Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 81 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, HC1468, what steps he has taken to implement flexible, rapid, and effective decision making in his Department.

In Spring 2023, we agreed to review the Defence Operating Model to optimise our response to the current dynamic threat environment.

The work is anticipated to last between 18 and 24 months, until Spring 2025, which includes the need to simplify our processes and associated decision-making. As we design the future operating model, we will pilot improvements in priority areas across the system to drive change iteratively and quickly, aiming for significant changes to be in place from April 2024.

We see this work as the beginning of a new approach to operating model design, in which we continuously review and iterate our operating model to ensure it meets our needs thereafter.