Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the UK's ability to mount persistent and enduring aerial surveillance of strategically important areas east of the Suez Canal after UK withdrawal from Afghanistan; what assets will be required for this purpose after 2015; and if he will make a statement.

The UK’s military presence east of the Suez Canal is routinely reviewed to ensure that we have the right capabilities to support and achieve our military tasks, such as Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms. UK forces contribute to a variety of counter-terrorism, counter-narcotic and security operations. Redeployment from Afghanistan will allow the reallocation of some of these assets to other priority tasks, which includes ISR support.