Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which units within the (a) Royal Navy and (b) Army are the primary agencies within those respective bodies for identifying and investigating innovative solutions to future combat requirements.

There is a dedicated innovation cell in Navy Command's Maritime Capability Division that has responsibility for identifying the future combat capability requirements for the Royal Navy and for developing potential capability solutions as cost-effectively as possible.

For the Army, the Future Force Development Branch of the Army Headquarters' Capability Directorate leads on considering how the Army will fight in the future and identifying related combat capability requirements. In addition, the Land Warfare Centre leads on innovating solutions to the shorter term future, and 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade is leading on 'Strike Experimentation' in support of the Joint Force 2025.