Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 106 of his department’s Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, what progress has been made on using the Multi-Role Ocean Survey ship and fleets of autonomous vehicles to counter threats to critical undersea infrastructure.

The Royal Navy is enhancing the protection of the United Kingdom’s critical undersea infrastructure, supported by £330 million of investment announced in the Defence Investment Plan. RFA PROTEUS is providing a specialist subsea capability using remotely operated and autonomous systems, with further enhancements planned. The Royal Navy is also expanding its use of autonomous mine-hunting systems and larger uncrewed underwater vehicles to survey, monitor and operate around critical undersea infrastructure, while also exploring commercial solutions to further strengthen our protection and resilience.