Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to produce a new joint doctrinal note or joint concept note on the UK approach to unmanned vehicles.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s Joint Doctrine Note (JDN) 2/11 "The UK Approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems" was published on 30 March 2011. The principles contained within the note apply to systems and vehicles operating at sea and on land.

It is MOD policy that Joint Doctrine Notes remain valid for a limited period to inform future doctrine and concept publications. Work is under way to reflect and update the ideas contained within JDN 2/11 within new concepts and doctrine publications that are currently in production; at which point the note will be withdrawn. We expect this to be in the summer of 2016.

There are currently no plans to produce a new Joint Doctrine or Concept Note specifically on the UK approach to unmanned vehicles; however, the MOD reserves the right to do so in the future should the need arise.