Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Cutting-edge drone degree to train military forces of the future unveiled, published on 21 January, whether a drone technology specialist will be a recognised position in the British armed forces.

The New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) is a pilot project that is seeking to fuse civilian and military experience to enhance our collective expertise in uncrewed systems. It is offering twenty places for their new undergraduate drone degree, with 15 places allocated to civilian students and five military personnel, specifically from the Army. The Army will promote the undergraduate drone degree through its routine internal communication channels, while NMITE will lead its own civilian recruitment activity Military personnel who are sponsored by Defence to undertake undergraduate level learning are usually expected to continue serving for the duration of their commitment, so there are no retention specific targets connected to this degree.

All of the career opportunities in the Armed Forces or complimentary organisations will be open to those who complete the NMITE degree. There are also other employment opportunities in Defence including through civil servant employment.

The programme supports the Army’s broader requirement to upskill its workforce in robotics and autonomous systems, informed by lessons from Ukraine. Every unit will require both specialist and generalist personnel able to integrate, adapt and sustain rapidly evolving drone systems. Work is already under way to formalise the role of drone technology specialists across the Army, and the other Services, building on the existing expertise within the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in the Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Group.

The Army is also reviewing its force structure to ensure it has the right balance of personnel with the technical skills needed to operate effectively in an environment where drones play an increasingly central role. This may include the creation of new roles where such specialist skills are essential.

NMITE intends to expand overall student numbers from the second year. The Army plans to continue sponsoring five personnel on the full three-year programme in each remaining year of the current Parliament, while also increasing participation through shorter modular elements.

In the longer term, there is a vision to replicate this model in additional UK locations where there is a strong cluster of military, academia, and the drone industry.