29 May 25. How have shifts in geopolitics impacted the UK’s defence and security priorities in the Arctic and the High North? – MPs to investigate.
Evidence Session: Defence in the High North
Tuesday 3 June 2025, 10.30, CR16
Watch on parliamentlive.tv
The Defence Committee will hold a one-off session to examine how the UK’s defence and security priorities in the Arctic and High North have evolved in response to the shifting geopolitical landscape. The session will be held at 10.30, on Tuesday 3 June.
Rising tensions between Russia and NATO and the impact of climate change have given the Arctic region greater geopolitical significance. In this one-off session, witnesses will be questioned on the current defence and security challenges in the region, including exploring Russia’s military intentions and the role of other states. Questions could explore how the effects of climate change may lead to increased economic activity in the region, and the security implications of this.
MPs may also seek to understand if the UK has adequate capabilities to operate in the Arctic, and what investments may be needed to meet any shortfalls. The UK’s work with allies in the region, including members of NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force, may also be explored.
10.30, Tuesday 3 June:
- Caroline Kennedy-Pipe – Professor of War Studies, Loughborough University
- Dr James Patton Rogers – Executive Director, Brooks Tech Policy Institute, Cornell University
- Brigadier Gen. (Retd) Robbie Boyd – Associate Fellow at Royal United Services Institute
House of Commons and House of Lords Hansard Written Answers
Germany: Guided Weapons
Question for Ministry of Defence
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned in-service date is for the deep precision strike weapon that will be developed with Germany.
Answer
Maria Eagle
Labour
Liverpool Garston
Commons
Answered on 27 May 2025
The UK and Germany are considering several concepts and technologies to address emerging threats so far and have defined a joint range requirement of over 2000km.
Rifles: Costs
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Mark Francois
Conservative
Rayleigh and Wickford
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the total cost of the Royal Marines’ Knights Armament Stoner 1 (KS-1) rifle programme, including (a) optical and thermal sights and suppressors and (b) all associated equipment; and how much of this budget has been spent to date.
Answer
Maria Eagle
Labour
Liverpool Garston
Commons
Answered on 27 May 2025
The Knight Stoner KS-1 has been procured by Royal Navy as part of the Future Commando Force Transformation. The total cost of this rifle to the Programme is £30.422 million, of which, £22.887 million has been spent to date.
Unmanned Marine Systems: Procurement
Question for Ministry of Defence
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to procure the Lura-SG-1 artificial intelligence system.
Answer
Maria Eagle
Labour
Liverpool Garston
Commons
Answered on 27 May 2025
The Royal Navy has begun industry engagement to understand how commercial systems could be used to conduct anti-submarine warfare in the Atlantic.
Aircraft Carriers
Question for Ministry of Defence
Ben Obese-Jecty
Conservative
Huntingdon
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 51569 on Aircraft Carriers, what factors his Department would consider on balancing funding decisions on aircraft launch and recovery equipment.
Answer
Maria Eagle
Labour
Liverpool Garston
Commons
Answered on 27 May 2025
The Ministry of Defence considers numerous factors to ensure a balanced result when making procurement decisions. These include: operational capability enhancement and technical innovation offered by new equipment; alignment with national security and defence strategies; interoperability with allies; industrial benefits; lifecycle costs and affordability; procurement risk; environmental sustainability; and regulatory compliance. Decisions on future capabilities are subject to the outcome of the Strategic Defence Review which is considering how the UK will meet the challenges, threats and opportunity of the 21st century.
Nuclear Submarines: Safety
Question for Ministry of Defence
Dave Doogan
Scottish National Party
Angus and Perthshire Glens
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2025 to Question 49938 on Nuclear Submarines: Safety, what the Category (a) A and (b) B Nuclear Site Event Reports recorded at (i) Coulport and (ii) Faslane were.
Answer
Maria Eagle
Labour
Liverpool Garston
Commons
Answered on 27 May 2025
Nuclear Site Event Reports are raised to foster a robust safety culture that learns from experience, whether that is equipment failures, human error, procedural failings, documentation shortcoming or near-misses.
I cannot provide specific detail for the events as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of any relevant forces, I can assure the hon. Member that none of the events listed in Question 49938 caused harm to the health of any member of staff or to any member of the public and none have resulted in any radiological impact to the environment.
F-35 Aircraft
Question for Ministry of Defence
Ben Obese-Jecty
Conservative
Huntingdon
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Royal Navy’s Maritime Aviation Transformation Strategy has made a decision on the future of the F-35B Lightning fighter aircraft.
Answer
Maria Eagle
Labour
Liverpool Garston
Commons
Answered on 23 May 2025
The F-35B Lightning will be at the forefront of the Nation’s conventional deterrent for decades to come. The Royal Navy’s Maritime Aviation Transformation Strategy is investigating how to further expand the deployment of uncrewed air systems in Royal Navy ships, including the aircraft carriers. Decisions on future capabilities are subject to the outcome of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) which is looking at the threats we face and the capabilities we need to meet the challenges, threats and opportunity of the 21st century.
Unmanned Air Systems: Procurement
Question for Ministry of Defence
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May to Question 49007 on Unmanned Air Systems: Procurement, whether he has a target for procuring additional strike capabilities for the Queen Elizabeth class.
Answer
Maria Eagle
Labour
Liverpool Garston
Commons
Answered on 23 May 2025
The Strategic Defence Review will inform any requirement for additional strike capabilities for the Queen Elizabeth Class. In the interim, the Royal Navy continues to investigate emerging technologies to understand how they can contribute to enhancing operational advantage.
Fixed Wing Autonomous Collaborative Platforms have the potential to enhance operational advantage, hence, will be evaluated in collaboration with the Royal Air Force.
Defence: Finance
Question for Ministry of Defence
Sarah Gibson
Liberal Democrat
Chippenham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department’s timetable is for publishing (a) a full timeline and (b) funding pathway for achieving the target of spending 2.5% of GDP on defence; and what plans he has for infrastructure upgrades at bases in Wiltshire.
Answer
Maria Eagle
Labour
Liverpool Garston
Commons
Answered on 23 May 2025
The pathway to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence was set out in the Spring Statement earlier this year and will be reflected in the outcome of the second phase of the Spending Review that is due to be finalised on 11 June 2025. The Defence Housing Strategy, planned for publication later this year, will set out a roadmap to deliver a generational renewal of military accommodation. The main objective is to raise the minimum standard of Armed Forces housing across the MOD estate, including military housing in Wiltshire.
Dual Use Goods and Technologies: Israel
Question for Department for Business and Trade
Munira Wilson
Liberal Democrat
Twickenham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to restrict dual-use technology from being exported to Israel.
Answer
Mr Douglas Alexander
Labour
Lothian East
Commons
Answered on 23 May 2025
All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. On 2 September we took decisive action, suspending certain licences for exports of items for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) that might be used in military operations in Gaza – whether such licences covered military or dual-use goods – and we continue to review licence applications on this basis.
Firearms: Procurement
Question for Ministry of Defence
Ben Obese-Jecty
Conservative
Huntingdon
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had recent discussions with Heckler & Koch to procure (a) MG5s and( b) HK421s.
Answer
Maria Eagle
Labour
Liverpool Garston
Commons
Answered on 22 May 2025
The Secretary of State for Defence has not engaged Heckler and Koch on the potential procurement of their MG5 or HK421 machine guns.
Unmanned Marine Systems: Procurement
Question for Ministry of Defence
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to procure any SG-1 Fathom underwater gliders.
Answer
Maria Eagle
Labour
Liverpool Garston
Commons
Answered on 22 May 2025
The Royal Navy has begun industry engagement to understand how commercial systems could be used to conduct anti-submarine warfare in the Atlantic. Any acquisition of these capabilities would be subject to outcomes of the Strategic Defence Review, funding and open competition.
Armed Forces: Uniforms
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Mark Francois
Conservative
Rayleigh and Wickford
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost is of the Crye Precision uniform programme; and whether a replacement combat uniform programme is planned.
Answer
Maria Eagle
Labour
Liverpool Garston
Commons
Answered on 22 May 2025
The Royal Navy have spent £15.803 million to date regarding the total procurement of Crye Precision uniforms. A future uniform programme is in development.
Armed Forces: Communication
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Mark Francois
Conservative
Rayleigh and Wickford
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what budget has been allocated to Project Eve; what the (a) current and (b) anticipated future spend are for that project; and what steps he is taking to ensure interoperability with the (i) Army’s and (ii) Royal Navy’s communications systems.
Answer
Maria Eagle
Labour
Liverpool Garston
Commons
Answered on 22 May 2025
As part of the Commando Force (CF) Programme, £99.78 million has been spent on spiral development and fielding of the EVE digital backbone capability. A further £56 million budget for EVE is approved as future spend, to enable interoperable development and scaling to Littoral Strike Group level by December 2030.
Defence: Procurement
Question for Ministry of Defence
Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst
Conservative
Solihull West and Shirley
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many defence contracts his Department has awarded since 5 July 2024; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken for procurement on the defence industrial base.
Answer
Maria Eagle
Labour
Liverpool Garston
Commons
Answered on 22 May 2025
Based on contracts created in the Ministry of Defence Commercial Contracting system there have been 1986 contracts created with a start date more recent than 5 July 2024. It is widely recognised that there are issues with the Department’s procurement system including that it is inefficient and creates uncertainty and barriers to entry for industry especially SMEs. The Defence Industrial Strategy will radically reform procurement to tackle these inefficiencies, cut waste, reduce red tape, and deliver maximum value for both our Armed Forces and our economy.
Ukraine: Armoured Fighting Vehicles
Question for Ministry of Defence
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Foxhound vehicles have been donated to Ukraine (a) before and (b) since 5 July 2024.
Answer
Luke Pollard
Labour
Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
Commons
Answered on 21 May 2025
Over 240 protected mobility vehicles have been donated to Ukraine since February 2022.