Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to recommendation 15 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, how many recommendations he plans to make by October 2025 to help tackle (a) structural, (b) behavioural and (c) leadership barriers to the creation of a more (i) representative and (ii) meritocratic workforce by June 2026.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Raising our Standards has been established by Defence to address structural, behavioural, and leadership barriers. This work is key to operational delivery, recruitment, retention and driving forward an inclusive and safe culture. Raising our Standards has planned initiatives under five pillars: communications and influencing behaviour change, data and analytics, 100% action when tackling unacceptable behaviours, streamlined education and training, and developing world-class leaders.
In response to recommendation 15 of the Strategic Defence Review regarding independent oversight of implementation, Raising our Standards is working to implement a refreshed External Challenge Panel by October 2025.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what balance of (a) airmanship, (b) handling aptitude and (c) capacity his Department will use to stream pilots for Protector as opposed to fast-jet, rotary or multi-engine.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Airmanship, handling aptitude and capacity has been interpreted to be characteristics of an individual pilot.
There is no specific set balance regarding airmanship, handling aptitude, and capacity used when streaming pilots for Protector as opposed to fast jet, rotary wing or multi engine aircraft. This is owing to the number of other factors that the Streaming Boards also need to consider, such as previous experience, performance during each training element, personal preference and the ongoing needs of the Service.
After completion of Elementary Flying Training - a 26:30 flying hour syllabus containing formative and summative assessments in airmanship, handling and capacity - individual trainee performances and military qualities are summarised in their end of course report. The report will also capture attributes such as learning rate, attitude to instruction, previous experience and character. All trainees are reviewed by a Streaming Board – a panel of experienced instructors and professional aviators - to determine the most appropriate pipeline for the next stage of training. This Streaming Board, with representatives from each pipeline (fast-jet, rotary, multi-engine and RPAS), takes into account trainees’ performance during Elementary Flying Training, to make a professional judgement on their suitability for each of the pipelines, including Protector. Having taken account of suitability, the Board will ensure Service needs are met in terms of filling priority training slots from the cohort, while aiming to support personal preference wherever possible.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 31 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what the total cost to the public purse is for establishing the new CyberEM Command.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force (DCEMF) remains in internal planning and design stages, with options presented to Defence but not yet endorsed by Military Strategic Headquarters. Resource and capability decisions are subject to the Defence annual planning cycle and the Defence Investment Plan, which will ultimately shape the design of the DCEMF and the speed, scale, and nature of implementation. I hope that the Hon. Gentleman will understand that until these processes are complete, details such as basing, costs, and workforce mix remain undecided and would be speculative.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the (a) immediate and (b) short-term threat posed to Taiwan by recent Chinese military activity in the region.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence pays close and persistent attention to Chinese military activity and its implications. The UK considers the Taiwan issue one that should be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. We do not support any unilateral attempts to change the status quo. This includes increased Chinese assertiveness towards Taiwan.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Russian use of (a) Kinzhal and (b) Zircon missiles.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Department is aware of and continues to monitor the impact of the Russian use of these and other missile types.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to recommendation 26 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on developing an understanding of the armed forces among young people in schools since 2 June 2025.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the importance of the Department for Education (DfE) in increasing understanding and appreciation of our Armed Forces in young people. Ministers and officials from the MOD have met with colleagues in the DfE and discussed how a formal curriculum could be part of their ongoing curriculum review. Both departments have also discussed the vital work of Cadet Forces in schools, membership of which is proven to help develop self-confidence, teamwork, leadership and resilience in young people. Our ongoing discussions with the DfE are crucial to implementing the Cadet ‘30 in 30’ scheme under which this Government is investing £70 million to add 40,000 new Cadets across the UK by 2030.
The Strategic Defence Review is clear on the need for a whole of society approach to defence and the ongoing relationship between the MOD and the DfE is a key component of that plan. The Armed Forces enjoy good relationships with schools, primarily in terms of engagement to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) curriculum areas but this also extends to careers engagement. The Armed Forces only visit when they have been invited by a school to support activities and such visits cover a range of activities such as career events, citizenship talks, science and maths challenges and exercises.
Regarding the recruitment of young people, it is important to note that the Armed Forces do not target recruitment activity at under-16s, and no visits to schools by the Armed Forces are directly linked to recruitment, other than specific Careers/Jobs Fairs which generally involve a range of employers. While presentations may be given highlighting the careers available in the Armed Forces, no pupil is ever signed up or able to make a commitment to become a recruit in the Armed Forces during the course of a visit.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 122 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published in June 2025, what the total cost to his Department was of establishing the Spectrum Coordination Office.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force (DCEMF) remains in internal planning and design stages, with options presented to Defence but not yet endorsed by Military Strategic Headquarters. Resource and capability decisions are subject to the Defence annual planning cycle and the Defence Investment Plan, which will ultimately shape the design of the DCEMF and the speed, scale, and nature of implementation. I hope that the Hon. Gentleman will understand that until these processes are complete, details such as basing, costs, and workforce mix remain undecided and would be speculative.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 123 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published in June 2025, how many staff will be employed as part of the policy teams within Cyber EM Command.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force (DCEMF) remains in internal planning and design stages, with options presented to Defence but not yet endorsed by Military Strategic Headquarters. Resource and capability decisions are subject to the Defence annual planning cycle and the Defence Investment Plan, which will ultimately shape the design of the DCEMF and the speed, scale, and nature of implementation. I hope that the Hon. Gentleman will understand that until these processes are complete, details such as basing, costs, and workforce mix remain undecided and would be speculative.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 122 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published in June 2025, where the Spectrum Coordination Office will be located.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force (DCEMF) remains in internal planning and design stages, with options presented to Defence but not yet endorsed by Military Strategic Headquarters. Resource and capability decisions are subject to the Defence annual planning cycle and the Defence Investment Plan, which will ultimately shape the design of the DCEMF and the speed, scale, and nature of implementation. I hope that the Hon. Gentleman will understand that until these processes are complete, details such as basing, costs, and workforce mix remain undecided and would be speculative.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 122 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on June 2025, who will lead the Spectrum Coordination Office.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force (DCEMF) remains in internal planning and design stages, with options presented to Defence but not yet endorsed by Military Strategic Headquarters. Resource and capability decisions are subject to the Defence annual planning cycle and the Defence Investment Plan, which will ultimately shape the design of the DCEMF and the speed, scale, and nature of implementation. I hope that the Hon. Gentleman will understand that until these processes are complete, details such as basing, costs, and workforce mix remain undecided and would be speculative.