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Written question asked by Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Luke Pollard (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 September 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.


Armed Forces: Uncrewed Systems

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the 2025 Strategic Defence Review, whether he established an initial operating capability for a new Defence Uncrewed Systems Centre by February 2026, as outlined in Recommendation 29.

Answer

The Uncrewed Systems Centre (USC) was launched on 13 Jun 2026 by the then Secretary of State. The USC will strengthen Defence's ability to develop, test, integrate and field uncrewed systems across the Armed Forces. It will bring together expertise from military, industry and academia to accelerate capability delivery, improve interoperability and exploit lessons from current operations. The Centre will support experimentation, training and the adoption of emerging technologies, ensuring Defence can respond rapidly to evolving threats. Through a more coherent and coordinated approach, the Centre will help deliver operational advantage and maximise the effectiveness of uncrewed systems in support of UK Defence objectives.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
22931
Session
2026-27
Related items
Deposited Paper DEP2025-0341
Monday, 2 June 2025
Deposited papers
House of Commons
Subjects
Armed forces Uncrewed systems
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk