Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 76 of his department's Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, what progress has been made on bolstering capabilities of its allies and partners in the Middle East.

Since the publication of the Strategic Defence Review, the Ministry of Defence has continued to strengthen the capabilities of allies and partners across the Middle East through operational support, training, exercises, professional military education and defence-industrial collaboration. This has included supporting partners to respond to evolving air, missile and uncrewed-system threats.

We are also developing longer-term capability partnerships, aligned with partners’ requirements, drawing on military and industrial expertise. We will continue to work with regional partners to build resilient and interoperable capabilities that contribute to collective security and long-term regional stability.