Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2026 to Question 23084 on Telecommunications Cables: Seas and Oceans, by what date does he expect each element of the new capability outlined to be operational in protecting critical underwater infrastructure.

The Government has committed to enhancing the security and resilience of critical undersea infrastructure. This will be supported by up to £330 million of funding which has been outlined in the Defence Investment Plan, but we cannot provide further detail on this programme at this time for operational security reasons.