Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) radio frequency directed energy weapons, (b) DragonFire lasers and (c) other directed energy weapons for the protection of (i) UK and (ii) United States Visiting Forces military bases on the UK mainland.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has committed to accelerating the continued investment in UK Sovereign Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) technology to provide cutting edge capability to the Armed Forces swiftly. DEW technology mitigates against the increasing threat from direct attack or weapon drop drones by defeating them or discouraging attempts by significantly reducing their probability of success. The UK has trialled these systems, has access to data on other non-UK systems, and throughout their development we will ensure they're designed to counter the threats faced by our Armed Forces. This will allow our Armed Forces to operate more effectively against a changing and asymmetric threat landscape, demonstrating the MOD's approach to transitioning technology into capability meeting real world threats.

Due to operational security, the MOD does not comment on the specific protection of military bases.