Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government plans to integrate lessons from operational innovation in Ukraine into UK defence procurement and research strategy.

One of the key lessons for the Ministry of Defence from the war in Ukraine is the importance of pace and technical innovation in procurement if our Armed Forces are to retain an edge over, and therefore deter, our adversaries.

Ongoing reforms across the National Armaments Director (NAD) Group are putting these lessons into practice. For example, the new segmented approach to procurement tailors acquisition processes according to the type of capability, supplier and risk involved, speeding delivery. Similarly, the Accelerating Commercial Pathways and Commercial X programmes are reducing the time taken to complete commercial processes and get procurements on contract.

With the creation of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) we have put innovation at the centre of defence procurement. With a ring-fenced budget, UKDI will ensure we are able to quickly acquire the cutting-edge capabilities our Armed Forces need to keep pace with the evolving nature of warfare.