Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what lessons his Department has learned from the war in Ukraine; and what impact that war has had on procurement models.

The UK is learning extensively from Ukraine, particularly the need for a much faster 'learn and adapt' cycle and the ability to analyse real time data to drive rapid changes in capability and tactics though rapid innovation. This continues to inform UK Defence Policy. As such, we are strengthening collaboration between operators, scientists and industry to accelerate our innovation activity to satisfy Defence requirements.

The war in Ukraine has also demonstrated the importance of speed and technical innovation for UK defence procurement. Our new segmented approach to procurement and accelerated commercial pathways, set out in the Strategic Defence Review, will enable us to get programmes onto contract faster. Through UK Defence Innovation, we will accelerate the delivery of cutting-edge, front-line-ready capabilities, enabling the rapid acquisition and integration of available technologies to strengthen military capability and deliver decisive operational advantage on the battlefield.