Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support the UK's strategic commitments in the Indo-Pacific region.

Defence is an essential part of the Indo-Pacific Tilt, which was set out in the 2021 Integrated Review (IR) Refresh.

Since IR21, the UK has participated in at least 50 exercises in the region, spanning land operations in Ex VIGILANT ISLES, to operations in the air domain as part of the 17 nation Ex PITCH BLACK in Australia. HMS SPEY and HMS TAMAR are also now permanently in the region, the first such permanent presence in more than 25 years.

We are also developing capability partnerships, including AUKUS and GCAP and supporting UK prosperity by strengthening defence exports.