Written questions by Cartlidge.

With reference to clause 31 of the Strategic Defence Review - Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, who will chair the Cabinet sub-Committee on Space.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 July 2025 to Question 68516 to the right hon. Member for Solihull West and Shirley (Dr Neil Shastri -Hurst), where I stated ‘I welcome the hon. Gentleman’s interest in space. The Ministry of Defence along with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and other departments, is coordinating space activities across government. Ministers from across government met on the 22 April to discuss space and, since the publication of the Strategic Defence Review, Ministers met on 7 July to follow up on our approach to space. We remain committed to establishing and evolving the right space governance structure to ensure that activities are effectively coordinated across all relevant Departments.’

With reference to paragraph 31 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, how many new staff will be employed for the CyberEM Command.

The Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force (DCEMF) remains in internal planning and design stages, with options presented to Defence but not yet endorsed by Military Strategic Headquarters. Resource and capability decisions are subject to the Defence annual planning cycle and the Defence Investment Plan, which will ultimately shape the design of the DCEMF and the speed, scale, and nature of implementation. I hope that the Hon. Gentleman will understand that until these processes are complete, details such as basing, costs, and workforce mix remain undecided and would be speculative.

With reference to page 122 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, updated on 8 July 2025, what proportion of the Spectrum Coordination Office will be staffed by (a) military and (b) civilian personnel.

The Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force (DCEMF) remains in internal planning and design stages, with options presented to Defence but not yet endorsed by Military Strategic Headquarters. Resource and capability decisions are subject to the Defence annual planning cycle and the Defence Investment Plan, which will ultimately shape the design of the DCEMF and the speed, scale, and nature of implementation. Until these processes are complete, details such as basing, costs, and workforce mix remain undecided and would be speculative.

With reference to recommendation 26 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on developing an understanding of the armed forces among young people in schools since 2 June 2025.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the importance of the Department for Education (DfE) in increasing understanding and appreciation of our Armed Forces in young people. Ministers and officials from the MOD have met with colleagues in the DfE and discussed how a formal curriculum could be part of their ongoing curriculum review. Both departments have also discussed the vital work of Cadet Forces in schools, membership of which is proven to help develop self-confidence, teamwork, leadership and resilience in young people. Our ongoing discussions with the DfE are crucial to implementing the Cadet ‘30 in 30’ scheme under which this Government is investing £70 million to add 40,000 new Cadets across the UK by 2030.The Strategic Defence Review is clear on the need for a whole of society approach to defence and the ongoing relationship between the MOD and the DfE is a key component of that plan. The Armed Forces enjoy good relationships with schools, primarily in terms of engagement to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) curriculum areas but this also extends to careers engagement. The Armed Forces only visit when they have been invited by a school to support activities and such visits cover a range of activities such as career events, citizenship talks, science and maths challenges and exercises.Regarding the recruitment of young people, it is important to note that the Armed Forces do not target recruitment activity at under-16s, and no visits to schools by the Armed Forces are directly linked to recruitment, other than specific Careers/Jobs Fairs which generally involve a range of employers. While presentations may be given highlighting the careers available in the Armed Forces, no pupil is ever signed up or able to make a commitment to become a recruit in the Armed Forces during the course of a visit.

With reference to page 122 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published in June 2025, how many new staff will be employed as part of the Spectrum Coordination Office.

The Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force (DCEMF) remains in internal planning and design stages, with options presented to Defence but not yet endorsed by Military Strategic Headquarters. Resource and capability decisions are subject to the Defence annual planning cycle and the Defence Investment Plan, which will ultimately shape the design of the DCEMF and the speed, scale, and nature of implementation. Until these processes are complete, details such as basing, costs, and workforce mix remain undecided and would be speculative.

With reference to clause 23 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, whether he will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on developing an understanding of the armed forces among young people in schools.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the importance of the Department for Education (DfE) in increasing understanding and appreciation of our Armed Forces in young people. Ministers and officials from the MOD have met with colleagues in the DfE and discussed how a formal curriculum could be part of their ongoing curriculum review. Both departments have also discussed the vital work of Cadet Forces in schools, membership of which is proven to help develop self-confidence, teamwork, leadership and resilience in young people. Our ongoing discussions with the DfE are crucial to implementing the Cadet ‘30 in 30’ scheme under which this Government is investing £70 million to add 40,000 new Cadets across the UK by 2030.The Strategic Defence Review is clear on the need for a whole of society approach to defence and the ongoing relationship between the MOD and the DfE is a key component of that plan. The Armed Forces enjoy good relationships with schools, primarily in terms of engagement to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) curriculum areas but this also extends to careers engagement. The Armed Forces only visit when they have been invited by a school to support activities and such visits cover a range of activities such as career events, citizenship talks, science and maths challenges and exercises.Regarding the recruitment of young people, it is important to note that the Armed Forces do not target recruitment activity at under-16s, and no visits to schools by the Armed Forces are directly linked to recruitment, other than specific Careers/Jobs Fairs which generally involve a range of employers. While presentations may be given highlighting the careers available in the Armed Forces, no pupil is ever signed up or able to make a commitment to become a recruit in the Armed Forces during the course of a visit.

With reference to page 24 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department have had discussions with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on the AI Opportunities Action Plan since 2 June 2025.

MOD Ministers and officials are working closely with DSIT colleagues in relation to the AI Opportunities Action Plan (AIOAP) and to drive forward the commitments set out in the Strategic Defence Review. That includes discussions involving both the Defence Secretary and the Technology Secretary on AI-enabled capability opportunities and Transformative AI, and wide-ranging collaboration between MOD, DSIT, and other cross-Whitehall officials focused on advancing Defence AI adoption, deepening cross-government understanding of strategic AI risks and opportunities, and Defence support for national initiatives such as growing the AI skills base and catalysing the UK’s technology industry.

With reference to page 55 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what the total cost to the public purse will be for establishing the Defence Research and Evaluation organisation.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 26 June 2025, to Questions 59137, 59138, 59140 and 59143, and to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr Obese-Jecty) to Question 59406. https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-06-11/59137 This evolution of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory is in the initial stages of planning and therefore requires substantial design work. The outcome of this, and subsequent details within, will be announced in due course.

With reference to page 53 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer, published on 2 June 2025, whether any new funding models to help make defence innovators more attractive for investment have been created since 2 June 2025.

The publication of the Strategic Defence Review and uplift in defence spending signals an ambition to position defence as an engine for growth. In support of this the Department has committed to launch a financial services strategy which will explore how to make defence innovators a more attractive proposition for private capital. In parallel, the Defence and Economic Growth Taskforce is building a new partnership with the UK’s outstanding defence industry, with innovators and with investors. On 1 July UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) launched to signal a transformation of how the Ministry of Defence approaches innovation. The Ministry of Defence will continue to explore new sources of funding to make defence innovators a more attractive proposition for private capital.

With reference to recommendation 47 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, whether he plans on establishing a cost-sharing arrangement with NATO allies to expedite the procurement of E-7 Wedgetail aircraft.

The UK remains open to exploring all opportunities for future E-7 Wedgetail procurement, subject to the availability of funding.

With reference to page 48 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, where the Digital Warfighter group will be based.

Our planning assumption is that the Digital Warfighter Group will be federated with the military commands. Hence the Group would be formed of multiple operational units, distributed across the UK.

With reference to page 65 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what steps he is taking to better publicise specialist roles available in the Reserves.

All three Services promote specialist Reserve roles through their respective recruitment websites, multi-channel engagement, social media campaigns and unit attraction activities. In addition, all roles are advertised on the Service for Experienced, Re-joiner and Volunteer Engagements (SERVE) website for opportunities within Defence. Publicity and recruitment activity will depend on the specific skills being sought. Some Reserve personnel, such as pilots and meteorologists, may be recruited directly during Service Leaver events for the skills they acquired during Regular service. Direct recruitment of specialist Reservists in areas such as medicine and healthcare may occur directly using specialist recruiters and we have also recently developed a route to Service for civilians with catering skills. Earlier this year, the first ab initio Reservist entered the Engineering specialism, which until recently was only open to ex-Regular personnel. We will increasingly look to publicise specialist Reservist roles for lateral entry as new routes open and will adapt to employ civilians with other specialist skills as demand requires.

With reference to recommendation 15 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, what recent progress his Department has made on tackling (a) structural, (b) behavioural and (c) leadership barriers to the creation of a more (i) representative and (ii) meritocratic workforce.

Raising our Standards has been established by Defence to address structural, behavioural, and leadership barriers. This work is key to operational delivery, recruitment, retention and driving forward an inclusive and safe culture. Raising our Standards has planned initiatives under five pillars: communications and influencing behaviour change, data and analytics, 100% action when tackling unacceptable behaviours, streamlined education and training, and developing world-class leaders. In response to recommendation 15 of the Strategic Defence Review regarding independent oversight of implementation, Raising our Standards is working to implement a refreshed External Challenge Panel by October 2025.

With reference to recommendation 5 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, when the first report of progress in establishing the fundamental capabilities of a core common platform will be submitted to the Secretary of State.

The fundamental capabilities of the core common platform set out within the Strategic Defence Review already exist and are being used today; however, they are not at the scale or delivering the integrated and innovative capabilities at the speed required to support the Integrated Force model. The regular progress reporting to Ministers will ensure that investment in these essential digital capabilities is closely monitored and prioritised through the Defence Investment Plan. The first progress report is due to be submitted to the Secretary of State in Autumn 2025.

With reference to recommendation 26 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025,what the cost to his Department is of increasing the Cadet Forces by 30% by 2030.

The campaign to increase the Cadet Forces by 30% by 2030 (’30 by 30’) is backed by £70 million of extra funding. The diverse and unique nature of the individual Cadet Forces and the federated approach to delivery mean that this funding will be spread across the single Services, Ministry of Defence (MOD) Centre, and supporting organisations. Work is currently underway to establish how the 30% increase will be realised, and costings will be refined through the ongoing Defence Investment Plan process. The recommendation of the Strategic Defence Review covers both school and community-based Cadet Forces across the country. For a number of years, one focus for Cadet growth has been through the ongoing joint Department for Education (DfE)/MOD Cadet Expansion Programme (CEP) in schools. The CEP will form a key component of the new ‘30 by 30’ campaign, and our important engagement with DfE on the delivery of this discreet element will continue. We wish to grow Cadets in areas where the need is greatest. The MOD and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) are working together to achieve this aim. In addition to our ’30 by 30’ campaign, MOD future growth plans will be aligned with areas with the highest deprivation levels and the weakest social infrastructure, including MHCLG’s Plan for Neighbourhoods programme places.

With reference to recommendation 49 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, when will the first departmental review of the (a) SKYNET 6A and (b) SKYNET 6EC satellite communications programmes (i) commence and (ii) conclude.

The Skynet 6 programme undergoes formal quarterly reviews and is subject to regular review by the National Infrastructure and Services Transformation Authority, the next is scheduled for November 2025. Those reviews consider the resilience and operational relevance of the planned Skynet 6A and EC capabilities, which are also continuously assessed against projected operational demands and emerging threats. Where necessary, adjustments are then made across the entire Ministry of Defence Space enterprise to both ground- and space-based elements.

With reference to paragraph 31 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what recent progress he has made on establishing the new CyberEM Command.

Design and implementation planning is well underway. The 4* Cyber and Specialist Operations Command has been launched as of 1 September 2025 and within it the 2* Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force is on schedule to be launched by the end of the year.

With reference to recommendation 56 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, updated on 8 July 2025, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of creating a single counter-intelligence unit.

The new Defence Counter Intelligence Unit’s (DCIU) mandate is to protect UK Defence from intelligence and espionage threats, at home and overseas, by bringing together expertise and specialist capabilities alongside the UK Intelligence Community. The DCIU will be led by a One Star equivalent Senior Civil Servant. We do not comment on the proportion of manpower figures or specific locations to safeguard national security and strategic Defence interests. The costs relating to the formation and running of the unit are ongoing and will form part of the Defence Investment Plan, due to be published later this year.

With reference to page 55 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, how many staff will be employed as part of the Defence Research and Evaluation organisation.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 26 June 2025, to Questions 59137, 59138, 59140 and 59143, and to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr Obese-Jecty) to Question 59406. https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-06-11/59137 This evolution of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory is in the initial stages of planning and therefore requires substantial design work. The outcome of this, and subsequent details within, will be announced in due course.

With reference to recommendation 37 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, when he expects the Royal Navy’s hybrid carrier airwing to reach full operational capability.

The Hybrid Air Wing, underpinned by the Royal Navy’s approach to Maritime Aviation Transformation, represents the evolution of the Fleet Air Arm to a crewed-uncrewed mix of drones, fast jets, helicopters and one-way effectors that will deliver enhanced lethality and combat mass for North Atlantic Sea Control, Homeland Defence and Carrier and Littoral Strike. Fielding a suite of capabilities that puts Europe’s only 5th generation aircraft carriers at the heart of NATO, the Hybrid Air Wing will be Uncrewed Where Possible, Crewed Where Necessary. The Hybrid Air Wing is an iterative concept, with individual capabilities subject to spiral development to keep pace with the threat; this means that there will not be a single declaration of Full Operational Capability. The investment decisions to support Strategic Defence Review recommendations are being developed by the Ministry of Defence and will be published in the Defence Investment Plan.