My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (The Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

Reflecting our continued commitment to multilateralism and international peace and security, the UK continues to support increased engagement in the Sahel under the Government's new strategic approach...

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (The Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

Reflecting our continued commitment to multilateralism and international peace and security, the UK continues to support increased engagement in the Sahel under the Government's new strategic approach...

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Penny Mordaunt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

The F-35B Lightning II is an advanced, fifth-generation aircraft procured to operate alongside the RAF’s Typhoon. It will be jointly manned by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, will...

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Penny Mordaunt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

The F-35B Lightning II is an advanced, fifth-generation aircraft procured to operate alongside the RAF’s Typhoon. It will be jointly manned by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, will...

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Penny Mordaunt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to our Armed Forces, who perform exceptional feats in incredibly difficult circumstances to protect this country. We set the highest standards of personal behaviour...

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Penny Mordaunt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to our Armed Forces, who perform exceptional feats in incredibly difficult circumstances to protect this country. We set the highest standards of personal behaviour...

My Lords, let me begin by congratulating the members of the EU External Affairs Sub-Committee on their report, and by thanking my noble friend Lord Horam for his excellent introduction. I am equally grateful to all noble Lords who have spoken for sharing their knowledge and experience of defence and...

My Lords, let me begin by congratulating the members of the EU External Affairs Sub-Committee on their report, and by thanking my noble friend Lord Horam for his excellent introduction. I am equally grateful to all noble Lords who have spoken for sharing their knowledge and experience of defence and...

Lords motion to take note of the sixteenth report of the European Union Committee on Brexit: Common Security and Defence Policy missions and operations (HL 132). Agreed to on question.

Lords motion to take note of the sixteenth report of the European Union Committee on Brexit: Common Security and Defence Policy missions and operations (HL 132). Agreed to on question.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Gavin Williamson) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

The House may welcome an update on the military campaign against Daesh in Iraq and Syria. Forces in Iraq and Syria now say that, with the support of the global Coalition,...

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Gavin Williamson) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

The House may welcome an update on the military campaign against Daesh in Iraq and Syria. Forces in Iraq and Syria now say that, with the support of the global Coalition,...

My Lords, this has been a fascinating, wide-ranging and constructive debate, and I have been very firmly struck by the support which our great NATO alliance commands in your Lordships’ House in its 70th year. I feel sure I will not be alone in finding that enormous and enduring fund...

My Lords, this has been a fascinating, wide-ranging and constructive debate, and I have been very firmly struck by the support which our great NATO alliance commands in your Lordships’ House in its 70th year. I feel sure I will not be alone in finding that enormous and enduring fund...

My Lords, this week marks 70 years since 12 nations put their signatures to the North Atlantic Treaty and agreed that an attack on one was an attack on all. It is a privilege for me to open this debate celebrating the founding of that august institution, and I look...

My Lords, this week marks 70 years since 12 nations put their signatures to the North Atlantic Treaty and agreed that an attack on one was an attack on all. It is a privilege for me to open this debate celebrating the founding of that august institution, and I look...

I very much agree. We find the concept of EU or European strategic autonomy problematic if, as it appears to be, it drives an EU-exclusive or enclosed, institutionalised approach to security and defence that shuts out key strategic partners and could duplicate or undermine NATO. We see that exclusive approach...

I very much agree. We find the concept of EU or European strategic autonomy problematic if, as it appears to be, it drives an EU-exclusive or enclosed, institutionalised approach to security and defence that shuts out key strategic partners and could duplicate or undermine NATO. We see that exclusive approach...

I am grateful to the noble Lord for his comments but am sure that no one listening to his speech will have overlooked a powerful point he made about government messaging in general. I had intended not to comment too much on that theme but rather to go away and...

I am grateful to the noble Lord for his comments but am sure that no one listening to his speech will have overlooked a powerful point he made about government messaging in general. I had intended not to comment too much on that theme but rather to go away and...

Lords motion to take note of the seventieth anniversary of the founding of NATO and its continuing role in the United Kingdom's defence and security. Agreed to on question.

Lords motion to take note of the seventieth anniversary of the founding of NATO and its continuing role in the United Kingdom's defence and security. Agreed to on question.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK forces have been involved in any direct military action in Yemen in the last six months.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK forces have been involved in any direct military action in Yemen in the last six months.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Gavin Williamson) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

Three new initiatives, aimed at modernising the living and working arrangements for Armed Forces personnel will be launched today, 1 April. Our people are at the heart of Defence and...

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Gavin Williamson) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

Three new initiatives, aimed at modernising the living and working arrangements for Armed Forces personnel will be launched today, 1 April. Our people are at the heart of Defence and...

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the announcements by the government of the United States on 18 December 2018 and 21 February about the withdrawal of United States troops from Syria and the deployment of a small United States peacekeeping force in Syria, what is their current estimate of...

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the announcements by the government of the United States on 18 December 2018 and 21 February about the withdrawal of United States troops from Syria and the deployment of a small United States peacekeeping force in Syria, what is their current estimate of...

My right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (The Rt Hon Mark Lancaster TD VR) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

A new order has been made under section 56(1B) of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 to enable Reservists to be called into permanent service...

My right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (The Rt Hon Mark Lancaster TD VR) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

A new order has been made under section 56(1B) of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 to enable Reservists to be called into permanent service...

My Lords, with the leave of the House, I shall now repeat a Statement made earlier today in

another place by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence on the modernising defence programme. The Statement is as follows:

“Mr Speaker, in July I made a Statement setting out...

My Lords, with the leave of the House, I shall now repeat a Statement made earlier today in

another place by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence on the modernising defence programme. The Statement is as follows:

“Mr Speaker, in July I made a Statement setting out...

My Lords, I am grateful to both noble Lords for their questions and comments, which, in some respects, have covered similar ground. I will endeavour to reply to as many of the points as I can.

It is a little unfair to level at the Government the accusation that we have...

My Lords, I am grateful to both noble Lords for their questions and comments, which, in some respects, have covered similar ground. I will endeavour to reply to as many of the points as I can.

It is a little unfair to level at the Government the accusation that we have...

My Lords, I can deal very quickly with the second part of the noble and gallant Lord’s question. The Ministry of Defence stands ready to support other government departments if called upon, and if we find that the resources of those departments are insufficient in themselves. Having said that, we...

My Lords, I can deal very quickly with the second part of the noble and gallant Lord’s question. The Ministry of Defence stands ready to support other government departments if called upon, and if we find that the resources of those departments are insufficient in themselves. Having said that, we...

My Lords, the defence transformation fund means that £160 million will be available next year from within the MoD’s existing budget, and we are looking to make a further £340 million available as part of the spending review. That will be part of our bid. The transformation fund has been...

My Lords, the defence transformation fund means that £160 million will be available next year from within the MoD’s existing budget, and we are looking to make a further £340 million available as part of the spending review. That will be part of our bid. The transformation fund has been...

My Lords, if it is possible for the Ministry of Defence to share that document, I will certainly do as the noble Lord asks. In answer to his first question, there are two things to say about the MDP. First, this has been a major and very thorough piece of...

My Lords, if it is possible for the Ministry of Defence to share that document, I will certainly do as the noble Lord asks. In answer to his first question, there are two things to say about the MDP. First, this has been a major and very thorough piece of...