We protect the security, independence and interests of our country at home and abroad. We work with our allies and partners whenever possible. Our aim is to ensure that the armed forces have the training, equipment and support necessary for their work, and that we keep within budget.
This inquiry will examine the circumstances behind and the consequences of a major data breach in February 2022 from the …
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
Ministry of Defence does not have Bills currently before Parliament
A Bill to establish, and confer functions on, the Armed Forces Commissioner; to abolish the office of Service Complaints Ombudsman; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 3rd September 2025 and was enacted into law.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.
At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.
Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.
The MOD's day to day spending is reflected in its Resource Departmental Expenditure Limits (RDEL).
The MOD's RDEL planned settlements for 2025-26 and 2026-27 have been set out as part of the Spending Review. These were £38.6 billion for 2025-26 and £39.6 billion for 2026-27.
201 personal data breaches were assessed between 1 July 2025 and 23 November 2025 by security personnel and subjected to an initial security risk assessment. Any further action would be taken on a proportionate basis. No data incidents between those dates were assessed as meeting the threshold for reporting to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
As part of routine Departmental planning processes, both for in-year and future years spend, The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continually reviews balance of priorities against available funding. The MOD remains focused on delivering the priorities set out in the Strategic Defence Review (SDR). A full ten-year plan on how the MOD will deliver the vision of the SDR will be set out in the Defence Investment Plan, which will be published later this year.
The Chief of the Air Staff's comments highlighted the critical role of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and the ongoing investment in modern ISR platforms for the RAF with cutting edge technology. The Government is taking steps to ensure we have the right blend of novel and traditional technologies, including with a £400 million UKDI fund and 10% novel tech ringfence.
The Surgeon General advised the Executive Committee of the Scientific Advisory Committee on the Medical Implications of Less-Lethal Weapons (SACMILL) which includes Home Office representation, of the Public Bodies Review at a meeting in December 2024. A series of meetings were held between Ministry of Defence and Home Office officials between January 2025 and October 2025. This included representatives from Public Bodies teams and the Cabinet Office and enabled the establishment of an alternative mechanism within the Home Office.
As outlined in the previous response, the closure of SACMILL is an important step in Defence’s Arm’s length Body reform journey and the closure and standing up of MILLWEC was agreed by Ministerial write round.
The Department is currently working to determine the estimated cost of implementing Defence Reform across Defence. At present, a total cost figure is not yet available.
The UK has already made significant investment into the development of the next generation radar system for our Typhoon Aircraft, including over £200 million released earlier this year by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury for initial production and which followed the successful completion of initial flight trials in February.
We remain committed, alongside our partners in Industry, NETMA and the other Core Nations, to the delivery of the next generation radar capability to the UK's Typhoon fleet by the end of this decade.
The Phase 4 Enhancement capability package (P4E) is an essential enabler for the implementation of the next generation radar enhancement for the UK's Typhoon fleet.
The System Definition Contract for P4E was signed in June 2024 and since then the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy have been working closely alongside NETMA and our industry partners to agree on the final P4E capability package, which will then move into the Design, Development and Demonstration phase.
Additionally, the Core Nations have agreed to begin early design work on long lead activities, ensuring that critical path activities for P4E capability are protected. The delivery of the P4E package is planned to take place by the end of this decade.
Project ATILLA is now in the early stages of commercial competition. This means that the project has progressed from considering conceptual elements such as evaluating project feasibility. The project is now preparing to move into the Invitation to Tender aspect of the commercial competition.
Significant reforms are being implemented within the Ministry of Defence (MOD), fundamentally transforming its operations. This is the biggest transformation of the MOD in over 50 years. Defence is now led by a strengthened Department of State, a fully-fledged Military Strategic Headquarters, a new National Armaments Director Group, and the Defence Nuclear Enterprise.
Under Defence Reform, the post of Chief of Defence People has been disestablished. The Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff and Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Force Development) will play a key role in supporting our Military people, working with the Director General, People, to improve accountability, efficiency, and clarity in our people policy and strategy.
There have been no discussions around funding for training specifically. Spend on training continues to be a Departmental priority.
Task Force RAPSTONE has a budget of £150 million over three years. The upcoming Defence Investment Plan will provide more information around the UK’s defence procurement investment plans.
The first international Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) contract between the GCAP International Government Organisation and Edgewing is subject to ongoing Commercial Negotiations. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.
Defence Estates Optimisation (DEO) has completed construction at 17 sites and has disposed of 30 Ministry of Defence sites. The status for the remaining disposal sites is listed in the House of Commons Defence Disposal Database report on the Gov.UK website.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disposal-database-house-of-commons-report
Initially, DragonFire, a state-of-the-art laser weapon, will enhance the capabilities of the Type 45 fleet with the first DragonFire unit being delivered in 2027.
The competition for the Army's Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP) remains ongoing and is currently in the final stages. Therefore, it would be inappropriate to comment further.
The competition for the Army's Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP) remains ongoing and is currently in the final stages. Therefore, it would be inappropriate to comment further.
The competition for the Army's Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP) remains ongoing and is currently in the final stages. Therefore, it would be inappropriate to comment further.
The competition for the Army's Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP) remains ongoing and is currently in the final stages. Therefore, it would be inappropriate to comment further.
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation does not issue Notices to Quit to Service families living in Service Family Accommodation. Instead, it issues Notices to Vacate to Service personnel.
Notices to Quit are only issued – where and when appropriate – to civilian sublet tenants, Afghan Resettlement Programme tenants, and farming tenants occupying Ministry of Defence properties and land.
We have actively engaged personnel throughout the Defence Reform activity to build awareness and understanding across the Department. The July 2025 Internal Communications survey showed that 76% of respondents had some level of awareness of the reform activity. Feedback is captured through established mechanisms, including the annual People Survey and the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS). These provide comprehensive data on how personnel are responding to reform activity and wider organisational change. Results will be reviewed when published in December 2025. Listening to feedback from both military and civilian personnel remains central to ensuring the reform activity delivers its full potential in strengthening defence capability.
The two engines have now arrived at RAF Brize Norton and have been returned into service.
The £34.7 billion figure is incorrect. The correct figure is £3.4 billion, which reflects the real costs of a treaty that lasts 99 years, with an average cost of £101 million per year.
The treaty payments will be split between the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The Royal Navy continuously monitors UK waters and stands ready to respond to the presence of Russian drones. For reasons of national security, we cannot disclose the specific number of incidents of Russian military activity recorded during any given period.
In accordance with the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011, there have been no changes to the Army Collective Training Service contract that have required Ministerial approval since 5 July 2024.
Fewer than five British Armed Forces personnel have studied on educational staff courses in Israel since October 2023.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes the security of its information very seriously. Our policies set out a range of technical and procedural controls applied to systems and content throughout their lifecycle and we use a range of assurance measures. We do not comment on details as these could provide a potential adversary with information which could help them to craft a cyber attack against the MOD, which would adversely impact Defence and National Security.
This was an incident within the supply chain and not an attack on Ministry of Defence (MOD) systems.
We take a robust and proactive approach to cyber attacks against MOD and our suppliers. Our initial assessment of the Dodd Group incident indicates that the data involved is largely routine and does not pose a significant security threat. For all investigations, the MOD has a well-tested incident coordination process led by the Defence CISO liaising across our Military Commands (including RAF and Royal Navy) to understand and mitigate any impact.
The Ministry of Defence continually evaluates the most appropriate options and resources to address the evolving threats faced by the United Kingdom. For security reasons, we cannot disclose specific assessments or operational decisions publicly. However, we can confirm that the Ministry of Defence maintains robust and responsive capabilities to safeguard the UK’s territorial waters and ensure national security as required.
The Ministry of Defence continually evaluates the most appropriate options and resources to address the evolving threats faced by the United Kingdom. For security reasons, we cannot disclose specific assessments or operational decisions publicly. However, we can confirm that the Ministry of Defence maintains robust and responsive capabilities to safeguard the UK’s territorial waters and ensure national security as required.
The Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defence continuously assess our Rules of Engagement to ensure our Armed Forces can act appropriately in response to malign activities and evolving threats, including unsafe or unprofessional behaviour by foreign vessels and aircraft.
For reasons of national security, I am not able to disclose specific detail on Rules of Engagement.
The Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defence continuously assess its response options 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 details of military operations or response options. To do so would be beneficial to our adversaries.
The Ministry of Defence has a comprehensive programme to transfer its historical physical Service personnel records to The National Archives. The decision to digitise these records rests with The National Archives.
Between 1 January and 31 October 2025, a total of 86 Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure (IDRP) complaints were processed. Of these, 71 (83%) were resolved within the 50-working-day timeframe, while 15 (17%) exceeded this timeframe.
The Veterans' Strategy applies to all those who have previously served in HM Forces, Regular and Reserve. The Strategy is an important milestone in this government's work to renew the UK's contract with those who serve and have served.
It resets the narrative around the remarkable men and women who have served in our Armed Forces, ensuring all veterans' service is celebrated, their potential to make further contributions is realised and, for those that need it, that the right support is available to them.
The strategy is aligned with key Ministry of Defence priorities, the Strategic Defence Review and the extension of the Armed Forces Covenant, together with the government's wider Plan for Change.
Officials continue to consider the New Medium Helicopter business case as part of the Government’s approval process, with a decision to be made shortly as part of the upcoming Defence Investment Plan.
The UK is committed to resetting our relationship with the EU. We continue working to implement the package agreed at the UK-EU Summit and build on our landmark Security and Defence Partnership – which includes exploring UK participation in the EU’s Security Action For Europe (SAFE) instrument.
As part of these efforts, the Ministry of Defence continues to work closely across the whole of Government, and in cooperation with industry partners and all our European allies, to inform our approach to enhancing Europe's defence industrial capacity and production and deliver critical capabilities required to support Ukraine.
SAFE negotiations are ongoing andwe will not provide a running commentary on talks.This Government has been clear that we would only agree to a deal if we were satisfied it provided value for money to UK taxpayers.
The UK is committed to resetting our relationship with the EU. We continue working to implement the package agreed at the UK-EU Summit and build on our landmark Security and Defence Partnership – which includes exploring UK participation in the EU’s Security Action For Europe (SAFE) instrument.
As part of these efforts, the Ministry of Defence continues to work closely across the whole of Government, and in cooperation with industry partners and all our European allies, to inform our approach to enhancing Europe's defence industrial capacity and production and deliver critical capabilities required to support Ukraine.
SAFE negotiations are ongoing andwe will not provide a running commentary on talks.This Government has been clear that we would only agree to a deal if we were satisfied it provided value for money to UK taxpayers.
The UK is committed to resetting our relationship with the EU. We continue working to implement the package agreed at the UK-EU Summit and build on our landmark Security and Defence Partnership – which includes exploring UK participation in the EU’s Security Action For Europe (SAFE) instrument.
As part of these efforts, the Ministry of Defence continues to work closely across the whole of Government, and in cooperation with industry partners and all our European allies, to inform our approach to enhancing Europe's defence industrial capacity and production and deliver critical capabilities required to support Ukraine.
SAFE negotiations are ongoing andwe will not provide a running commentary on talks.This Government has been clear that we would only agree to a deal if we were satisfied it provided value for money to UK taxpayers.
The UK is committed to resetting our relationship with the EU. We continue working to implement the package agreed at the UK-EU Summit and build on our landmark Security and Defence Partnership – which includes exploring UK participation in the EU’s Security Action For Europe (SAFE) instrument.
As part of these efforts, the Ministry of Defence continues to work closely across the whole of Government, and in cooperation with industry partners and all our European allies, to inform our approach to enhancing Europe's defence industrial capacity and production and deliver critical capabilities required to support Ukraine.
SAFE negotiations are ongoing andwe will not provide a running commentary on talks.This Government has been clear that we would only agree to a deal if we were satisfied it provided value for money to UK taxpayers.
The UK is committed to resetting our relationship with the EU. We continue working to implement the package agreed at the UK-EU Summit and build on our landmark Security and Defence Partnership – which includes exploring UK participation in the EU’s Security Action For Europe (SAFE) instrument.
As part of these efforts, the Ministry of Defence continues to work closely across the whole of Government, and in cooperation with industry partners and all our European allies, to inform our approach to enhancing Europe's defence industrial capacity and production and deliver critical capabilities required to support Ukraine.
SAFE negotiations are ongoing andwe will not provide a running commentary on talks.This Government has been clear that we would only agree to a deal if we were satisfied it provided value for money to UK taxpayers.
The UK is committed to resetting our relationship with the EU. We continue working to implement the package agreed at the UK-EU Summit and build on our landmark Security and Defence Partnership – which includes exploring UK participation in the EU’s Security Action For Europe (SAFE) instrument.
As part of these efforts, the Ministry of Defence continues to work closely across the whole of Government, and in cooperation with industry partners and all our European allies, to inform our approach to enhancing Europe's defence industrial capacity and production and deliver critical capabilities required to support Ukraine.
SAFE negotiations are ongoing andwe will not provide a running commentary on talks.This Government has been clear that we would only agree to a deal if we were satisfied it provided value for money to UK taxpayers.
Where the UK's drone industry can meet Ukraine's requirements, the Ministry of Defence sources equipment from UK suppliers. A significant proportion of the drones procured for Ukraine this year have been produced by British companies, supporting hundreds of highly skilled jobs across the country and contributing to local economies.
At the last Ukraine Defence Contact Group in October 2025, the Defence Secretary confirmed that £600 million has been invested by the UK this year to accelerate drone delivery to Ukraine, with more than 85,000 military drones delivered in just six months.
As the Prime Minister has said previously, the UK is ready to play a leading role in accelerating work on security guarantees to achieve a lasting peace for Ukraine. This includes further support for Ukraine's military, where the UK has already committed £3 billion a year until at least 2030. But it also means being ready and willing to contribute to security guarantees to Ukraine by putting our own troops on the ground after the ceasefire if necessary.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a wide range of support to Lebanon in the development of the Lebanese Armed Forces' capacity as the legitimate defender of Lebanon's sovereignty. This includes providing equipment, training on both maritime and counter-terrorism activities, and the contracted construction of infrastructure to enhance their border security. The Department also co-ordinates bilateral support with international partners.
The scope of Operation CROSSWAYS is to provide military support to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, primarily focused on training and tailored military advice to the Saudi armed forces. It also includes a phased deployment of air defence equipment to Saudi Arabia.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to developing the Defence Space Portfolio and wider space requirements to harness space for national and military advantage. The recent publication of the Strategic Defence Review served to reinforce the importance of the domain and the need to invest appropriately. The level of investment is being tested and confirmed against current and future requirements through the development of the Defence Investment Plan which will provide the strategic capability direction for the next decade.
Defence and other Government Departments will ascertain space synergies, create a common demand signal with which to develop investment options for both the military and national advantage. Aligned to the Own, Collaborate, Access framework, the most effective mix of sovereign owned, collaboration with allies, and access though existing and new partnerships will be determined with which to deliver Defence and wider UK needs.
We are committed to ensuring the Defence industry is an engine for growth through strengthened industrial relationships and domestic investment. As published in the UK Defence Footprint the North West region has seen £4.8 billion of Defence spending in 2024-25. We have committed £6 billion this Parliament towards munitions, as outlined in the Strategic Defence Review 2025, which supports defence capacity whilst generating local jobs and economic prosperity. This investment includes £1.5 billion for building six new energetics and munitions factories in the UK to deliver an 'always on' pipeline, locations and arrangements of which are being assessed through ongoing work. Whilst it is currently premature to comment on specific site proposals and their assessment, more detail will be available once the necessary preparatory work has been completed.
We are committed to ensuring the Defence industry is an engine for growth through strengthened industrial relationships and domestic investment. As published in the UK Defence Footprint the North West region has seen £4.8 billion of Defence spending in 2024-25. We have committed £6 billion this Parliament towards munitions, as outlined in the Strategic Defence Review 2025, which supports defence capacity whilst generating local jobs and economic prosperity. This investment includes £1.5 billion for building six new energetics and munitions factories in the UK to deliver an 'always on' pipeline, locations and arrangements of which are being assessed through ongoing work. Whilst it is currently premature to comment on specific site proposals and their assessment, more detail will be available once the necessary preparatory work has been completed.