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Defence Committee

Commons Select Committee

The Defence Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Ministry of Defence and its associated public bodies. You can follow the Committee on X (formerly Twitter) using @CommonsDefence.

The Committee also has a Sub-Committee to inquire into topics of its choosing.

Image representing the committee

Committee news

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Govt agrees to extend Legal Duty following Armed Forces Covenant report
Following the Defence Committee’s report on the Armed Forces Covenant, the Government has committed to extending the Covenant’s Legal Duty to all UK Government departments and the devolved administrations.
16 June 2025
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Legislation alone not enough to fix Armed Forces Covenant that is "falling short"
The Defence Committee today (Tuesday 8 April) publishes its report “The Armed Forces Covenant”.
8 April 2025
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Defence Committee launches inquiry into AUKUS
Today the Defence Committee launches an inquiry into AUKUS, the trilateral security partnership between the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Australia.
2 April 2025
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Members to hear from academic experts on the future of European security
The Defence Committee will hold an evidence session on the UK’s contribution to European security at 10.30am, on Tuesday 1 April. The Committee will speak to academic experts Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman and Dr Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer
28 March 2025
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MOD Parliamentary Under-Secretary Luke Pollard to face questions on grey zone threats
The Defence Committee will question Luke Pollard MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces at the Ministry of Defence on grey zone threats, at 10.30am on Tuesday 25 March.
21 March 2025
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Women in the Armed Forces: what progress has been made?
The Defence Committee is assessing progress on its predecessor Committee’s work on women in the Armed Forces, hearing from witnesses across the Ministry of Defence (MOD) including the chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
14 March 2025
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International Women’s Day: Defence Committee to hold women in the Armed Forces session
The Defence Committee will hold a session this month following up on the previous Committee’s work on women in the Armed Forces. Details of the session will be announced shortly.
7 March 2025
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Minister for Veterans and People to face questions on the Armed Forces Covenant
The Defence Committee will hold the final evidence session of its inquiry into the Armed Forces Covenant at 13.00 on Tuesday 11 March.
7 March 2025
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Government accepts majority of Committee’s recommendations on improving Service Accommodation
The Defence Committee today publishes the Government response to its report on Service Accommodation, in which the Government accepts the majority of the Committee’s recommendations for improving the quality of accommodation available to Service Personnel.
3 March 2025
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European security inquiry: Defence Cttee focuses on challenges facing the UK’s industrial base
The Defence Committee will hold an evidence session on the UK’s contribution to European security at 10.30am, on Tuesday 4 March. The Committee will speak to industry experts from ADS Group, Make UK Defence and techUK.
28 February 2025
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Defence Committee reacts to the Prime Minister’s statement on defence
The Defence Committee has reacted to the Prime Minister’s statement on defence.
25 February 2025
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Defence Committee responds to recent statements on the war in Ukraine
The Defence Committee has issued a response to recent statements on the war in Ukraine.
13 February 2025
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Defence and Public Accounts Committees express “deep frustration” at lack of Defence Equipment Plan
For the last two years, the MOD has failed to publish the annual Equipment Plan, where it sets out its spending plans on equipment procurement and support projects over the next decade
31 January 2025
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Defence Committee seeks clarity on Harland & Wolff administration announcement
The Defence Committee is today (Wednesday 22 January) publishing a letter to the Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon. John Healey, regarding Harland & Wolff’s announcement that it intends to file for administration.
22 January 2025
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Former MI6 Chief Sir Alex Younger to discuss grey zone threats
Former Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, Sir Alex Younger, will give evidence to the Defence Committee. The Committee will examine the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD’s) contribution towards combatting grey zone threats – threats that fall below the perceived threshold for military action – such as sabotaging undersea cables.
17 January 2025
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Defence Committee: GCAP timescale is ambitious and Gov’t must keep pace
The Defence Committee has today (14 January) published a report on the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), welcoming the programme’s progress but cautioning the need to stay on track to meet the in-service target date of 2035.
14 January 2025
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Defence Committee: MOD must learn from Ukraine and embrace AI
Ukraine has shown that artificial intelligence (AI) is already delivering military advantage in conflict and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) should embrace the change AI is bringing to defence, a report by the Defence Committee has found.
10 January 2025
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MOD lifts restriction on serving personnel giving evidence for Armed Forces Covenant inquiry
On the request of the Defence Committee, the Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon. John Healey, has granted special dispensation to Service Personnel to provide evidence to the Committee’s inquiry into the Armed Forces Covenant.
9 January 2025
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Defence Committee launches inquiry into the Armed Forces Covenant
Today the Defence Committee launches an inquiry into the Armed Forces Covenant.
13 December 2024
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Accommodation for service personnel and families is “shocking”: Government needs to act
A Defence Committee Report published today finds that accommodation for Service personnel and their families is “shocking”, with two-thirds of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) needing major work to meet modern standards, and families facing uncertainty over allocation of accommodation.
11 December 2024
Total results 679 (page 1 of 34)