Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comments by Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, that there is a likely future scenario where the oceans are “effectively transparent and submarines are no longer allowed to hide”.

We recognise that there are increasing threats to maritime security, including the underwater battlespace, from technological change and the proliferation of advanced capabilities. Assessments of these threats directly inform how we pursue technological advancements across all domains, including in the way we design, build and operate our submarines, to ensure the effectiveness of our capabilities in complex and challenging environments.