Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what Royal Navy assets are currently deployed in the (a) Indian Ocean and (b) South China Seas.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Royal Navy currently has six surface ships deployed in the Gulf. These are HMS BROCKLESBY, HMS LEDBURY, HMS BLYTH, HMS SHOREHAM, HMS MONTROSE and RFA CARDIGAN BAY.
There are currently no surface ships deployed in the Arctic, Indian Ocean and South China Sea.
The Ministry of Defence does not release details of future deployments, nor comment on submarine operations, as to do so would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the current location of the Heavy Equipment Transporters.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Army has a fleet of 91 Heavy Equipment Transporters. They are operated by military personnel of 19 Tank Transporter Squadron, Royal Logistic Corps, with our commercial partners and are based in Bulford.
The fleet is currently operating in the UK and Europe in support of UK and allied operations and exercises. We do not routinely comment on specific locations for individual capabilities as to do so would compromise operational security or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the estimate he has made of the deployment period for the Heavy Forces.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
For reasons of operational security, the Ministry of Defence does not disclose detailed information regarding the readiness of formations and units. That readiness will be constructed from many components, including training, the preparedness of personnel, and logistic enablers. The speed of deployment would also be dependent on the nature of the threat, capabilities required and geography of deployment.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans she has to forward base the UK's Heavy Forces.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The British Army maintains the ability to deploy its Challenger 2 main battle tanks throughout Europe, with a number currently deployed in Estonia as part of NATO's enhanced Forward Presence. This is assisted by the Government's announcement last year that a residual Army presence in Germany will be maintained as a foundation on which to enhance readiness on mainland Europe; a number of main battle tanks are already forward based there. Defence is continuing to examine how we might forward deploy Army capability in the future but no conclusions have been reached.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Heavy Armoured Brigades her Department plans to have in the British Army Future Force Structure.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review set out the Government's intent for the Army to deliver, as part of Joint Force 2025, a warfighting division drawn from two armoured infantry brigades and two new strike brigades.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on the deployability of the Main Battle Tank throughout Europe.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The British Army maintains the ability to deploy its Challenger 2 main battle tanks throughout Europe, with a number currently deployed in Estonia as part of NATO's enhanced Forward Presence. This is assisted by the Government's announcement last year that a residual Army presence in Germany will be maintained as a foundation on which to enhance readiness on mainland Europe; a number of main battle tanks are already forward based there. Defence is continuing to examine how we might forward deploy Army capability in the future but no conclusions have been reached.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to mark the 80th Anniversary of the founding of The Royal Armoured Corps.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The 80th Anniversary of the founding of the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) was commemorated with a number of events on 4 April 2019. These included the unveiling of the RAC Gauntlet (a stainless steel statue of the "iron fist" RAC capbadge) at the Corps Headquarters, Allenby Barracks by the Colonel Commandant RAC, General Sir Chris Deverell, KCB MBE ADC, and the opening of the RAC 80 Exhibition "Long After the Battle" at the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset, attended by serving soldiers, members of the public and veterans from the Second World War.
In addition, armoured vehicles were positioned at several locations across the UK on the day to raise awareness of the Corps and its anniversary. Units deployed overseas posted imagery of their vehicles as part of the social media campaign under #RAC80.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to announce the procurement of new tanks for the Army; and what the timeframe is for those tanks to come in to service.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Challenger 2 remains a key capability for the Armed Forces as the British Army's main battle tank. The Challenger 2 Life Extension Programme will provide a suite of capability upgrades and substantially extend its service life. The planned upgrade is currently undergoing an extended assessment phase, which is expected to conclude in 2020. No final decisions have been made on the numbers, which will be informed by the assessment phase, Defence requirements, and balance of investment considerations.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current order of battle is of The Royal Armoured Corps.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The order of battle for the Royal Armoured Corps, as at April 2019, is provided in the table below.
Regt/Corps | Major Unit |
Royal Armoured Corps | Household Cavalry Regiment |
Royal Armoured Corps | Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment |
Royal Armoured Corps | 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards |
Royal Armoured Corps | The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers And Greys) |
Royal Armoured Corps | The Royal Dragoon Guards |
Royal Armoured Corps | The Queen’s Royal Hussars (The Queen’s Own and Royal Irish) |
Royal Armoured Corps | The Royal Lancers |
Royal Armoured Corps | The King's Royal Hussars |
Royal Armoured Corps | The Light Dragoons |
Royal Armoured Corps | The Royal Tank Regiment |
Royal Armoured Corps | The Royal Yeomanry |
Royal Armoured Corps | The Royal Wessex Yeomanry |
Royal Armoured Corps | The Queen's Own Yeomanry |
Royal Armoured Corps | The Scottish And North Irish Yeomanry |
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has plans to upgrade the AFV fleet.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Army is undergoing an ambitious vehicle capability upgrade across several of its key armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) platforms. This includes purchasing 589 new Ajax armoured vehicles - the biggest single order for UK military vehicles for three decades - the first of which was delivered to the Army earlier this year. The Ministry of Defence is also making significant investments into the Army's existing armoured vehicle platforms to enhance the lethality and survivability capability of the Challenger 2 tanks and Warrior vehicles. These programmes enable the British Army to maintain its warfighting edge through an AFV fleet with advanced combat and intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities that will maintain their relevance to 2040 and beyond.