18 Sep 23. Defence Committee launches inquiry into conflict in the grey zone. The Defence Committee is today launching an inquiry into conflict in the ‘grey zone’. The grey zone can be defined as coercive activities that “…fall below perceived thresholds for military action and across areas of responsibility of different parts of the government”. Examples of grey zone conflict include cyberattacks, information campaigns and other hostile activities that fall below the threshold of armed conflict.
However, as seen in Ukraine, these activities can also take place alongside more conventional military operations. This inquiry will ask whether the United Kingdom’s Armed Forces are sufficiently capable of operating in this part of the spectrum of conflict. It will examine how the grey zone interacts with more conventional military activities, and what lessons can be drawn from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Committee’s inquiry will focus primarily on the UK’s Armed Forces, looking across the rest of Government’s grey zone capabilities within this context, and scrutinise the Government’s ability to work cross-departmentally.
The deadline for written evidence is Tuesday 31 October.
The Committee welcomes evidence on the following questions:
- How well are the UK’s Armed Forces configured to operate effectively in the grey zone for defensive and, where appropriate, offensive operations? For example, are grey zone threats adequately factored across the Defence Lines of Development, such as suitable doctrine, training and equipment?
- How well does MOD work with allies and other friendly states to counter grey zone threats, and is UK Defence perceived to be a leader on the subject?
- Responding to the grey zone threat requires effective cross-departmental and inter-government coordination, involving private sector and other sub-state organisations. Where does responsibility lie across Government for the United Kingdom’s grey zone strategy, planning and coordination activity, and how does Defence fit in?
- What challenges and opportunities do different forms of government face in the grey zone, and how specifically can liberal democracies operate there effectively?
- Does the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in 2022 indicate a failure of Russia over the past decade to achieve its aims through the use of grey zone activities, or simply a rebalancing of conventional and unconventional capabilities?
Form of written evidence:
Submissions should be no longer than 3,000 words. The main body of any submission should use numbered paragraphs. Each submission should contain:
- a short summary, perhaps in bullet point form;
- a brief introduction about the person or organisation submitting evidence, for example explaining their area of expertise or experience;
- any factual information from which the Committee might be able to draw conclusions, or which could be put to other witnesses;
- any recommendations for action by the Government or others which the submitter would like the Committee to consider for inclusion in its report to the House.
Submissions should be in malleable format such as MS Word (not PDFs) with no use of colour or logos.
Guidance on submitting written evidence and data protection information is available here: Guidance on submitting written evidence.
18 Sep 23. Nominations open for Chair of Defence Committee. The Speaker has announced the timetable for the election of the Chair of the Defence Select Committee following the resignation of Tobias Ellwood.
Nominations close at noon on Tuesday 24 October. If there is more than one candidate, a ballot will take place on Wednesday 25 October between 11am and 2.30pm
Under the standing orders of the House, the Chair of the Defence Committee is allocated to the Conservative Party. Candidates require the support of 15 fellow Conservative MPs for their nomination to be valid.
If only one MP is nominated for the role, they are elected unopposed. If two or more MPs stand, there follows a ballot where MPs vote by ranking candidates in order of preference. Votes are later counted under the Alternative Vote system. The result is expected to be announced in the Chamber later that day.
Valid nominations received on sitting days will be printed in the next day’s House business papers. They will also be published on the Parliament website along with the candidate’s supporting statement, signatories and any declared interests.
House of Commons and House of Lords Hansard Written Answers
Ukraine: Military Aid
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much and what proportion of the £770 million International Fund for Ukraine has been allocated to contractors as of 11 September 2023.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 19 September 2023
Following a recent additional contribution of £10 million from Sweden, total contributions to the International Fund for Ukraine now stand at over £780 million. £191 million, over 24% of the Fund, is now on contract. Further contracting activity is underway.
Warrior Vehicles
Question for Ministry of Defence
Earl Attlee
Conservative
Excepted Hereditary
Lords
To ask His Majesty’s Government what consideration has been given to remanufacturing the hulls of the Warrior armoured fighting vehicles in order to overcome the problem of cracking in highly stressed areas.
Answer
Baroness Goldie
Conservative
Life peer
Lords
Answered on 18 September 2023
There is no requirement for new hulls as the existing fleet of Warrior armoured fighting vehicles can be refurbished, as required, to a standard suitable for the needs of Defence. Procuring new hulls would also not present the optimum Value for Money solution when compared to maintaining the existing fleet.
F-35 Aircraft
Question for Ministry of Defence
Dave Doogan
Scottish National Party
Angus
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to upgrade all its F-35B aircraft with new Block 4 modifications.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 18 September 2023
I can confirm the Department intends to upgrade the UK F-35B Lightning fleet with Block 4 modifications.
F-35 Aircraft: Engines
Question for Ministry of Defence
Dave Doogan
Scottish National Party
Angus
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the F-35B fleet has experienced cooling considerations requiring engines to regularly provide higher than the expected 15 kW of bleed air extraction to support system cooling.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 18 September 2023
I can confirm the UK F-35B Lightning fleet has not been experiencing system cooling problems.
Defence
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Command Paper Refresh, published on 18 July 2023, what benefits he expects from transferring responsibility for the Global Defence Network to STRATCOM.
Answer
James Heappey
Conservative
Wells
Commons
Answered on 18 September 2023
The Global Defence Network (GDN) currently provides a cross-defence capability in British diplomatic missions around the world and a service for international defence engagement to all Ministry of Defence commands. The transfer of responsibility for GDN to UK Strategic Command is expected to deliver better integration between Defence sections and the other parts of Defence’s global footprint held in the command, including overseas bases, global hubs, specialist liaison officers and loan service staff.
The transfer gives UK Strategic Command an opportunity to better coordinate and expand the regional and cultural expertise provided by the GDN, as well as a capability to develop further a trained and experienced defence diplomacy cadre drawn from the three single Services. The move also allows the GDN to leverage all the resources available to UK Strategic Command to better prepare and support Defence Attachés and Loan Service colleagues working alongside our Allies and International partners.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: EUFOR
Question for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Alicia Kearns
Conservative
Rutland and Melton
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans that the UK will re-join the EUFOR peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina if its mandate is extended by the UN in November.
Answer
Leo Docherty
Conservative
Aldershot
Commons
Answered on 18 September 2023
EUFOR Operation Althea remains vital to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) peace and security and the UK will support its mandate renewal in the UN Security Council in November. We continue to explore options for supporting the security of BiH both through bilateral support to the BiH Armed Forces and through NATO HQ in Sarajevo. The UK Government has supported BiH Ministry of Defence to increase its capabilities, including in the areas of gender integration, officer training and international interoperability.
Type 23 Frigates
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Kevan Jones
Labour
North Durham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2023 to Question 195934 on Type 23 Frigates, how much of the £676.7 million for Type 23 frigate upkeep has been spent.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 14 September 2023
Of the £676.7 million allocated to Type 23 Upkeep until the class out of service date, about £37 million has been spent to date.
Arctic: Defence
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mark Logan
Conservative
Bolton North East
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made with NATO allies on assessing security risks emanating from the High North.
Answer
James Heappey
Conservative
Wells
Commons
Answered on 14 September 2023
The High North is changing rapidly. This poses both opportunities and challenges for the UK. His Majesty’s Government is committed to working with regional Allies and partners, including NATO, the Joint Expeditionary Force and the Northern Group to align policy, activity, and capability where possible and across all domains, including sharing assessments of the risks emanating from the High North. We have also actively forged Arctic-specific partnerships where we discuss regional risks, and remain a proactive member of the Arctic Security Forces Roundtable, a forum in which Allies share information on the changing environment, improve collective awareness of and de-conflict activity in the Arctic, and identify opportunities for further co-operation.
Ukraine: Military Aid
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2023 to Question 192474 on Ukraine: Military Aid, whether the four remaining contracts have (a) begun and (b) completed delivering capabilities to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Answer
James Heappey
Conservative
Wells
Commons
Answered on 14 September 2023
Delivery of capabilities to the Ukrainian Armed Forces have begun from four of the six International Fund for Ukraine (IFU) Urgent Bidding Round one contracts placed by 7 July 2023. Deliveries from the remaining two contracts are scheduled to begin over the coming months. All deliveries from these contracts are expected to have taken place by February 2024.
Warrior Vehicles
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Mark Francois
Conservative
Rayleigh and Wickford
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to resurrect the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 13 September 2023
The Department has no plans to resurrect the cancelled Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme.
Merlin Helicopters: Early Warning Systems
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the forecast (a) CDEL and (b) RDEL is for Crowsnest.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 13 September 2023
The forecast outturn for the ongoing CROWSNEST Demonstration & Manufacture contract phase is (a) CDEL £380.9 million and (b) RDEL £3.466 million. Spend associated with the earlier Assessment Phase is not included in this forecast.
HMS Albion
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how long he plans to keep HMS Albion in reduced readiness.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 13 September 2023
HMS Albion will enter a period of extended readiness of approximately six years on completion of her handover to HMS Bulwark. This aligns with the departmental position to have a single Landing Platform Dock continuously at operational readiness, with the other being held in extended readiness on a six-year cycle.
We do not disclose the detail of future readiness, or the capability improvement programmes, and their forward-looking availability forecasts, in order to preserve the operational security of the Fleet.
Defence: Procurement
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Command Paper Refresh, published on 18 July 2023, how his Department plans to implement the new maximum timescale for procurement projects of three and five years.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 12 September 2023
When proposing selection of a preferred solution to the appropriate approving authority, all programmes will be required to consider what opportunities are available to accelerate delivery of capability to the front-line within these timescales. This includes consideration of off the shelf solutions and the use of spiral development. More complex programmes, such as those that are part of the Government Major Projects Portfolio, will take longer.
Defence: Technology
Question for Ministry of Defence
Simon Jupp
Conservative
East Devon
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to increase innovation in defence technologies.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 11 September 2023
The Defence Command Paper highlighted the importance of science, innovation and technology in securing strategic advantage for our Armed Forces. Defence is investing over £6.6 billion in advanced Research and Development, and is working closely with UK industry and academia, to identify and invest in innovative technologies to ensure we have the capabilities we need to meet threats.
Military Aircraft: Helicopters
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current budget is for the New Medium Helicopter requirement.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 11 September 2023
The budget for the procurement of the overall New Medium Helicopter capability and an initial support period of approximately five years is £1.2 billion.
Challenger Tanks
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Kevan Jones
Labour
North Durham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the (a) quality and (b) timely delivery of RBSL’s contract to upgrade Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks to Challenger 3 specifications.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 11 September 2023
As with any major project DE&S works closely with its industry partners, ensuring performance through routine day-to-day engagement and regular programme reviews.Having successfully completed its Critical Design Review in January 2023, in line with the contract, Challenger 3 prototype vehicles are now in build at RBSL, Telford, ahead of physical trials starting in 2024. DE&S is actively monitoring progress and supporting RBSL’s wider business development as part of a collaborative drive for success on this vital Army programme.
Sky Sabre
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Command Paper Refresh, published on 18 July 2023, how much his Department has invested in the Sky Sabre air defence system.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 8 September 2023
Defence has invested over £660 million in the Sky Sabre air defence system. This includes sensors, command and control software, launchers and missiles.
Army: Vehicles
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the expected in service date is for the General Support Utility Platform.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 8 September 2023
The General Support Utility Platform (GSUP) is a project within the British Army’s Land Mobility Pipeline (formerly Protected Mobility Pipeline) Programme, to replace the ageing in-service Land Rover Wolf and Pinzgauer fleets of vehicles. The current Out of Service Date for both platforms is 2030, with the GSUP expected to be delivered from the mid-2020s. The Army is currently determining the specific Land Fleet Requirement for the GSUP under Future Soldier. Therefore, disclosure of the provisional cost estimate at this stage could prove prejudicial to subsequent engagement with industry.