My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has spoken to NATO counterparts on various occasions about a range of topics, most recently at the NATO Defence Ministerial meeting on 24-25 October. The UK has repeatedly raised concerns at Ministerial and official level about the Turkish purchase of S-400 missiles.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has raised our concern about Turkey's acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile system with both our Turkish and wider NATO counterparts. Turkey is a valued NATO Ally, on the front line of some of the UK and the Alliance's most difficult security challenges. Defence equipment procurement decisions are for individual nations, but all NATO allies have committed to reducing their dependence on Russian-sourced military equipment.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has raised this with his US counterpart and senior Government officials have also done so with theirs. We have also discussed this with other NATO Allies. In our representations we have emphasised that we believe the Treaty remains a valuable Confidence and Security Building Measure which contributes to military transparency and reducing the risk of conflict.

We anticipate that a design and build contract for the Fleet Solid Support ships will be awarded in 2020, for a class of up to three ships.

The table below shows the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's workforce requirement, by rank and rate, as at 1 April 2019.

I am withholding the strength figures as their disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Note: These figures are from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's internal system and could differ from published figures.

My right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Defence (Penny Mordaunt) met with Turkey's Defence Minister in Brussels last month, when she raised our concerns about Turkey's purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system. Turkey is a valued NATO Ally, and while we are disappointed that Turkey has chosen to acquire the S-400 we remain committed to our strategic partnership. We will continue to discuss our concerns with Turkey.

Designing and building submarines is one of the most complex activities that the Ministry of Defence and UK Industry undertakes. Historically the Astute Programme has suffered delays, as documented by the National Audit Office. Delays to the programme are predominantly due to the fact that BAE Systems and its supply chain had to re-establish the UK's nuclear submarine design, build, testing and commissioning capability following the ten-year gap after the delivery of the last Vanguard Class submarines, as well as addressing some unique technical challenges.

My right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary has not yet had the opportunity to speak with her Turkish counterpart, but we have repeatedly raised our concerns about the proposed Turkish purchase of the Russian S-400 air and missile defence system, at Ministerial and official level. Turkey is a valued NATO ally, on the front line of some of the UK and the Alliance's most difficult security challenges. Defence equipment procurement decisions are for nations, but all NATO Allies have committed to reducing their dependence on Russian-sourced military equipment. The proposed purchase would pose real challenges for the interoperability of NATO systems.

The Army has a fleet of 91 Heavy Equipment Transporters. They are operated by military personnel of 19 Tank Transporter Squadron, Royal Logistic Corps, with our commercial partners and are based in Bulford.

The fleet is currently operating in the UK and Europe in support of UK and allied operations and exercises. We do not routinely comment on specific locations for individual capabilities as to do so would compromise operational security or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces

The Royal Navy currently has six surface ships deployed in the Gulf. These are HMS BROCKLESBY, HMS LEDBURY, HMS BLYTH, HMS SHOREHAM, HMS MONTROSE and RFA CARDIGAN BAY.

There are currently no surface ships deployed in the Arctic, Indian Ocean and South China Sea.

The Ministry of Defence does not release details of future deployments, nor comment on submarine operations, as to do so would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

The Royal Navy currently has six surface ships deployed in the Gulf. These are HMS BROCKLESBY, HMS LEDBURY, HMS BLYTH, HMS SHOREHAM, HMS MONTROSE and RFA CARDIGAN BAY.

There are currently no surface ships deployed in the Arctic, Indian Ocean and South China Sea.

The Ministry of Defence does not release details of future deployments, nor comment on submarine operations, as to do so would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

The Royal Navy currently has six surface ships deployed in the Gulf. These are HMS BROCKLESBY, HMS LEDBURY, HMS BLYTH, HMS SHOREHAM, HMS MONTROSE and RFA CARDIGAN BAY.

There are currently no surface ships deployed in the Arctic, Indian Ocean and South China Sea.

The Ministry of Defence does not release details of future deployments, nor comment on submarine operations, as to do so would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

For reasons of operational security, the Ministry of Defence does not disclose detailed information regarding the readiness of formations and units. That readiness will be constructed from many components, including training, the preparedness of personnel, and logistic enablers. The speed of deployment would also be dependent on the nature of the threat, capabilities required and geography of deployment.

The British Army maintains the ability to deploy its Challenger 2 main battle tanks throughout Europe, with a number currently deployed in Estonia as part of NATO's enhanced Forward Presence. This is assisted by the Government's announcement last year that a residual Army presence in Germany will be maintained as a foundation on which to enhance readiness on mainland Europe; a number of main battle tanks are already forward based there. Defence is continuing to examine how we might forward deploy Army capability in the future but no conclusions have been reached.

The 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review set out the Government's intent for the Army to deliver, as part of Joint Force 2025, a warfighting division drawn from two armoured infantry brigades and two new strike brigades.

The British Army maintains the ability to deploy its Challenger 2 main battle tanks throughout Europe, with a number currently deployed in Estonia as part of NATO's enhanced Forward Presence. This is assisted by the Government's announcement last year that a residual Army presence in Germany will be maintained as a foundation on which to enhance readiness on mainland Europe; a number of main battle tanks are already forward based there. Defence is continuing to examine how we might forward deploy Army capability in the future but no conclusions have been reached.

The Challenger 2 remains a key capability for the Armed Forces as the British Army's main battle tank. The Challenger 2 Life Extension Programme will provide a suite of capability upgrades and substantially extend its service life. The planned upgrade is currently undergoing an extended assessment phase, which is expected to conclude in 2020. No final decisions have been made on the numbers, which will be informed by the assessment phase, Defence requirements, and balance of investment considerations.

The 80th Anniversary of the founding of the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) was commemorated with a number of events on 4 April 2019. These included the unveiling of the RAC Gauntlet (a stainless steel statue of the "iron fist" RAC capbadge) at the Corps Headquarters, Allenby Barracks by the Colonel Commandant RAC, General Sir Chris Deverell, KCB MBE ADC, and the opening of the RAC 80 Exhibition "Long After the Battle" at the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset, attended by serving soldiers, members of the public and veterans from the Second World War.

In addition, armoured vehicles were positioned at several locations across the UK on the day to raise awareness of the Corps and its anniversary. Units deployed overseas posted imagery of their vehicles as part of the social media campaign under #RAC80.

The order of battle for the Royal Armoured Corps, as at April 2019, is provided in the table below.