Ben Obese-Jecty MP: written questions
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Written questions
Defence: Artificial IntelligenceMinistry of DefenceTabled 8 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 17093More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, paragraph 35, what is the full scope of the work to develop AI for underwater dominance.
Answer: AI for underwater dominance is part of the Atlantic Bastion programme and builds on AI for acoustics work conducted under ASW Spearhead and AUKUS Pillar 2 (Undersea Warfare. It will focus on continuing AI development for both existing and new acoustics se...
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordWeapons: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 8 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 17092More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the full scope is of Project STOKES.
Answer: Project STOKES aims to examine options to provide the UK Armed Forces with close indirect fire support, including suppression and precision strike, across all operational environments. It intends to support highly mobile forces and help meet the UK’s Very...
Answered 17 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSubmarines: Unmanned Marine SystemsMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16681More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 26 of the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, how many Type 93 extra-large uncrewed underwater vessels (XLUUV) does he intend to build for the Royal Navy.
Answer: The Defence Investment Plan announced the development of Type 92 uncrewed underwater sensing platforms and Type 93 extra-large uncrewed underwater vessels as part of the Royal Navy’s Atlantic Bastion programme, part of the Hybrid Navy strategy. The number...
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordMilitary IntelligenceMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16680More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to what extent are Projects ASGARD, BOYD, NEXUS and all elements of the Digital Targeting Web designed to be complementary and interoperable.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him to Question 15524: Interoperability is one of the core design principles at the heart of the Digital Targeting Web (DTW), ASGARD, BOYD and NEXUS. These are being actively aligned to common standards and pro...
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSky SabreMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16679More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 28 of the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, by when will he double the number of the Sky Sabre air defence missile systems operated by the Army.
Answer: The Defence Investment Plan commits over £350 million to double the number of deployable Sky Sabre air defence missile systems operated by the Army. This increase is being delivered through the Land Ground Based Air Defence (LGBAD) Programme's Capability ...
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordMilitary IntelligenceMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16678More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 25 of the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, what is the £5.5 billion Digital Backbone budget for after the £420 million for improving the underpinning connectivity an
Answer: The £5.5 billion Digital Backbone investment set out in the Defence Investment Plan provides Defence with its common and reusable digital infrastructure, systems and services. It enables secure communications, data exchange, and digital services, includin...
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: Digital TechnologyMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16677More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 23 of the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, what is the common synthetic environment.
Answer: The Common Synthetic Environment is Defence's secure digital proving ground. It is not a single simulator or software application. Rather, it is a connected and coherent ecosystem of data, models, simulations and AI services, built on Defence's Digital Ba...
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: Artificial IntelligenceMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16676More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, paragraph 35, under which programme name is the Land AI C2 concept being developed.
Answer: The Land AI C2 concept referenced in paragraph 35 of the Defence Investment Plan is currently in the concept development phase. As work remains at an early stage, it is not currently being developed under a named programme, and no programme name has yet b...
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: Body ArmourMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16675More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has taken steps to ensure the Virtus recompete contract is awarded to a company that can guarantee domestic production in the UK.
Answer: The Virtus Recompete procurement is being conducted under the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations (DSPCR) 2011 as a restricted competition, which includes tenderers from the UK. The evaluation criteria have been designed to award a contract ...
Answered 13 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordNavy: Guided WeaponsMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16674More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2025, to question 93097 on Navy: Guided Weapons, what progress has he made on the delivery of the Royal Navy's a) Stratus LO (Low Observable) and b) Stratus RS (Rapid Strike)
Answer: The Stratus programme with our European partners continues to progress to schedule. Development of the weapons and sub-systems is maturing, and the programme will transition soon to its Demonstration Phase at which point the dates for entry into service w...
Answered 13 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: TrainingMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16673More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on delivering Tranche 1 of the Pan Defence Skills Framework.
Answer: The Pan Defence Skills Framework (PDSF) launched across Defence on 23 March 2026 as part of Tranche 1 delivery. The Ministry of Defence have delivered for the first time ever, a common Defence-wide skills framework, skills architecture and supporting tech...
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordArmyMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16672More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the full scope is of Project Wavell.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 14 July 2025, to Question 65663: Project Wavell is the Army’s means to deliver force development transformation to 2030 and beyond towards an Army designed and organised for high-intensity warfighting. T...
Answered 16 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordCooneen DefenceMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16671More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what items of a) uniform and b) equipment were manufactured by Cooneen Defence between 2018 and 2023.
Answer: The Department does not hold information on all of the items of clothing or equipment manufactured by Cooneen Defence Limited.During the specified period Cooneen Defence Limited held 19 clothing contracts with the MOD through the Logistics, Commodities an...
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordWarships: Unmanned Marine SystemsMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16670More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what comparative assessment he has made of a) uncrewed, b) lean-crewed and c) boarding party support for maintenance of the Royal Navy’s new Type 91-94 autonomous vessels.
Answer: The Defence Investment Plan announced the development of uncrewed missile platforms (Type 91), uncrewed underwater sense platforms (Type 92), extra-large uncrewed underwater vessels (XLUUV) (Type 93), and uncrewed radar platforms (Type 94) to join the Roy...
Answered 13 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: Artificial IntelligenceMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16669More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, paragraph 39, by when he plans to deliver the Defence Strategic Approach to AI.
Answer: The Defence Strategic Approach to AI is currently being developed and will be finalised by the end of 2026.
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordNavy: Artificial IntelligenceMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16668More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, paragraph 35, under what project name AI for underwater dominance is being developed.
Answer: AI for underwater dominance is part of the Atlantic Bastion programme and builds on AI for acoustics work conducted under ASW Spearhead and AUKUS Pillar 2 (Undersea Warfare. It will focus on continuing AI development for both existing and new acoustics se...
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordAI Expert Advisory GroupMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16667More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the composition is of the AI Expert Advisory Group’s membership.
Answer: Defence is in the process of establishing the AI Expert Advisory Group to ensure it provides Defence with valuable, independent and critical challenge. To fulfil this role, the group’s membership will draw on expertise from a diverse range of professional...
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordNorway: MinesweepersMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16666More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, paragraph 46, how many offshore support vessels he plans to procure in conjunction with Norway.
Answer: The Defence Investment Plan sets out the Government's intention to pursue closer cooperation with Norway across a number of maritime capability areas. As part of the next phase of the Mine Hunting Capability programme, the Department will procure three Of...
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordDefence: FinanceTreasuryTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16665More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the policy paper entitled The Defence Investment Plan Funding explainer, published on 30 June 2026, what the £2.4 billion under Treasury support for ongoing international objectives and more effici
Answer: Through the DIP, HMT will provide £2.4 billion additional support by taking on responsibility for the cost of further support for ongoing international objectives which includes Ukraine Security Guarantees in case of a ceasefire, and unlocking additional ...
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordTyphoon AircraftMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16664More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 6 July 2026 to question 14531 on Typhoon Aircraft, what the breakdown is of the £4.3bn excluding the £1.1bn allocated for upgrading the Typhoon fleet.
Answer: The £4.3 billion funds UK Typhoon routine maintenance and previously agreed radar upgrades. This will assure the platform’s capability for the rest of the parliament and the foundation for the extensive upgrade work to come.
Answered 15 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRifles: AmmunitionMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16663More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the standard 5.56 x 45mm ball round to be fired from the L403A1 rifle without issue.
Answer: Safe and Suitable for Service assessments of the L403A1 rifle against the UK standard L15A2 5.56.x 45mm round and the M855 5.56 x 45mm US round were conducted during the procurement process. No functional, reliability or safety issues were identified.
Answered 13 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: AmmunitionMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16662More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the answer of 13 October 2025 to question 77262 on Armed Forces: Ammunition, what 5.56 x 45mm ball rounds heavier than four grams are used by the armed forces.
Answer: According to Defence General Munitions records, the following 5.56 x 45mm ball rounds heavier than four grams are in use by the UK's Armed Forces:ROUND 5.56MM BALL CARTON L15A2ROUND 5.56MM BALL CARTON L15A3ROUND 5.56MM BALL CARTON L15A4
Answered 13 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordType 26 Frigates: ShipbuildingMinistry of DefenceTabled 6 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16172More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 46 of the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, how many Type 26 build slots are allocated to the a) Royal Navy and b) Royal Norwegian Navy during the near-term investmen
Answer: The Type 26 programme remains focused on delivering a combined fleet of at least 13 frigates to hunt for Russian submarines in the North Atlantic, the biggest British warship deal in history and centrepiece of the Lunna House Agreement. That includes eigh...
Answered 14 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordNavy: Unmanned Marine SystemsMinistry of DefenceTabled 6 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16171More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, paragraph 46, what is the a) Planning Assumption for Service Entry of the Type 91 uncrewed missile platform and b) the timeline for develo
Answer: The Defence Investment Plan announced the development of the Type 91 and Type 92 uncrewed platforms as the Royal Navy transitions to a hybrid force of state-of-the-art crewed ships networked with uncrewed surface and undersea craft. The number of platform...
Answered 9 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordDefence: Economic GrowthMinistry of DefenceTabled 6 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16170More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has held with the East Regional Defence and Security Cluster regarding the potential merits of implementing a Defence Growth Deal for the East of England.
Answer: There are currently no plans to launch further Defence Growth Deals.
Answered 16 Jul 2026
Original Parliament record
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