Written questions by Akehurst.

What steps his Department takes to help ensure that overseas‑owned original equipment manufacturers keep work in the UK supply chain in the event of delays or pauses to defence programmes.

The Defence Industrial Strategy sets out the commitment to make the UK a defence industrial leader by 2035, ensuring the UK becomes Europe’s leading defence exporter and the most attractive country in the world to grow a defence business. By reducing regulatory barriers, supporting our small and medium sized enterprises together with the work of our Defence Supply Chain Capability Programme, we are fostering closer collaboration between the Ministry of Defence and industry, helping shape the market, and embedding resilience by design into our supply chains.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the medical capacity of the armed forces.

The Strategic Defence Review recognises rebuilding medical capacity and capability within Defence is critical to ensure our Armed Forces remain fighting fit in peacetime and are prepared to meet operational demands when at war. Defence Medical Services (DMS) is working with the NHS to understand and improve system-wide capacity and capability. This work has included a series of exercises to explore the UK’s ability to deal with casualties across a range of scenarios up to and including warfighting. The DMS and NHS are also engaged in work to restore deployability for service personnel. The Department ensures military medics maintain the skills they require to support military operations across the globe with over 1000 military Doctors, Nurses and Allied Health Professionals based in 56 NHS trusts across the UK. Further, working with allies, through the NATO Medical Action Plan, the Department is focused on addressing priority challenges in workforce; mass casualty planning; patient evacuation; and medical logistics to improve the medical capacity of the Armed Forces.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the retention payment introduced by the armed forces to private soldiers and lance corporals in 2025 on recruitment and retention of personnel.

The Army forecasts the impact to be in the region of 290 retentions to date. While there is no way to isolate the impact of this specific initiative from wider retention efforts, in seeking approval for this initiative, an assessment was made that c300 service personnel would be retained per year with an indicative saving over the cost of replacement. Therefore, the overall assessment is that Army Retention Payment is performing as anticipated.

What proportion of serving British soldiers are classified as medically fit for immediate deployment; and how this compares to NATO readiness benchmarks.

The vast majority of our Service Personnel - around 90% - are deployable at any point, with most of the remaining members of our Armed Forces employed in wider military roles.

What progress has been made on improving the lethality of the armed forces since the publication of the Strategic Defence Review.

Whether it is drones, counter-drone systems, ASGARD or Atlantic Bastion. We have made significant improvements to lethality of the Armed Forces since the Strategic Defence Review’s publication. We are delivering the capabilities and skills needed for the new operating environment. We have increased the number of uncrewed systems used by our Armed Forces, with delivery of over 8000 since July 2024, alongside developing the digital tools to support our warfighters, and establishing the Centre for Uncrewed Systems to cohere the skills and development of this crucial technology. We are fostering the UK's next generation autonomous technology base and working with European partners on our new generations of munitions and deep precision strike as we continue to drive our Armed forces' lethality. For example, we have also signed a multi-million contract with UK start-up Cambridge Aerospace to supply new interceptor missiles and launchers to the UK Armed Forces and Gulf partners. These are designed to counter Shahed-style attack drones, with the first deliveries to the MOD expected in May. Our work to strengthen our armed forces is never done. We will set out how we are implementing the Strategic Defence Review's recommendations and improve the lethality and effectiveness of our Armed Forces through our forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of adapting Type 31 frigates for enhanced air defence or strike roles to support carrier operations.

The Type 31 frigate has been designed as a capable, flexible and affordable general-purpose platform that will undertake a wide range of global tasks. The Department routinely assesses the potential merits of adapting Royal Navy (RN) platforms, including Type 31, to respond to evolving operational requirements.As with all RN platforms, options for incremental upgrades are kept under regular review. For security and operational reasons, the Ministry of Defence does not comment on detailed capability development plans in the public domain.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the levels of demand among allied navies for specialised anti-submarine warfare frigates.

The Government continues to review trends in allied demand for specialised anti‑submarine warfare capabilities as part of its assessment of the evolving and growing undersea threat.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure sufficient artillery ammunition stockpiles for sustained operations in a peer-on-peer conflict.

The hon. Member will know UK stocks have been reduced from gifting to Ukraine since Putin’s full-scale invasion. The Strategic Defence Review sets out the plan to recover stockpiles - munition stockpile levels are actively reviewed to ensure current holdings are balanced against threats, availability, industrial capacity and evolving technology. The announcement of six new energetics and munitions factories are part of this effort. It would not be appropriate to comment on specific stockpile levels, as this information is operationally sensitive.

What assessment he has made of the capacity of the UK shipbuilding industry to sustain the production of complex warships.

The UK has a strong sovereign shipbuilding industry with a long history of delivering complex vessels for the Royal Navy. This expertise is also recognised by our allies and partners, including the £10 billion strategic partnership deal to export the Type 26 Frigate class to Norway that will be built by BAES on the Clyde. In Rosyth, Babcock Marine recently achieved the simultaneous steel cutting and rolling out of two Type 31 Frigates, highlighting the growing capacity to deliver concurrent builds. The work to recapitalise Harland and Wolff by Navantia is on track to return major naval vessel builds to Belfast. The Type 26, Type 31 and Fleet Solid Support programmes, coupled with export success, have driven investment in the capacity and capability of our UK shipyards with new infrastructure, panel line technology and the development of our future skilled workforce. This capacity extends to our wider supply chain and to companies like APCL Group and our small and medium shipyards which play a vital role in delivering the Navy’s current and future ambitions. The £20 million Government investment to support the restoration of Inchgreen dry dock on the Clyde also secures additional strategic capacity. The Shipbuilding and Maritime Technology Action Plan will set out further detail on our future ambitions for the sector and the actions we will take to ensure we sustain and grow capacity, capability and resilience in our UK shipbuilding sector and our wider sovereign supply chain.

What estimate he has made of the total value of recent UK warship exports, including those of the Type 26 and Type 31 frigate programmes.

The UK continues to support defence exports through the provision of design expertise, government‑to‑government engagement, and industrial collaboration. Recent successes include an agreement worth £10 billion to supply Norway with Type 26 frigates, and the selection of the Type 26 design by the navies of both Canada and Australia. The Arrowhead 140 design, upon which the Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigate is based, has also been exported to Poland and Indonesia. These programmes demonstrate the competitiveness of UK naval design and contribute to sustaining the nation’s maritime industrial base.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for this policies of the absence of a mechanised infantry combat vehicle in British Army equipment plans.

Boxer is set to become the new British Mechanised Infantry Vehicle, an eight-by-eight-wheeled, all-terrain, armoured transport vehicle, designed for rapid deployment, high mobility, and modularity.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of cancelling the Ajax programme on planned British Army equipment numbers.

As advised within my Written Ministerial Statement dated 22 January 2026, the future of the Ajax platform is being considered as part of the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan (DIP). The DIP will set out investment priorities across Defence, to ensure we can deliver the capabilities required to meet the threats we face today and in the future.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of war stocks held by the British Army to replace damaged or destroyed equipment in a high-intensity conflict.

The Army has undertaken a broad assessment of the capabilities and enablers required for a UK Strategic Reserve Corps (SRC), inclusive of a division, to operate as a credible war‑fighting formation. This assessment is aligned with Defence planning assumptions and NATO standards and is kept under regular review. The assessment also recognises the importance of the entire system to enable divisional operations at scale and tempo, as well as sufficient stocks of munitions, spares, and fuel. These requirements are considered alongside the need for integration with allies, interoperability, and the ability to operate in contested and degraded environments. For reasons of operational security, the Department does not release detailed assessments of specific stock levels.

What assessment he has made of the equipment that would be required to enable a UK Army division to operate as a war-fighting formation.

The Army has undertaken a broad assessment of the capabilities and enablers required for a UK Strategic Reserve Corps (SRC), inclusive of a division, to operate as a credible war‑fighting formation. This assessment is aligned with Defence planning assumptions and NATO standards and is kept under regular review. The assessment also recognises the importance of the entire system to enable divisional operations at scale and tempo, as well as sufficient stocks of munitions, spares, and fuel. These requirements are considered alongside the need for integration with allies, interoperability, and the ability to operate in contested and degraded environments. For reasons of operational security, the Department does not release detailed assessments of specific stock levels.

What discussions he has had with Canada, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands on cooperation in the North Atlantic in connection with the Atlantic Bastion concept.

Within the Atlantic Bastion concept, Royal Navy general‑purpose frigates will continue to play an important role in providing maritime presence, patrol, escort and reassurance tasks, while also acting as flexible platforms able to integrate with uncrewed systems. The exact pace and scale of capability enhancements delivered through Atlantic Bastion will be determined through the Defence Investment Plan. The Secretary of State for Defence and First Sea Lord have engaged with counterparts and senior officials from Canada, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands on the Atlantic Bastion concept through a range of bilateral and multilateral forums, including NATO Defence Ministerial meetings and North Atlantic-focused working groups. The UK will continue to work closely with these Allies to ensure the North Atlantic remains secure and resilient.

Whether anti-submarine warfare is the primary operational focus of the Royal Navy for the foreseeable future.

Anti-submarine warfare remains a central and enduring operational priority for the Royal Navy due to the need to protect the UK’s Continuous at Sea Deterrent and to counter the growing undersea threat in the North Atlantic through the Atlantic Bastion concept.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for UK maritime security of the United States Navy placing increased strategic emphasis on the Pacific region.

The Strategic Defence Review 25 clearly sets out how the UK will maintain its Defence and Security, including maritime security. This includes the Defence Secretary’s foreword to the review highlighting investment in the hybrid navy as a priority, and in the context of the changing priorities of the United States.

What steps is his Department is taking to ensure interoperability of Type 26 frigates across UK, Canadian, and Norwegian fleets.

The UK works closely with Canada and Norway to ensure interoperability across frigates based on the Type 26 design through regular engagements covering shipbuilding, training, supply chain management, through life sustainability and aligned standard operating procedures.

What role general-purpose frigates within the Royal Navy will have following the development of the Atlantic Bastion concept.

Within the Atlantic Bastion concept, Royal Navy general‑purpose frigates will continue to play an important role in providing maritime presence, patrol, escort and reassurance tasks, while also acting as flexible platforms able to integrate with uncrewed systems. The exact pace and scale of capability enhancements delivered through Atlantic Bastion will be determined through the Defence Investment Plan. The Secretary of State for Defence and First Sea Lord have engaged with counterparts and senior officials from Canada, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands on the Atlantic Bastion concept through a range of bilateral and multilateral forums, including NATO Defence Ministerial meetings and North Atlantic-focused working groups. The UK will continue to work closely with these Allies to ensure the North Atlantic remains secure and resilient.

How many Type 26 anti-submarine warfare frigates are expected to be available for operations in the North Atlantic in support of the Atlantic Bastion concept.

The Type 26 programme will deliver eight anti-submarine warfare frigates for the Royal Navy, which are designed primarily for operations in the North Atlantic and will form a core component of the Atlantic Bastion concept.