Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 27 November 2025 on MOD Security Review, HCWS1103, if he will list the ranks of personnel that will conduct training with a Remote Piloted Aerial System.

Before April 2025 this information was not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate costs. I can, however, confirm that for this financial year we have approved £4.6 million on equipment, service and maintenance, and training on Remote Piloted Aerial Systems (RPAS) for the purpose of enhancing our base security as set out in the 27 November 2025 statement on MOD Security Review.

Initial training will commence in January 2026 with the first tranche of pilots completing their training by March 2026. The pilots will range in rank from non-commissioned officers to senior non-commissioned officers, and civilian equivalents. Those who will be trained to manage the safety risk of the systems will be officers and civilian equivalents.

We take security extremely seriously. This investment demonstrates our commitment to enhance our ability to deter and respond to threats.