Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2026 to question 116103 on NATO Response Force, will UK contributions to the ARF Special Operations Forces element be exclusively under NATO Command or still available for UK operations via the Ministry of Defence.

As with all UK contributions to NATO, the UK retains the ultimate authority over their use, including the option to employ them for national operations if necessary. Any such decision would be taken in close consultation and coordination with NATO.

The UK’s contribution to the ARF Special Operations Component will consist of personnel from the Royal Marines Commando Force, Ranger Regiment, and RAF Elements. For operational security reasons, it would not be appropriate to provide a more detailed breakdown of this future commitment.