Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the announcement on 19 March 2024 by China's Ministry of Defence of the establishment of the Information Support Force.

On Friday 19 April, the eight-year-old People's Liberation Army (PLA) Strategic Support Force was broken up into three organisations (the Information Support Force, Aerospace Force and Cyberspace Force) as part of China's programme of military modernisation. These three organisations, alongside the pre-existing Joint Logistics Support Force, are now described as the "four arms" of the PLA alongside its "four services" (Ground, Navy, Air Force & Rocket Force).

The UK's Ministry of Defence routinely monitors military developments across the globe as part of its policy and strategy process. This includes developments in China.