Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of implications of the US Director, Operational Test and Evaluation Annual Report, published in December 2018, for defence procurement policy.

The role of the US Director Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) is to provide independent analysis and make recommendations on US defense programmes. We have a strong relationship with DOT&E and we actively share approaches to develop effective and efficient solutions to some of our common challenges.

The Ministry of Defence regularly engages with the Department for Defense on programmes like F-35 Lightning, where the UK is an intrinsic part of the operational test team, and the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. All issues raised within the DOT&E report are understood and, where applicable to our programmes, are being actively managed by the relevant stakeholders.