Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what joint exercises are planned with Commonwealth partners to test collective security guarantees.

The Commonwealth is a political association that does not provide collective security guarantees in the same way that NATO does. The UK Armed Forces routinely conduct exercises with Commonwealth partners on a bilateral and multilateral basis to build capacity, strengthen regional security and enhance interoperability.

The only other Commonwealth nation in NATO is Canada, with both countries expected to participate in NATO’s STEADFAST series of exercises designed to test and validate the alliance’s readiness and ability to defend the Euro-Atlantic. All members of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) are Commonwealth nations, but this grouping is consultative and does not provide direct security guarantees. The UK routinely participates in FPDA exercises that are announced on its website.