Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military exercises the Royal Navy has conducted with the Israeli navy since 2016; and if he will make a statement on the (a) nature and (b) extent of naval military co-operation between the two countries.

The Royal Navy (RN) enjoys a good relationship with the Israeli Navy and conducts routine Defence Engagement activities, including Staff Talks and capability discussions designed to further our mutual understanding and align areas for cooperation.

RN ships have conducted port visits to Israel on five occasions since 1 January 2016, lasting between two and four days. On these occasions the embarked forces conducted routine Defence Engagement activities and small tactical exercises with Israeli Defence Forces.

• HMS DEFENDER - June 2016
• HMS BULWARK - November 2016
• HMS DARING - April 2017
• HMS OCEAN - November 2017
• HMS DUNCAN - May 2018

The last two port visits were conducted under NATO Command, when the RN Ships were Flagships of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2.