burdens that can constrain delivery, increase costs and slow the development, support and training associated with military capability. This work is focused on simplifying and streamlining requirements, removing duplication and unnecessary process, and clarifying which standards are mandatory, while maintaining appropriate safety, security and operational requirements.

Any changes will be targeted and risk-based, with appropriate governance and assurance. Safety, security and statutory requirements will continue to apply where they are essential to protecting personnel, equipment and operational effectiveness.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 7 of his department’s Defence Industrial Strategy, published 8 September 2025, what progress has been made on supporting members of the Armed Forces and workers in other industries to move into the defence sector.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The £182 million Defence Industry Skills package contains a number of initiatives that can support members of the Armed Forces and workers in other industries to move into the defence sector.

This includes scoping a Defence Skills Passport, which would create a digital record of an individual’s skills that will help to support smoother movement into and within the defence sector. Defence Apprenticeship Units will help those at the mid-career stage to upskill in specific areas relevant to jobs in the defence sector. The Destination Defence campaign, meanwhile, will raise awareness of the breadth of career opportunities within the defence sector.

The MOD continues to work cross-government and with industry to develop and progress these initiatives.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 13 of his department’s Defence Industrial Strategy, published 8 September 2025, how many of the extra 1,000 jobs generated in supply chains have been created.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him to Question 19091 on 2 September 2026.

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-07-15/19091

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 77 of his Department’s Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, what progress he has made on drawing on cross-government and external expertise, especially in academia and industry.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

There are multiple teams across Defence working to deliver this recommendation.

The Secretary of State's Office of Net Assessment and Challenge (SONAC) are leading on co-ordinating the delivery of this outcome. They have conducted an internal review of barriers to engaging expertise, including a survey of nearly 300 officials and national security experts. They are implementing a plan to remove these barriers, including increasing the number of security cleared external experts, increasing the numbers of forums for engagement and improving the way external expertise is integrated into Defence decision making.

Across Defence there are initiatives to cohere and improve engagement with external experts. The Office of the Chief Scientific Advisor, alongside the Growth and Missions team, launched the Defence Universities Alliance in July, connecting 35 universities with the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces to boost defence technology research and specialist skills.

The Defence Nuclear Organisation continues to run the Nuclear Deterrence Fund which supports research that furthers our understanding of nuclear deterrence issues. The fund is designed to stimulate wider UK expertise in the field and to generate a research base to support nuclear deterrence policymaking.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 77 of his Department’s Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, what progress he has made on using impactful but low-cost activities that offer a spread bet against unpredictable future developments by maintaining understanding of partner countries and global complexities.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Strategic Defence Review recognised the value of impactful but low-cost activities. Since the review was released, the Government has published the public summary of the Defence Diplomacy Strategy and is implementing the Strategy across Defence. This includes improving how Defence prioritises and coordinates international activity, alongside continued delivery of high-level engagement, defence education and training, defence exports and technology collaboration.

In addition, The Defence Investment Plan sets out how Defence is implementing the Strategic Defence Review through international partnerships, capability cooperation, military training, intelligence sharing, defence exports and investment in the global Defence Diplomacy network

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 57 of his department's Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, what progress has been made on a pivot to outcomes-based partnerships with start-ups, scale-ups and spinouts.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence is already implementing the Strategic Defence Review commitment to pivot towards outcomes-based partnerships with start-ups, scale-ups and spinouts through the establishment of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI), which launched in July 2025.

UKDI is bringing together Defence innovation activity into a single system focused on solving clearly defined Defence problems and accelerating successful innovations into operational capability.

This approach places greater emphasis on outcomes rather than processes by linking innovators directly to Defence needs, supporting the development of minimum viable capabilities, and ensuring that promising technologies have a clear route to adoption within Defence programmes.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 57 of his department's Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, what anchor partnerships with trusted universities have been made to leverage Government-funded world-class S&T more effectively.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence has launched the Defence Universities Alliance, bringing together 35 universities to strengthen collaboration on research, skills and talent development. This work has been informed by engagement across Government and supports the Department's wider Science, Technology and Innovation ambitions set out in both the Strategic Defence Review and Defence Industrial Strategy.

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.

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.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 10 of his Department’s Defence Industrial Strategy, published 8 September 2025, what progress his Department has made on boosting defence skills across the country by establishing Defence Technical Excellence Colleges.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs) will be specialist training centres for students aged 16 and above that will equip them with the cutting-edge technical skills required for critical defence roles.

In April 2026, we announced five DTECs in England: City College Plymouth, Yeovil College, Rotherham College (RNN Group), Lincoln College, and Blackpool and the Fylde College. These are due to commence operations during the 2026/27 academic year.

As part of their Defence Growth Deals, we have also announced our intention to establish two DTECs in Scotland and one in Wales. We are working with the relevant devolved governments and education authorities to establish these.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 120 of his Department’s Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what progress he has made on changing the CyberEM domain to help achieve a tech-enabled Integrated Force capable of outthinking and outmanoeuvring adversaries.

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 to question 21458 on the 8 September 2026.

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-08-28/21458

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 6 of his Department’s Defence Industrial Strategy, published 8 September 2025, what steps his Department has taken to reduce timescales to get new projects on contract.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question 21463 on 8 September 2026.

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-08-28/21463

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 102 of her Department's Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, whether the National Security Council (Nuclear) committee reviews progress on the national endeavour for delivering the nuclear deterrent at least twice a year.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 April 2026 to Question UIN 125344.

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