theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_182

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on implementing the Future Materials Campus programme. \p Luke Pollard: The Future Materials Campus programme remains in an early phase of its development and we are engaging with industry to support its delivery. The programme is developing a value for money model that utilises modern methods of construction and ensures flexibility to meet future demands of the nuclear deterrent programmes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact for the RAF's F-35B fleet of the reasons for the crash of a USAF F-35A on 28 January 2025. \p Luke Pollard: The RAF has a comprehensive Air Safety Management System, which includes learning from aircraft accident and incidents. As a F-35 Partner Nation, the UK works with the F-35 Joint Program Office to continuously improve F-35 operational effectiveness and safety.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_184

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 133 of his Department's Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 2 June 2025, what progress he has made in implementing the Defence Estate Optimisation programme. \p Luke Pollard: The Defence Estate Optimisation Portfolio was mobilised in 2016 and has completed, or is on construction on 22 projects having disposed of 30 surplus Ministry of Defence sites.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to recommendation 48 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made on revising the flying training arrangements for fast jets. \p Luke Pollard: The RAF continues to implement incremental improvements as part of the continuous review of flying training. These include delivering additional synthetic training devices to RAF Valley and implementing the Combat Edge human performance optimisation programme, both designed to improve pass rates and enhance trainee resilience. Decisions on capabilities will be made in the Defence Investment Plan.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 113 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, how arrangements for fast jet training are inadequate. \p Luke Pollard: The Strategic Defence Review 2025 identified inadequacies in fast jet training arrangements, primarily due to the underperformance of the Hawk T2 aircraft, necessitating the initiation of a replacement programme. This issue, combined with the increased demand for fast jet pilot training following the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, has placed strain on existing training capacity. During this transitional period, the shortfall has been mitigated through outsourcing agreements with allies and partners, utilising their military fast jet training programmes worldwide.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_187

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date did the UK sign the deal with Lockheed-Martin to procure 12 F-35A Lightning II jets. \p Luke Pollard: Negotiations with the Joint Program Office are ongoing. Further information regarding the procurement of the 12 F-35A Lightning aircraft will be communicated in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_188

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing levels of defence exports to Poland to support its East Shield programme. \p Luke Pollard: The UK is committed to supporting Poland to develop its border security in the face of Russian aggression and has considered how to support Poland's East Shield programme in light of this. We continue to work with UK industry to consider and review export opportunities presented by this programme, including ways of increasing prosperity across the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_189

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the proposed Defence Technical Excellence Colleges will be supported in (a) funding, (b) curriculum and (c) student recruitment; what geographical coverage is planned; and what steps he plans to take to ensure skills shortages in the defence industrial base are reduced. \p Luke Pollard: To meet growing demand for a skilled workforce, we have announced a £182 million skills package as part of the Defence Industrial Strategy that will attract, develop and retain a high-skilled, well-paid UK defence workforce both now and into the future. We will work closely with industry on this package including through the newly established Defence Industrial Joint Council.

This funding includes investment in five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges which will be appointed through a fair and transparent application process run by the Department for Education, working with the Ministry of Defence. Defence Technical Excellence Colleges will be recognised for provision of high-quality teaching, curriculum and effective collaboration with local employers. This aims to provide clear pathways into defence sector jobs for learners. All general further education colleges in England will be able to apply, subject to meeting specific eligibility criteria. Further details on the process and criteria will be published in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to recommendation 46 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, what assessment he has made of how a mix of F-35A and B models provide value for money. \p Luke Pollard: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave to Question 64538 on 10 July 2025 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge).

The procurement of 12 F-35A rather than 12 F-35B is expected to deliver a saving of up to 25% per aircraft. Final prices will be identified during contract negotiation.

F-35 Aircraft: Procurement (docx, 16.1KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Sam Carling:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many homes his Department manages; and how many such homes are (a) single units, (b) family units and (c) HMOs. \p Luke Pollard: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) currently manages some 133,000 permanent and temporary Single living Accommodation bedspaces and 47,059 Service Family Accommodation properties across the UK.

The Department does not manage any Houses of multiple occupation (HMO).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_192

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the outcome was of the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Gate 4 programme review of the Mechanised Infantry Programme. \p Luke Pollard: The most recent National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) review outcome of the Mechanised Infantry Programme is reflected in the NISTA 2024-2025 annual report which is published online. The supporting data grades the Mechanised Infantry programme as AMBER.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nista-annual-report-2024-2025
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_193

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which armoured fighting vehicle is part of the Mechanised Infantry Programme. \p Luke Pollard: As published on the British Army website, Boxer is the Armoured Fighting Vehicle being delivered through the Mechanised Infantry Programme.

https://www.army.mod.uk/learn-and-explore/equipment/combat-vehicles/boxer/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to recommendation 23 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, which Ukrainian industries he has identified for potential post-conflict industrial collaboration with Ukraine. \p Luke Pollard: Long term collaboration with Ukraine’s defence industrial base, which has evolved rapidly and become a recognised world leader in innovation and technology adoption, is a priority for the Ministry of Defence. Since Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion, the UK has cooperated closely with Ukraine to deliver capabilities required by its armed forces, while bringing together the best of UK and Ukrainian industry. Trade missions, of which the government has led six into Ukraine, are helping build defence industrial relationships for the near term and for enduring, post-conflict industrial collaboration. Our future cooperation on battlefield technology, announced by the Prime Minister and President Zelenskyy on 23 June, will deepen that collaboration through sharing of data and expertise between the UK and Ukraine, paving the way for our two countries to work long term on jointly-agreed priorities for the benefit of both our nations’ armed forces and defence industries.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_195

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to recommendation 47 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made on augmenting the existing fleet of A400M with (a) more A400M, (b) civilian charter and (c) sponsored service options. \p Luke Pollard: A range of options to meet future air mobility requirements are being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan which will be published in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on making improvements to NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence via the DIAMOND initiative. \p Luke Pollard: Since the signing of the ‘Delivering Integrated Air and Missile Operational Networked Defences’ (DIAMOND) Letter of Intent in Autumn 2024, the UK has led work with the participating nations to agree the focus of the initiative. To complement related NATO-led activity, such as the Modular Ground Based Air Defence High Visibility Project, DIAMOND will consider procedural solutions to enable Day ‘Zero’ air defence integration and interoperability amongst NATO Allied forces.   Through this initiative, the UK seeks to draw on and deepen our long existing partnerships with allies and industry to improve the Surface Based Integrated Air and Missile Defence of Europe. At the beginning of October, we met with participating nations and agreed plans to explore the development of joint synthetic exercise opportunities and a shared understanding of command and control links. The workshops are set to take place before the end of 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 101 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, what progress he has made on establishing a nuclear fuels programme. \p Luke Pollard: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 September 2025 to Question 74105.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to take steps with his international partners to provide unmanned surface vehicles to Ukraine. \p Luke Pollard: The UK and its international partners remain committed to equipping Ukraine with the capabilities it needs to defend its sovereign territory, in line with its priority requirements. This includes the provision of unmanned surface vehicles.

We continue to work closely with the Government of Ukraine to ensure that the support we provide aligns with the evolving tactical demands of the conflict, including through the UK-Germany joint leadership of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with members of the Coalition of the Willing on the potential deployment of troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. \p Al Carns: Operational discussions continue with fellow Multi-National Force Ukraine nations, but we will not be drawn into detail on the specifics of UK Armed Forces deployments at the risk of operational security.

This Government is committed to ensuring our Armed Forces remain ready to respond to all challenges, including deployment to Ukraine.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_200

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the deal to provide Norway with Frigates on Type 23 out of service dates. \p Luke Pollard: The Ministry of Defence welcomes Norway’s defence procurement deal which will see a fleet of Type 26 Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates operate jointly by Britain and Norway in Northern Europe, significantly strengthening NATO’s northern flank.

The Royal Navy is carefully managing the transition from Type 23 to Type 26 and Type 31 frigates, with the Duke Class Type 23s currently due to exit service in 2035. The Royal Navy continuously reviews out of service dates to achieve maximum availability of its’ platforms and ensure that it can meet its’ operational commitments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Iqbal Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what ethical frameworks are in place to guide the (a) development and (b) deployment of AI technologies in defence. \p Luke Pollard: We have a duty to use the best technologies to protect the UK’s interests, and we also have a duty to use these technologies in line with our legal obligations and the values of the public we serve.

All development and deployment of AI in Defence must be legal and responsible. We have set out our Responsible AI policy framework in the Dependable AI JSP 936. This mandates that all AI use cases address specific AI safety, ethical and legal considerations, in line with our five AI ethical principles published in the ‘Ambitious, Safe, Responsible’ policy paper in June 2022.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent in (a) cash terms and (b) constant prices in the UK (i) aircraft and (ii) spacecraft industry in the last 20 years. \p Luke Pollard: Whilst we are unable to separate out “Aircraft” and “Spacecraft”, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) currently publish an annual bulletin on MOD Regional Expenditure with Industry which includes details on MOD’s spending with UK industry in the combined category of “Aircraft and Spacecraft”.

The table below shows this industry spend in both current and constant prices for the last 20 years (2005/06 to 2024/25).

Financial Year

Aircraft and Spacecraft Expenditure at Current Prices (£ million)

Aircraft and Spacecraft Expenditure at Constant 2024/25 Prices (£ million) [note 3]

2005/06

1,730

2,812

2006/07

1,960

3,103

2007/08

2,100

3,246

2008/09 [b] [note 1]

2,480

3,699

2009/10

2,640

3,886

2010/11 [b] [note 2]

2,710

3,915

2011/12 [b] [note 3]

2,430

3,449

2012/13

2,460

3,429

2013/14 [b] [note 4]

2,452

3,353

2014/15

2,235

3,019

2015/16

2,007

2,693

2016/17

1,832

2,403

2017/18

1,719

2,220

2018/19

1,619

2,047

2019/20

1,570

1,940

2020/21 [b] [note 5]

1,612

1,890

2021/22

1,728

2,038

2022/23

2,023

2,229

2023/24

2,205

2,294

2024/25

2,449

2,449

Notes:

[b] signifies a break in series

1 Break in series between 2007/08 and 2008/09. For 2008/09 onwards, industrial groupings are based on Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007 codes. Prior to this, industrial groupings may have used SIC 1992 or SIC 2003 guidelines

2 Break in series between 2009/10 and 2010/11 due to methodology changes, resulting in significant changes in allocation of spending to several industry groupings including that of Aircraft and Spacecraft.

3 Break in series between 2011/12 and 2012/13 due to a reclassification of Resource Account Codes, more extensive exclusion of 'Other Government Organisations' and improvements to processes on SIC code data cleansing.

4 Break in series between 2012/13 and 2013/14 due to methodology changes. Improvements were made to identify expenditure to be excluded as overseas, with Other Government Departments, or related to elements such as pay.

5 Break in series between 2019/20 and 2020/21 due to methodology changes. Direct comparison across the years 2019/20 to 2020/21 should not be made, longer comparisons across the time series should still be valid noting other breaks in series. More details can be found by visiting the background quality report (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-regional-expenditure-statistics-with-industry-202425).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the in-service date is for the Royal Navy’s Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon. \p Luke Pollard: The Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW) requirements will be fulfilled by a “light” and “heavy” capability.

FASGW (Light), also known as Martlet, achieved Initial Operating Capability in October 2021 and has been in operational service with the Royal Navy since then. The programme is progressing towards Full Operating Capability and achievement of this milestone is forecast for December 2025.

FASGW (Heavy), also known as Sea Venom, reached Initial Operating Capability in May 2025 in time to be deployed on Operation HIGHMAST. Full Operating Capability is on-track to be delivered by 2029.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on migrating all users to the new managed print service. \p Luke Pollard: The Migration Phase of the new Managed Print Service is complete. The project has achieved Full Operating Capability.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_205

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made in migrating all SECRET Tier users to the new MODNET platform. \p Luke Pollard: There are currently no plans to migrate SECRET Tier users to a new MODNET platform.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress he has made on migrating official tier users to the new MODNET platform. \p Luke Pollard: 16,000 devices (approx. 8%) have been enrolled to the new MODNET platform as at week commencing 6 October 2025. A site-by-site device migration is currently underway.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the feasibility of participating in the Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile export market. \p Luke Pollard: The Ministry of Defence (MOD), working closely with MBDA UK and the Meteor partner nations, supports the export of the Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile which is a strategically important capability manufactured and assembled in the UK. Currently, Meteor is integrated on the Eurofighter Typhoon, Gripen and Rafale combat air platforms and is operated by/on contract with 14 countries including the UK. The UK and Italy are working to integrate Meteor on F-35, which will be the most widely procured combat air platform in history. Additionally, the MOD is playing a key role in supporting Republic of Korea’s integration of Meteor on to its KF-21 aircraft. This resulted in a significant export sale of Meteor in 2023. All future UK BVRAAM development will be conducted with exportability as a fundamental requirement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the disused (a) Royal Navy bases, (b) Army bases, (c) Royal Air Force bases, and (d) surplus land awaiting disposal. \p Luke Pollard: A list of all Ministry of Defence (MOD) sites that are currently available for purchase can be found on the MOD’s disposals website via gov.uk.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disposal-database-house-of-commons-report
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the resilience of Lancashire-based defence supply chains supporting military aerospace. \p Luke Pollard: The Department recognises supply chains as a foundational priority for Defence and is actively working to de-risk critical vulnerabilities in collaboration with industry. We maintain close working relationships with our suppliers across the United Kingdom, including those based in Lancashire, to ensure resilient, adaptive and collaborative defence supply chains to support our Armed Forces.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 47 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, what recent progress he has made on developing the secret cloud. \p Luke Pollard: A contract has been put in place with Google for the provision of Secret Cloud services to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for at least the next five years.

Security delivered for working people as UK-US ties strengthened with new Google Cloud partnership for classified information sharing - GOV.UK

The capability is being developed jointly by MOD and Google, with workload development and testing carried out over the next six months. The aim is to have the capability available for general use across MOD in 2026.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 47 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, what recent progress he has made on implementing the core digital platform for the warfighter. \p Luke Pollard: The fundamental capabilities of the core common platform set out within the Strategic Defence Review already exist and are being used today; however, they are not at the scale or delivering the integrated and innovative capabilities at the speed required to support the Integrated Force model.

Progress is continuously being made. In September 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement with Palantir (link) which will help the UK military develop the latest digital tools and harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to accelerate decision making, improve targeting and keep the nation safe from evolving threats. A contract with Google was also signed (link) to ensure that MOD has access to the latest technology developed by Google Cloud, including AI, data analytics, and cyber security, and will be used by defence intelligence and national security specialists to share secure information between our partners and outcompete our adversaries.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timeline is for introducing a twice-weekly sitting timetable for the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme Appeal Board. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: The Government recognises the profound impact that historic criminal and Service law had on LGBT veterans and is fully committed to ensuring that all veterans affected by the ban receive the recognition they deserve. The LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS) received a large volume of applications when it opened, and those applicants who are terminally ill, over 80, or in significant financial distress were prioritised. The first payments were issued as planned within 15 weeks of the Scheme going live to these prioritised groups.

Applications are now being processed in date order, and we are recruiting additional staff, to speed up the process. As of 8 September 2025, the FRS had made payments of £8.9 million to 237 applicants.

Due to the low number of appeals received to date (eight in total), there are currently no plans for the FRS Appeal Board to sit twice weekly. Defence will continue to monitor the number of appeals received and will reassess this approach if required, as was done for the Independent Panel which, due to the volume of applications, now sits twice weekly.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Iqbal Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of placing (a) transparency, (b) testing and (c) accountability requirements on private defence contracts for the development of AI systems. \p Luke Pollard: The principal policy framework governing the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) safe and responsible adoption of AI is our published Joint Service Publication Dependable AI JSP 936 which sets out directives on AI safety, ethics, and governance. JSP 936 requires that externally acquired AI systems meet the same standards and give the same level of assurance as AI systems developed within the MOD. Under this framework, and in line with the National Security Strategy, we will look to leverage the UK's vibrant third-party assurance market to enable breadth, scale, and learning from other sectors.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made in completing the Power Improvement Project refit of the Royal Navy Type 45 fleet. \p Luke Pollard: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence (Lord Coaker), on 20 January 2025 to Question number HL3859 in the House of Lords:

Completing the Type 45 Power Improvement Project (PIP) work is dependent on the availability of ships to undertake the upgrade, balanced against the Royal Navy’s (RN) current and future operational commitments.

PIP conversions have been aligned to the routine Class Upkeep cycle, which has been optimised where feasible to accelerate delivery and increase availability. This has enabled an increase in the number of ships undergoing PIP Upkeep in parallel at HM Naval Base Portsmouth, where historically there was only a single Type 45 in Upkeep at any one time. Class availability is now maximised to ensure that the RN has been able to fulfil all its operational commitments.

Type 45 Destroyers: Repairs and Maintenance (docx, 16.3KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the outcome was of the high-altitude uncrewed balloon tests conducted in South Dakota, USA under Project Aether. \p Luke Pollard: The trials in South Dakota were successful and achieved or surpassed all intended test objectives.

The objectives included:
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the full scope is of Project AETHER. \p Luke Pollard: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 September, to Question 76405.

Project AETHER is at the trial phase. Initial planning is underway for a further trial, following the completion of the project first two trials.

Military Aircraft: Procurement (docx, 16.2KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 122 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made on establishing a Spectrum Coordination Office. \p Luke Pollard: A Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Organisation has been designed as part of the 2 star Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force Headquarters. Scope, scale, basing options and timetable are dependent on the outcome of the Defence Investment Plan.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 114 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, what assessment he has made of the opportunities for cost-sharing with NATO Allies in procuring more E-7 Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft. \p Luke Pollard: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question 70763 on 8 September 2025 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge).

Boeing E-7: Procurement (docx, 16.1KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 106 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made in ensuring an always on supply line for shipbuilding. \p Luke Pollard: I refer to the answer provided by the former Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry to the Commons Oral Question 904899 from Graeme Downie MP on 30 June 2025:

'As outlined in the Strategic Defence Review and in the UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, the Government are committed to supporting an "always on" shipbuilding industry by leveraging our buying power through public procurement and seeking to export our capabilities to friendly nations.'

Subsequently the Government has published the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS), which recognises the importance of the British shipbuilding and maritime technology sector. The government will publish a shipbuilding and maritime technology action plan to deliver the commitments in the DIS relating to shipbuilding.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_220

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to recommendation 25 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made on reviewing the principal elements of the Integrated Global Defence Network via the One HMG platform. \p Luke Pollard: The Integrated Global Defence Network (IGDN) is in the initial phase of conducting the recommended review of the principal elements of Defence's Overseas network under the overall guidance of the two military and civilian 2 star directors of the IGDN, with senior engagement across Whitehall to follow.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_221

David Chadwick:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether US nuclear weapons based in the UK are under the sole command of US military authorities. \p Luke Pollard: It remains longstanding UK, US and NATO policy to neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons at any location. US nuclear weapons forward-deployed in Europe remain under US custody and control, in full compliance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_222

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 58 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, what progress he has made in establishing service-agnostic capability portfolios. \p Luke Pollard: The Ministry of Defence is introducing service-agnostic capability portfolios to increase flexibility and drive pace in procurement.

Implementation is underway in the National Armaments Director Group. A phased approach to implementation, aligned with wider defence reforms, will enable learning from pathfinder portfolios to inform subsequent roll out and the maturing of the operating model.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_223

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he willl list the military capability projects within the scope of the Government Major Projects Portfolio. \p Luke Pollard: The latest National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority's Annual Report for the Financial Year ending 31 March 2025 was published on 11 August 2025: NISTA Annual Report 2024-25 - GOV.UK.

This fully digital report lists the full composition of the Government Major Programmes Portfolio by Department, Category and the Delivery Confidence Assessment at that time in the Section 3.3 headline figure suite of tables.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_224

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 117 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of supplanting the SKYNET (a) 6A and (b) 6EC satellite communications programmes with alternatives. \p Luke Pollard: The Ministry of Defence is continually assessing SKYNET’s capabilities against demand and potential threats. SKYNET 6A and the Enduring Capability solutions are considered operationally relevant and will form part of a resilient satellite communications enterprise out to 2040.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_225

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on ensuring that defence requirements are reflected in cross-Government efforts to deliver resilient space-based Positioning, Navigation and Timing systems. \p Luke Pollard: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a longstanding relationship and regular conversation with for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). Staff engagement is regular and pre-dates the Strategic Defence Review.

The MOD engages with colleagues in DSIT and other Government Departments on Positioning, Navigation and Timing spans requirements, capabilities, technical details and policy considerations. This is to ensure coherency between our department's work and wider Government investment plans.

A military officer has been embedded in the DSIT National PNT Office since 2021 to aid this on a day-to-day basis and reflecting the importance of cross-departmental working.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK and Türkiye agree big step towards multi-billion-pound export of Typhoon fighter jets, published on 23 July 2025. what progress he has made on negotiations on a potential deal with Turkey. \p Luke Pollard: We are pleased with the progress that is being made on strengthening our partnership with Türkiye, a valued NATO ally. Negotiations are ongoing and we hope to conclude soon.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_227

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support the development of UK-made drone defence systems to protect critical national infrastructure. \p Al Carns: The UK has procured advanced Counter-Uncrewed Aerial System (C-UAS) capabilities from UK manufacturers which continue to be developed in response to the changing threat.

The MOD regularly engages with subject matter experts, including DASA, DSTL, and UK industry partners, to conduct thematic C-UAS capability challenges. These challenges promote the development of C-UAS systems by British companies.

In the last two years, the MOD has invested in the development of Directed Energy Weapons, the development teams for which are led by UK consortiums.

All C-UAS systems that are currently in use or in development support a range of possible scenarios and user cases, including the protection of critical national infrastructure.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_228

Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 904908 on Defence: Investment, when his Department plans to publish the Defence Investment Plan. \p Luke Pollard: The Defence Investment Plan will be published later this year. It will set out our plans to deliver the recommendations as agreed in the 2025 Strategic Defence Review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_229

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure UK drone defence capabilities are interoperable with NATO systems and frameworks. \p Al Carns: The Defence Uncrewed Design Authority (DUxDA) has delegated authority to fulfil the UK Head of Delegation role at NATO Joint Capability Groups for Uncrewed Systems. This role provides the UK a voice at the NATO Standardisation Agreement (STANAG) fora to influence the development of NATO Standards for Uncrewed Systems (UxS).

The DUxDA has also mapped out all the UK and NATO standards that are applicable to Uncrewed Systems and are developing recommendations that will identify and enforce specific standards are applied to all Uncrewed Systems development moving forward.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_230

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is working with NATO allies to develop (a) joint standards, (b) data sharing and (c) operational protocols for integrated drone defence. \p Al Carns: The UK has contributed to the establishment of the NATO Joint Capability Group for Counter small UAS (C-sUAS), which will ensure that NATO has a coherent and consistent approach to the C-sUAS challenge. In particular, it will focus on: establishing NATO training courses; ensuring common standards for equipment integration; and providing a common lexicon.

To support the integration of equipment across NATO nations, the UK has funded and developed SAPIENT, a common architecture standard that enables interoperability between autonomous sensors and effectors. It has been used operationally, for example, at the recent NATO Summit in The Hague.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_231

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 128 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made on aligning (a) architecture and (b) standards with the (i) defence-wide digital network, (ii) platforms and (iii) services held at above secret. \p Luke Pollard: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not comment on the detail of networks operating at Secret or above for reasons of national security. While the Strategic Defence Review 2025 outlines our ambition to align architecture and standards across defence digital capabilities, it would be inappropriate to disclose specific progress or integration details relating to Secret and Above Secret systems, platforms or services.

In terms of standards, Defence Developer Services (D2S) is a containerised platform hosted on MODCloud which can be used to build, test, and deploy applications that can be a mix of own code, open-source and off-the-shelf solutions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_232

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to recommendation 45 of his Department's Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 2 June 2025, which battalion group of the Parachute Regiment will airborne parachute (a) capability and (b) capacity be focused on. \p Al Carns: Recommendation 45 of the Strategic Defence Review is a planning assumption to inform equipment, training, and workforce readiness. The Battalion Group will be formed from across 16 Air Assault Brigade – predominantly 2 PARA and 3 PARA.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_233

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many fully deployable divisional headquarters does the British Army have. \p Al Carns: The British Army has two deployable divisions: 1 (UK) Division and 3 (UK) Division.

Both have their own divisional headquarters.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_234

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the modernisation of the (a) two divisions and (b) Corps HQ that the British Army provides to NATO’s strategic reserve corps to be completed. \p Al Carns: The delivery of the Army’s modernisation programme is ongoing and subject to review as part of the Defence Investment Plan.

Early steps that have already been made include: the elevation of key capabilities to the Corps level (Engineers, Air Defence, Aviation, Medical, Military Policing); the re-establishment of Armoured Infantry capability for 3 (UK) Division; the establishment of a new Reconnaissance Strike Brigade for 1 (UK) Division. We have also grown capabilities in a number of areas including Counter-Intelligence, Close Support Engineering, and Land Targeting.

The headmark for the delivery of the associated capability modernisation and transformation programmes remains 2035.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_235

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to recommendation 55 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made on establishing a government-wide review of handling processes for intelligence material. \p Al Carns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State (Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry) on 6 September 2025 to question 70782.

Defence: Intelligence Services (docx, 16.2KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 106 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, what recent progress he has made in exploring alternative approaches for the Royal Navy to deliver a (a) balanced and (b) cost-effective fleet. \p Al Carns: The First Sea Lord has outlined a bold new vision for a ‘Hybrid Navy’ as demanded by the Strategic Defence Review. This paradigm shift proposes far greater use of autonomous systems, digitisation, and Artificial Intelligence to create a fleet of crewed and uncrewed systems, increasing the mass and lethality of future Naval Task Groups.

The plan also includes a re-imagined industrial and organisational model to accelerate delivery of cutting-edge technology to the frontline, supporting both operational advantage and UK industry. These proposals are being considered alongside other requirements as part of the Defence Investment Plan.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-17 conversation_237

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 22 of the National Security Strategy 2025, CP 1338, published on 24 June 2025, what changes have been made to Royal Navy rules of engagement to track vessels suspected of (a) spying and (b) sabotage. \p Al Carns: The Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defence continuously assess its Rules of Engagement to ensure our Armed Forces can act appropriately against malign activities and future threats.

For reasons of national security, I am not able to disclose specific rules of engagement, nor can I indicate when a review of our profiles was conducted and any potential changes that followed.