Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Ministry of Defence contractors that use alternative finance providers, including fintech lenders, meet procurement and financial resilience requirements.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) fully assess the financial status of legal entities before any new contract is awarded. Bidders must be able to demonstrate both economic and financial capacity requirements. These requirements including assets and liabilities are related and proportionate to the subject matter of the contract and are limited to determining that the bidder has the financial capacity to perform the contract.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the new Defence Industrial Strategy on supply chains and local economic growth.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Industrial Strategy will strengthen supply chains, drive innovation, and create high-skilled jobs through the launch of five Defence Growth Deals across the nations and regions of the United Kingdom, investing in measures to support supply chain resilience and the creation of the Defence Office of Small Business Growth. These measures will support national security while promoting local economic growth and resilience.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the announced increase in defence spending, what steps they are taking to research artificial intelligence technologies and encourage their implementation in defence programmes.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
AI (and the autonomy it enables) has potential to transform every aspect of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Armed Forces. Rapid and scaled adoption of these technologies is a key Defence priority and significant work is underway across the Department, including over 400 AI-related projects and programmes.
MOD’s efforts to harness AI are cohered through the Defence AI Centre - a partnership between Defence Digital, Defence Equipment and Support and Dstl. Dstl’s Science and Technology research capabilities therefore underpin our approach to AI, helping to ensure that the MOD understand key technological developments while also developing the standards, tooling and Test and Evaluation capabilities to adopt and use AI-enabled systems safely and responsibly.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of autonomous maritime mine-hunting vessels; and what plans they have to use similar technology to patrol the English Channel.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy has been using a range of unmanned underwater vehicles to detect sea mines since 2005 and is investing in several autonomous mine-hunting capabilities. The Royal Navy does not routinely comment on future operational plans due to operational security reasons.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for the Ministry of Defence (1) to adopt artificial intelligence and (2) to embrace new and emerging technologies.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the enormous potential that AI and other emerging technologies offer to transform all aspects of the Department and the Armed Forces. We maintain significant in-house Science and Technology (S&T) capabilities in Dstl to monitor technology trends, develop novel applications and mitigate strategic surprise.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to regulate the use of AI in the defence sector following the deployment of The Nordic Warden System by the Joint Expeditionary Force.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK and the Joint Expeditionary Force are at the forefront of supporting Allies to protect crucial offshore infrastructure from threats, including using integrated technology with logic flows to identify vessels of interest at the pace of relevance.
The Department has a history of successfully incorporating new technologies and takes its responsibility to use AI safely and ethically very seriously, adhering to legal commitments and societal values.
We continue to collaborate with the Department for Science, Technology and Innovation and Defence Regulators to adapt our strategies to the evolving challenges of AI.
The Dependable AI JSP 936 part 1, published in 2024, gives clear guidance on applying the MOD’s AI ethical principles to create safe, effective AI-enabled capabilities with appropriate human oversight. This policy governs all Defence AI capabilities.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to using AI in the military.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is committed to adopting and using Artificial Intelligence technologies safely and responsibly, working closely with our international partners and experts in industry, academia and civil society.
Artificial Intelligence is being considered for a range of military applications, including helping to accelerate operational tempo; strengthening the Force through greater mass, persistence and reach; enabling us to operate in environments that would otherwise not be possible; removing our people from harm's way; and making our workforce more effective.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the recent cyber-attack targeting the personal details of UK military personnel, what steps they are taking, if any, to review their current data security protocols and cyber defence strategies.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Cyber Resilience Strategy for Defence is already driving forward a programme of work to improve Defence’s cyber security. The Cyber Resilience Strategy was reviewed recently and remains valid. This includes adopting a Secure by Design approach to ensure security is built into our programmes from the outset and managed effectively on a through life basis.
With regards to the recent cyber incident specifically, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has commissioned an independent review into what happened and lessons that can be learned. This will include examining Data and Information Security, the involvement with the contractor and the wider use of systems which process personal data. In addition the MOD are conducting a full review of the Information Security measures that were in place in this contract. Should the independent review suggest that further measures are necessary, the MOD will review these recommendations and implement such changes as are necessary to ensure the continued security of all MOD's data.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the signed memorandum of understanding between the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and Google Cloud to accelerate the adoption of Artificial Intelligence in the UK defence sector.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Defence AI Strategy (June 2021) set out a vision to better engage with industry and highlight the importance of effective public-private partnerships. In response to the strategy, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and Google Cloud UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 14 June 2023 to enable them to work together on delivering safe and responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) Science & Technology research for the benefit of UK defence. In due course, progress consequent upon the MOU will be reviewed.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that qualifications gained by servicemen and women in the military are recognised by civilian employers.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Over 600 nationally recognised qualifications are delivered to personnel across the single Services from Levels 1 to 8 on the Regulated Qualifications Framework, covering a wide range of subject areas including aviation, engineering, IT, leadership, and medical training.
Where possible, all mandatory military training and education is accredited and leads towards a full or partial nationally recognised qualification. In instances where this is not possible due to niche content, individuals may elect to undertake additional learning to achieve a full qualification or accreditation, supported by their Service. In addition to in-service military training and education, the Ministry of Defence provides funding for Service personnel and Service leavers to gain qualifications in subjects of their choosing.