Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to recommendation 3 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, what metric was used to measure (a) the lethality of the Armed Forces, (b) productivity (i) within Defence and (ii) of industry and (c) the national economic impact of Defence spending and procurement.

This Government endorses the Strategic Defence Review’s (SDR) vision and accepts all 62 recommendations. The implementation of the Review’s recommendations will be priority business for the Department and will be executed through a whole of UK Defence effort.

Work is underway across the Department to develop metrics to support the monitoring of delivery. In response to the specific elements of recommendation 3 referenced:

1. Lethality
   I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predeccessor gave on 12 June 2025, to Question 57781 to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecrty).

1. Productivity

i) Within Defence:

How Defence is driving productivity will be codified in the Defence Reform and Efficiency Plan due to be published alongside the Defence Investment Plan later this year.

Productivity in Defence is measured through efficiency and effectiveness. This includes; cashable savings over the short or medium term and non-financial benefits such as time savings, the ability to redeploy military personnel and enhanced user experience. This aligns to the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) approach to measuring Public Sector productivity.

Ii) Of Industry
Work is currently underway to develop a Defence Supply Chain and Industry Productivity Key Performance Indicator (KPI), led by the National Armaments Director.

The definition and measurement of productivity is complex but also vitally important. The establishment of effective metrics will help drive the UK’s ability to convert resources—capital, labour, infrastructure, and innovation—into deployable capability at pace and scale. The MOD will actively work with stakeholders across government, industry, and academia to co-design this metric. The KPI is expected to evolve over time as data systems and policy maturity improve.

1. The national economic impact of Defence spending and procurement:
   We are making defence an engine for growth in every region and nation in the UK. Through the Defence Growth Board – co-chaired by the Chancellor and Defence Secretary – we are hardwiring growth into Defence decision-making, including the development of metrics and a framework to measure the national economic impact of defence for the whole country.