Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of deploying military personnel to support the Fire Service in wildfire fighting capability.

Through Military Aid to the Civil Authorities, Defence can bolster civilian responders and help protect communities. Deploying military personnel can give Fire and Rescue Services additional capacity to carry out general duties, logistics and transport tasks when the Fire Service are under significant pressure.

In August 2026, Defence deployed 200 Service personnel to support South West Wales Fire and Rescue Service. This included transporting water and clearing vegetation, allowing firefighters to focus their efforts on containing and extinguishing the fire.