Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled PM accelerates military support to Northern Europe following visit to Sweden, published on 13 October 2023, how many UK troops he plans to deploy on rotation at any one time in Northern Europe; and for how long he plans those rotational deployments to last.

The total number of Armed Forces personnel to be deployed in northern Europe in 2024 is expected to exceed 20,000 over the course of the year. Over 17,000 Armed Forces personnel are currently planned to participate in NATO exercise STEADFAST DEFENDER from January to June 2024. Ex STEADFAST DEFENDER involves the participation of the UK Carrier Strike Group, the Littoral Response Group (North) in the North Atlantic, North Sea, and Norway; and complementary land and air activity across Northern Europe. This is a tangible demonstration of the UK's commitment to the defence and security of northern Europe, and enhanced interoperability with our key Allies and partners. In addition, there will be a number of smaller-scale exercises and operations which vary in geography and time over the course of the second half of the year. These details are still being refined as part of the planning process.