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Written question asked by Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative) on Thursday, 9 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 July 2026. It was answered by Louise Sandher-Jones (Labour) on Friday, 17 July 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Canada: Military Bases

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 27 of the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, what steps he plans to take to exploit the (a) size, (b) scale, and (c) freedom of the British Army Training Unit Suffield.

Answer

The British Army is refocusing the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) to support training and experimentation with robotic and autonomous systems, counter-uncrewed aerial systems, and other enabling capabilities across its 2,700 km² training area, reflecting lessons learned from Ukraine.

BATUS provides a unique environment in which to train and test against realistic threats, including through greater freedom to operate at scale across speed, height and electromagnetic spectrum parameters. This enables the Army to develop and evaluate emerging approaches to warfare, including the integration of uncrewed systems, electronic warfare, loitering munitions and counter-uncrewed aerial systems in a contested environment.

As outlined in the Defence Investment Plan, future investment will make greater use of the site's size, scale and freedom of manoeuvre, supporting the accelerated development and delivery of uncrewed systems capability.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
17493
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Army Canada Military bases
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk