Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Army's submission to the Strategic Defence Review, whether it is his policy that the Army fights on the land to be the world-class army that (a) NATO is asking for and (b) the UK needs.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review will determine the roles, capabilities and reforms required by UK Defence to meet the challenges, threats, and opportunities of the twenty-first century, including for the British Army. The Review has been considering all aspects of Defence, including the major features of the force structure needed to create the necessary integrated multi-domain Defence capability of the future. NATO will remain the cornerstone of UK Defence, the Review has been looking at enhancing the UK's contribution to the Alliance, while protecting vital UK sovereign requirements and strategic reach.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December to Question 18985 on Army, whether the Departmental priority to double the lethality of the British Army by 2027 includes the acceleration beyond current plans of any current armoured vehicle programmes as a metric of measuring whether that target has been achieved.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The ambition set by the Chief of the General Staff to double the fighting power of the British Army by 2027 and treble it by 2030 exists within the Army as a principle to guide Army modernisation. It is not tied to specific programmes or procurements, but will incorporate the outcomes of the Strategic Defence Review.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December to Question 18985 on Army, whether the Departmental priority to double the lethality of the British Army by 2027 includes the procurement of the precision strike missile system as a metric of measuring whether that target has been achieved.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The ambition set by the Chief of the General Staff to double the fighting power of the British Army by 2027 and treble it by 2030 exists within the Army as a principle to guide Army modernisation. It is not tied to specific programmes or procurements, but will incorporate the outcomes of the Strategic Defence Review.
Apr. 10 2025
Source Page: New British Army robotic mine plough aims to better shield soldiers from dangerFound: New British Army robotic mine plough aims to better shield soldiers from danger
Apr. 10 2025
Source Page: New British Army robotic mine plough aims to better shield soldiers from dangerFound: New British Army robotic mine plough aims to better shield soldiers from danger
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people have applied for an (a) Gap Year Commission and (b) Army Officer Internship since 2015.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Since 2021, the Gap Year Commission has been integrated into the Army Internship Programme, providing individuals with the opportunity to experience a challenging and rewarding year with the Army in the role of an Army Officer for 12 months before, during or after university.
The department does not hold data related to applications for the entire period requested. Applications for the Army Officer Internship Programme commencing from September 2022 onwards are as follows:
Year | Applications |
2022 | 196 |
2023 | 156 |
2024 | 102 |
2025 | 120 |
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to increase the number of serving personnel in the British Army.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The current Government inherited a crisis in recruitment and retention from the last administration, and we are committed to addressing this through a range of targets, initiatives and measures.
The British Army continues to implement Future Soldier, with a whole force of over 100,000 comprising of 73,000 Regular Service Personnel and 30,100 Army Reserve.
Recruiting and retention remain one of our highest priorities - the Army/Capita Recruiting Partnering Project is completely focused on delivering a significant increase in recruitment in 2025-26, with the Army’s Retention Strategy focusing on reducing voluntary outflow.
On 6 February 2025 we announced the award of the contract for the new tri-service Armed Forces Recruiting Service (AFRS). It will provide a streamlined, single-entry point for prospective recruits, with the aim of attracting the best talent from across the country into the Armed Forces. The service will launch in 2027, replacing the individual schemes run by the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force.
Further announcements will be made in due course, in line with the future Strategic Defence Review.
Apr. 07 2025
Source Page: Government and industry to train up 'clean power army'Found: Government and industry to train up 'clean power army'
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the most recent survey of Army personnel on the quality of food served to them was undertaken.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Delivering high quality and varied food to Service personnel is important to both the Army and the Department. The Army regularly provides opportunities for its personnel to provide feedback and encourages them to do so.
The most recent survey undertaken occurred in 2021, whereby the Army undertook the Army Messing Survey The feedback from this survey informed the development of the Army EATS (Exploring the Appetites of Today Soldiers) report. Not only did the survey collate personnel feedback relating to the quality of food, but also feedback on serving hours, environment and the method of service provided.
Acting on the results of this, in 2024 Defence launched the Defence Catering Strategy, which aims to improve food provision across the entire Armed Forces and provides new menus for Service personnel. The strategy also encourages personnel to regularly provide feedback through a wide variety of existing means so that we can continually improve food quality across Defence.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Army's submission to the Strategic Defence Review, whether it is his policy that the Army should be (a) resilient, (b) built upon collaboration with industry, (c) increasing UK prosperity and reinforcing operational independence.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review will determine the roles, capabilities and reforms required by UK Defence to meet the challenges, threats, and opportunities of the twenty-first century, including for the British Army. The Review has been considering the state of the defence technological and industrial base, and the contribution of Defence to the Government's Growth Mission.