Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps they are taking to help ensure that their Department (a) gives sufficient attention to long term strategic challenges, (b) does not allow current events to slow down work on long term strategic issues and (c) consistently undertakes horizon scanning.

The Department has established dedicated teams responsible for long-term strategic planning and strategy development to ensure we are able to focus on long-term issues, as well as current events. This includes the Secretary of State's Office for Net Assessment and Challenge, which is responsible for net assessment and horizon scanning, and the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre, which, under their Futures Team, provides threat-informed, long-term global strategic context for policy, strategy and capability development.

The Defence Command Paper 2023 outlines the Department's long-term vision across the next decade, underpinned by classified assessments of strategic trends and horizon scanning. The Department is committed to delivering the Command Paper's intent and ensuring long-term strategic issues continue to be addressed.