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 steps his Department is taking to maintain reaction systems through which allies can track potential threats together.

As part of working with other government departments and commercial partners, the Royal Navy is working closely with the Cabinet Office, DSIT, DESNZ, DfT, the Joint Maritime Security Centre (JMSC), industry partners and international allies to strengthen the security and resilience of the UK's undersea infrastructure.

Alongside the continued work with JEF, NATO and international partners to track potential threats, further efforts are focused on clarifying departmental responsibilities, enhancing maritime domain awareness and intelligence sharing, improving cross-Whitehall coordination and developing advanced surveillance and response capabilities through initiatives such as Atlantic Bastion. Within this framework, the Royal Navy is emerging as the lead operational authority for countering state-based threats to UK undersea infrastructure, while supporting wider government and commercial partners responsible for regulation, resilience and recovery.