Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October to Question 79482 on Defence: Intelligence Services, whether the Defence Counterintelligence Unit was delivered by the November 2025 timeline outlined in the Strategic Defence Review.

The Defence Counterintelligence Unit (DCIU) was endorsed at the Military Strategic Headquarters Board earlier in November 2025, in line with the timeline outlined in the Strategic Defence Review. This unit will build on the work of existing capabilities in Defence with further work required to reach full operating capability. We expect to announce further progress on the intelligence recommendations from the Strategic Defence Review, including the DCIU, by the end of the year.