Ministry of Defence

The current commitment of £405 million funds delivery and manufacture of Sea Viper Capability One and the assessment phase of Capability Two. As of 13 April 2026, the project has spent £218.6 million. The cost of delivering and manufacturing the Capability Two upgrade will be negotiated in due course.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to publishing an annual SME Action Plan as a key element of Defence’s work to improve opportunities for SMEs.

On current plans, the MOD’s full annual SME action plan, including direct spending target will not be published concurrently with the Defence Investment Plan. The action plan which will include a spending target are currently forecast to be published in the second quarter of 2026.

The Ministry of Defence regularly assesses risks across defence‑adjacent supply chains, including those associated with connectivity‑enabled components. Any use of Cellular IoT technology is subject to proportionate security and assurance arrangements, with risks considered on a case‑by‑case basis in order to safeguard Defence and national security interests. In parallel, the Department supports onshoring and the development of assured supply chains to strengthen the resilience of both defence and wider civilian supply chains.

I refer the noble Lady to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Veterans and People (Louise Sandher-Jones), in the House of Commons on 3 March 2026 to the hon. Member for Lewes (James MacCleary) in response to Question 115299.

James MacCleary

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has assessed the adequacy of National Minimum Wage compliance for Royal Fleet Auxiliary roles.115299

Answer

Louise Sandher-Jones

Royal Fleet Auxillary salaries are benchmarked against comparable roles across the wider maritime industry to ensure competitiveness and reflect market conditions. Constructive pay discussions with the Maritime Trade Unions are ongoing, focused on supporting retention and delivering a modern, growing organisation capable of meeting current and future defence tasking.

Royal Navy units continue to work closely with their Norwegian counterparts to ensure both nations operate seamlessly together in protecting shared security interests. For more information, I refer the hon. Member to the following Royal Navy and Government press releases:

https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news/2026/march/25/20260325-joint-commando-craft-rfi

UK and Norway to operate together to counter Russian undersea threat through major new defence agreement - GOV.UK

UK steps up defence of Arctic and High North from rising Russian threats - GOV.UK

Boost for UK Growth and Security as Norway Selects UK Warships in £10 billion partnership - GOV.UK

In line with the Humble Address motion agreed on 4 February, any information regarding Mr Mandelson's appointment to, employment in, and withdrawal from, his posting as His Majesty's Ambassador to the United States will be published according to the process and provisions set out in the motion.

The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) remains a key element of His Majesty’s Government’s approach to enhancing security and resilience across the North Atlantic and North Sea regions. The JEF, comprising the United Kingdom and nine like-minded Northern European nations, is designed to respond rapidly to a range of contingencies, including the protection of critical infrastructure such as undersea cables and pipelines, complementary to NATO.

Securing the safe operation of undersea cables and pipelines is a priority given their vital role in national security, economic stability, and communications. The Ministry of Defence, in close coordination with the JEF partner nations, is developing and refining operational concepts that include maritime domain awareness, intelligence sharing, and rapid deployment capabilities to deter and respond to threats against these assets.

In January 2025, following reported damage to a major undersea cable in the Baltic Sea, the JEF activated an advanced UK-led reaction system, known as Nordic Warden, to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and monitor the Russian shadow fleet. This was subsequently handed over to NATO under their Baltic Sentry initiative.

The Government remains committed to enhancing the JEF’s capabilities to meet emerging challenges in its area of interest, including the protection of undersea infrastructure in the Atlantic and North Sea.

In summary, while the JEF is not solely dedicated to undersea cable and pipeline security, it forms a component of the UK’s broader strategy to safeguard these essential assets through multinational cooperation, rapid response, and integrated maritime security operations in support of NATO.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary remains essential in supporting operations alongside the Royal Navy and our global allies. They continue to meet their operational commitments, and we are dedicated to resolving this dispute through ongoing dialogue with their trade unions.

The Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy prioritises building a more resilient UK industrial base. This includes strengthening critical supply chains that underpin defence, to ensure the delivery of critical defence outputs and to keep the UK safe and secure.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is actively engaged in de-risking critical defence supply chain vulnerabilities, working collaboratively with industry and our international partners to mitigate risks by better understanding our dependencies on a range of critical raw materials, including chemicals, used in the manufacturing of equipment for our Armed Forces.

We monitor threats to critical pinch points in our supply chains, including the potential impact of the Iran war, to enable us to make informed decisions around how and if to intervene.

MOD is actively engaged in the cross-government response to the Iran conflict and is continually assessing the potential impact on defence supply chains, particularly around fuel price increases and shipping disruption. Currently, the MOD assesses there has been no significant impact on the ability of the UK to manufacture defence equipment, but this will be kept under close review if the conflict continues.

The Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy prioritises building a more resilient UK industrial base. This includes strengthening critical supply chains that underpin defence, to ensure the delivery of critical defence outputs and to keep the UK safe and secure.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is actively engaged in de-risking critical defence supply chain vulnerabilities, working collaboratively with industry and our international partners to mitigate risks by better understanding our dependencies on a range of critical raw materials, including chemicals, used in the manufacturing of equipment for our Armed Forces.

We monitor threats to critical pinch points in our supply chains, including the potential impact of the Iran war, to enable us to make informed decisions around how and if to intervene.

MOD is actively engaged in the cross-government response to the Iran conflict and is continually assessing the potential impact on defence supply chains, particularly around fuel price increases and shipping disruption. Currently, the MOD assesses there has been no significant impact on the ability of the UK to manufacture defence equipment, but this will be kept under close review if the conflict continues.

The UK recognises the importance of ensuring resilience and choice across our most critical of military capabilities. This reflects the approach to long term national security set out in the Strategic Defence Review: ensuring we are integrated into NATO force structures by design, but capable of acting as an integrated sovereign force when needed.

The UK continues to invest in sovereign capabilities where they are operationally essential. For example, we are renewing our secure, sovereign satellite communications capability through the SKYNET 6 programme. The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) will also deliver a sixth-generation combat air capability in partnership with Italy and Japan.

The forthcoming Defence Investment Plan will set out how the UK will deliver the ambition of the Strategic Defence Review, including where targeted investments are required to strengthen strategic autonomy. This includes consideration of enabling capabilities such as munitions stockpiles, cyber resilience, space assets, and critical industrial capacity.

The UK recognises the importance of ensuring resilience and choice across our most critical of military capabilities. This reflects the approach to long term national security set out in the Strategic Defence Review: ensuring we are integrated into NATO force structures by design, but capable of acting as an integrated sovereign force when needed.

The UK continues to invest in sovereign capabilities where they are operationally essential. For example, we are renewing our secure, sovereign satellite communications capability through the SKYNET 6 programme. The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) will also deliver a sixth-generation combat air capability in partnership with Italy and Japan.

The forthcoming Defence Investment Plan will set out how the UK will deliver the ambition of the Strategic Defence Review, including where targeted investments are required to strengthen strategic autonomy. This includes consideration of enabling capabilities such as munitions stockpiles, cyber resilience, space assets, and critical industrial capacity.

NATO publishes defence expenditure figures for its members. As he will know figures for NATO members' defence spending for 2026-27 have not yet been published.

In line with the Humble Address motion agreed on 4 February, any information regarding Mr Mandelson's appointment to, employment in, and withdrawal from, his posting as His Majesty's Ambassador to the United States will be published according to the process and provisions set out in the motion.

Working with suppliers, Defence applies rigorous commercial procurement, assurance, and governance processes to procure and deploy cutting edge AI technology, in accordance with our legal obligations and our published Ethical Principles. Engagement with industry is conducted solely within agreed contractual arrangements; the Department does not compel companies outside of contracts. The Department explicitly rules out the development or use of autonomous capabilities which operate without context appropriate human involvement and conducts only lawful and proportionate surveillance.

As part of routine financial management, the Ministry of Defence continues to allocate resources effectively to meet departmental and operational priorities.

The Department's final position for 2025-26 will be set out in the Annual Report and Accounts.

As the Secretary of State for Defence has previously set out, Lord Mandelson had no influence or involvement in the Defence Enterprise Agreement with Palantir. Based on the information held by the Ministry of Defence, the Department is not aware of any communications sent by Lord Mandelson in relation to the contract with Palantir.

The UK Armed Forces already accept applications from some nationalities if they are a dual national of a permitted nationality.

Eligible applicants must be either a British Citizen, British Overseas Citizen, British Overseas Territory Citizen, British National (Overseas) Citizen, British Protected Person, British Subject, Irish Citizen or a Citizen of a Commonwealth member country, which includes Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. This can be as a sole or dual national. The British Army also has the Brigade of Gurkhas who are from Nepal.

There is no UK residency requirement for those who are not British or Irish citizens to be eligible to apply to join the Royal Navy or the British Army, but the Royal Air Force normally require eligible candidates to have lived in the UK for between five and ten years prior to application. Members of the Armed Forces are subject to the National Security Vetting process owned by the Cabinet Office, and clearance levels depend on the rank, role and Service applied for. UK (Great Britain and Northern Ireland) residency and nationality are an integral part of that process, and each application is risk assessed. There are no current plans to change nationality or residency requirements.

As part of the implementation of the Defence Diplomacy Strategy, the Ministry of Defence is reviewing options to strengthen language proficiency across Defence and to enhance the language training available to internationally facing personnel. This work includes assessing how the current language provision delivered through the Defence Academy could be better utilised and expanded, exploring opportunities for closer cooperation with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and making use of new enablers, such as the Pan‑Defence Skills Framework, to identify, track and develop language proficiency across Defence.

The scoping phase for this review is currently underway, which will determine the formal completion date. Defence is progressing this work alongside wider efforts to invest in our people, processes and technology to implement the direction of the Defence Diplomacy Strategy.

In line with the commitments set out in the Defence Diplomacy Strategy, the Ministry of Defence is already progressing the development of a new Defence Diplomacy Doctrine, which will be published and in use across Defence in late 2026.

The Maritime Aviation Transformation Strategy will ensure aviation remains capable and sustainable as the Royal Navy transitions to a Hybrid Navy of crewed, uncrewed, and autonomous platforms that will redefine maritime military power. Progress is being made across force generation, operating models and capability development.

I will respond to the right hon. Member shortly.

Implementation of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) began immediately after the Government endorsed the SDR's 62 recommendations; the delivery of the recommendations remains priority business for the Department and significant progress has been made since the SDR was published last June. Examples include:

Nuclear deterrence: The Prime Minister announced at the NATO Hague Summit (June 25) that the UK will purchase 12 new F-35A fighter jets and join NATO’s dual capable aircraft nuclear mission. SDR Recommendation (Rec) 30

UKDI: UK Defence Innovation was launched (July 25) to streamline the delivery of innovation technology to Armed Forces personnel through rapid investment, with an annual budget of £400 million. SDR Rec 7

Defence Exports: The UK Defence and Security Exports function was transferred from Department for Business and Trade to MOD (July 25); all staff have completed their migration to MOD systems. 2025 was the highest year for UK Defence exports in 40 years including landmark deals with Norway, worth £10 billion (T26 frigates; Aug 25), and Türkiye, worth £8 billion (Typhoons; October 25). SDR Rec 12

Defence Industrial Strategy: The Defence Industrial Strategy was published (September 25) to take forward the SDR’s vision for radical reforms, growth, innovation, industrial resilience and warfighting readiness – backed by nearly £800 million this parliament. SDR Rec 3 and 8

Always on munitions: Defence announced a new programme to build factories of the future (November 25) with at least 13 potential sites identified to manufacture munitions and explosives in the UK to create an always on capability. This is backed by £1.5 billion of new investment in this parliament and creating over 1,000 British jobs. SDR Rec 29

Housing: The Defence Housing Strategy 2025 (November 25) set out £9 billion of investment over the next decade to upgrade 40,000 Forces’ family homes. An ambitious programme of work to urgently fix 1,000 military homes was completed ahead of schedule (December 25). The programme of housing improvements, known as Raising the Minimum Standards, has seen significant work take place at service family homes across the UK. Legislation to establish a specialist arm’s length defence housing service is in the Armed Forces Bill, now in the Commons. SDR Rec 60

CyberEM Command: The Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force (DCEM Force) was established on time and is now up and running, within the Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (November 25). SDR Rec 51

MIS and DCIU: The Military Intelligence Services and Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit were launched on time, as part of a major overhaul of Defence’s intelligence organisations amid increasing threats to the UK and to keep Britain ahead of hostile states and terrorists (December 25). SDR Recs 54 and 56

Atlantic Bastion: The UK’s groundbreaking Atlantic Bastion programme was unveiled (December 25), which will make Britain more secure from Russian undersea threats in the North Atlantic through a transformation of the Royal Navy and its submarine-hunting capabilities into an advanced hybrid force. SDR vision: Hybrid Navy

Gap Year: Plans to launch the new Armed Forces ‘Gap Year’ Foundation Scheme were announced (December 25) to give young people in the UK new opportunities to experience military service. SDR Rec 16

DDS: A public summary of the UK's first ever Defence Diplomacy Strategy was published (March 26) which lays the foundation for UK Defence to be more deliberate, targeted and coherent in deepening its international relationships with allies and partners to support defence and wider foreign policy. SDR Rec 21

The Department can confirm that a total of 4,130 new defence procurement contracts, with start dates on or after 5 July 2024, have been awarded. Of these, 3,680 contracts (89%) were awarded to companies located or headquartered in the UK, while 450 contracts (11%) went to companies based outside the UK.

I refer the hon. Member to my previous answer provided to 103061 in January 2026, and 126385 in April 2026.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently managing a high volume of War Pension Scheme (WPS) claims, which has resulted in longer processing times. We remain fully committed to improving performance and reducing delays in claim processing. To address these challenges, the Department has implemented a range of targeted measures:

• Flexible resource management: Teams now have the ability to reallocate resources as needed, while staff are being trained in multiple skillsets to enhance efficiency and build greater resilience across operations.
• Accelerated processing: Overtime and weekend working have been introduced to expedite the clearance of outstanding claims.
• Increased capacity: Additional administrative and caseworker staff have been recruited to strengthen processing capabilities and improve overall throughput.

The MOD places the highest priority on claims from terminally ill individuals, ensuring they are fast-tracked at every stage. Furthermore, MOD Veterans Services continues to provide dedicated support and assistance to veterans, Service personnel, and their families, ensuring they receive the help they need.

I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 December 2025 to Question 95831 to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr Obese-Jecty), which remains extant.

The cyber assessment commenced in December 2025 and is expected to conclude in the coming months. There is currently no intention to publish the results of the assessment externally, however the outcome will inform the development and issuing of policy governing the operational use of 3D printing technology.

As the Defence Secretary previously stated, the UK has agreed to a US request for permission to use RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia for specific defensive purposes to destroy Iranian missiles and launchers at source.

For operational security reasons, we do not offer comment on information relating to foreign nation’s military operations. Permissions to utilise UK military bases are considered on a case-by-case basis and the decision to grant permission is dependent on the nature and purpose of their activity.

The Ministry of Defence is exploring various applications of AI to enhance corporate services and drive efficiency. Officials may use approved AI tools (such as large language models) to help with drafting policy and legislation, but responsibility for finalising and approving resulting outputs rests with officials.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) publishes annual accredited official statistics on the strength of MOD-sponsored Cadet Forces. Statistics as at 1 April 2024 and 2025 (the latest iteration) can be found at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mod-sponsored-cadet-forces-statistics-index. The next iteration of these statistics is expected to be published in June 2026 with information as at 1 April 2026.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) publishes annual accredited official statistics on the strength of MOD-sponsored Cadet Forces. Statistics as at 1 April 2024 and 2025 (the latest iteration) can be found at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mod-sponsored-cadet-forces-statistics-index. The next iteration of these statistics is expected to be published in June 2026 with information as at 1 April 2026.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) publishes annual accredited official statistics on the strength of MOD-sponsored Cadet Forces. Statistics as at 1 April 2024 and 2025 (the latest iteration) can be found at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mod-sponsored-cadet-forces-statistics-index. The next iteration of these statistics is expected to be published in June 2026 with information as at 1 April 2026.

As previously stated, future exports of the Ajax platform is a matter for General Dynamics Land Systems UK.

The Ministry of Defence regularly reviews its critical supply chains, to identify and mitigate risks to defence capability. While the department does not routinely comment on the origin of specific components of our planned or in service capabilities, we welcome business with foreign companies as long as it follows our strict procurement regulations and does not put our national security at risk.

Transactions continue to be monitored where there are potential national security concerns from any country, and the Department will investigate and apply appropriate mitigations where required.

We do not comment on the detailed readiness or availability of individual units for operational security reasons.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to a collaborative approach between government and private sector to work together on national resilience.

Supporting the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology’s lead on telecoms security, the Secretary of State for Defence has engaged with private sector partners including the telecoms industry to discuss undersea telecommunications infrastructure. These discussions form part of a broader effort to protect critical national infrastructure from a range of threats, including Russian sub-threshold interference.

As part of the implementation of the Defence Diplomacy Strategy, the Ministry of Defence is establishing a Defence Diplomacy Cadre to increase training and education for our international facing policy staff. The cadre will be piloted with an initial focus on developing skills for staff in US facing roles.

Lessons from the pilot will inform the work on the full Defence Diplomacy Cadre, which will leverage expertise within Defence and wider government on relationship building, negotiation, cultural awareness, and complex geo-political contexts, to further develop these skills in Defence, and empower staff in international facing roles.

All of Defence's international security programmes are deliberately designed to be complementary, mutually supportive, and burden sharing, whether funded by the Ministry of Defence or cross-government funding, such as the Integrated Security Fund.

The Cabinet Office publishes the Integrated Security Fund's Annual Reports on the Government's website in which further details can be found.

The Government is investing in the UK Armed Forces to prepare for deployment as part of the Multinational Force for Ukraine (MNFU). This capital spending is being funded from the core defence budget and sends a clear signal to allies and adversaries of the UK's intent to lead the MNFU, fulfil our promises to secure the peace in Ukraine and deliver a new deal for European security to make Britain safer.

Work on Ajax is ongoing. As I have previously updated the House, we have commissioned a number of safety reports. These have now been received, and we are working through their findings. I will update the House shortly on progress, as I have done since Exercise Titan Storm.

Work on Ajax is ongoing. As I have previously updated the House, we have commissioned a number of safety reports. These have now been received, and we are working through their findings. I will update the House shortly on progress, as I have done since Exercise Titan Storm.

Work on Ajax is ongoing. As I have previously updated the House, we have commissioned a number of safety reports. These have now been received, and we are working through their findings. I will update the House shortly on progress, as I have done since Exercise Titan Storm.

The Defence Investment Plan (DIP) is the next step in turning the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) into action. It is a 10-year plan, and the first zero-based review of Defence’s budgets in eighteen years and goes significantly further than the last Government’s Equipment Plan by looking across every budget line, including people and infrastructure.

It has not been possible to provide the answer within the timeframe given, I will write to the hon. Member as soon as practical and will place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Royal Navy force structure and procurement plans are kept under continuous review.

The number of Royal Navy frigates ordered in each period is as follows:

• (a) 1980–1997: 24
• (b) 1997–2010: None
• (c) 2010–2024: 13 (A number of these slots have been ceded as part of the Norwegian deal. The delta is yet to be made up through additional orders, and this will be a consideration of the Defence Investment Plan).
• (d) Since 5 July 2024: None.

Seventeen other major warships were ordered in the period since 1980, including three assault ships, six Type 45 Destroyers; six River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels; and two Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers. This number does not include ships converted from commercial service, coastal patrol and training vessels, survey vessels, mine countermeasures vessels, submarines or Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels.