Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Royal Navy presence is at the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain following the decommissioning of HMS Lancaster.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK remains steadfast in its commitment to maintaining a presence in the Middle East, reassuring partners and contributing to regional security and stability. Central to this posture is the UK Maritime Component Command (UKMCC), located in Bahrain, with a footprint of c125 personnel, which commands and controls Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. This also includes the MOD’s role in the Combined Maritime Forces framework and the delivery of training to regional partners.
The Royal Navy is evolving its approach to operations in the Middle East, focusing on modernising capabilities, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring basing and access for times of crisis. The RN’s modernisation programme has already delivered an autonomous mine countermeasures capability operating in the Gulf, which continues to innovate at pace. In terms of personnel footprint, the RN maintains a strong regional presence, including roles within US Fifth Fleet Task Forces in Bahrain, Loan Service personnel in Oman, RN embeds in the British Military Mission in Kuwait, and RN personnel advising on seabed warfare through the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Programme (MODSAP) programme in Saudi Arabia.
The RN remains agile and ready to respond to emerging threats, deploying platforms to meet Defence Plan commitments and operational requirements, which are continuously reviewed.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funding he has allocated to a long term Royal Navy presence at the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK remains steadfast in its commitment to maintaining a presence in the Middle East, reassuring partners and contributing to regional security and stability. Central to this posture is the UK Maritime Component Command (UKMCC), located in Bahrain, with a footprint of c125 personnel, which commands and controls Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. This also includes the MOD’s role in the Combined Maritime Forces framework and the delivery of training to regional partners.
The Royal Navy is evolving its approach to operations in the Middle East, focusing on modernising capabilities, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring basing and access for times of crisis. The RN’s modernisation programme has already delivered an autonomous mine countermeasures capability operating in the Gulf, which continues to innovate at pace. In terms of personnel footprint, the RN maintains a strong regional presence, including roles within US Fifth Fleet Task Forces in Bahrain, Loan Service personnel in Oman, RN embeds in the British Military Mission in Kuwait, and RN personnel advising on seabed warfare through the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Programme (MODSAP) programme in Saudi Arabia.
The RN remains agile and ready to respond to emerging threats, deploying platforms to meet Defence Plan commitments and operational requirements, which are continuously reviewed.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to deploy a Type 31 frigate on permanent station at the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence keeps its force posture in the Middle East under continual review to safeguard the UK's national security interests and operational requirements. We remain committed to working with our partners across the region.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to reduce the number of overseas Royal Navy bases.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK Defence global footprint remains under constant review, across all overseas locations and bases, including those that support the Royal Navy. We continue to ensure that our footprint is fully optimised to meet the requirements of our Armed Forces world-wide.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase Royal Navy presence in the Gulf in the context of HMS Lancaster being decommissioned.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Our significant maritime collaboration and senior Naval representation highlights our enduring commitment to stability and security in the region. Capabilities such as Maritime Domain Awareness, uncrewed systems, and a world class training offer ensure that our allies and partners are supported and ready to meet challenges in the region.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when HMS Lancaster will be replaced at the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence keeps its force posture in the Middle East under continual review to safeguard the UK’s national security interests and operational requirements. We remain committed to working with our partners across the region.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to support the defence industry in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
On 8 September 2025 we published the Defence Industrial Strategy, which includes a range of initiatives that cut red tape, speed up development to delivery, and ensure our defence investment benefits local communities. This includes a Northern Ireland Defence Growth Deal, which will harness Northern Ireland’s defence sub-sector strengths while also ensuring that the foundations are in place to support that defence spending.
We are committed to working with partners across Northern Ireland to ensure that we have a thriving defence sector that supports jobs, skills and growth.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to improve the electronic warfare capabilities of His Majesty’s Armed Forces.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) designates the Cyber and Electromagnetic (CyberEM) domain as a strategic priority. In response, UK Strategic Command has transitioned to become Cyber & Specialist Operations Command (CSOC), providing explicit four-star leadership for the CyberEM domain alongside pan-Defence responsibility for Electronic Warfare (EW) concepts, doctrine, and capability development.
Additionally, CSOC has now established the Defence Cyber and EM Force (DCEMF) at two-star level to support operational commanders in integrating Electronic Warfare across the range of military effects.
Current EW programmes and projects continue to be funded and supported in service. Future proposals for additional EW capabilities are being considered through the Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to streamline his Department’s procurement procedures.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Implementation of the procurement and acquisition reforms set out in the Defence Industrial Strategy is underway, under the new National Armaments Director who took up post on 14 October 2025.
We are introducing service-agnostic capability portfolios, aligned with wider departmental reforms. The portfolio-driven approach will increase pace and adaptability, enabling us to maximise the output from our investment, reduce waste and be more market aligned.
Five commercial pathways have been launched for Spiral, Urgent, Design to Cost, Digital & Technology and Low Complexity Procurement. Further Commercial Pathways are being developed including for S&T and Experimentation, National Security, and Infrastructure with a focus on harnessing commercial flexibilities to drive pace and adaptability.
These pathways underpin the new segmented approach to procurement which sets ambitious targets to drastically reduce the timescales to get new projects on contract by tailoring processes and timelines to the type of acquisition supplier and risk involved. This includes the Rapid Commercial Exploitation segment to allow us to pull the latest technology into operations and increase innovation.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to support good (a) mental and (b) physical health amongst retired veterans.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government remains dedicated in recognising our veterans for their service and is fully committed to ensuring that veterans are able to access the care and support they need.
In England, NHS England provides Op COURAGE, which delivers a broad range of specialist mental health wellbeing care and support for service leavers, reservists, and veterans. Op RESTORE provides specialist care and support to veterans who have physical health problems as a result of their service. Separate provision is available for veterans living in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Earlier this year we launched VALOUR, a new national programme designed to make it easier for veterans across the UK to access support when it is needed. The £27 million VALOUR development funding programme will deliver VALOUR Recognised Centres across the country, which will help cohere service provision and ensure that veterans can meet and discuss their issues with others who understand their unique experiences, within their communities, to further enhance their wellbeing.