Celebrating the Royal British Legion in Cumbria

Transition to animal-free research and testing

The SDSR 2015 set out the Government’s strategy for the Army for the next 10 years and builds on announcements made in SDSR 2010 and the Army 2020 plan of 2012.

The Defence Committee is holding an inquiry, and is seeking evidence, into the outcomes of SDSR 2015 for the Army.

Government Response published

• Special Report: Russia: Implications for UK defence and security: Government Response to the Committee's First Report of Session 2016–17
• Special Report: Russia: Implications for UK defence and security: Government Response to the Committee's First Report of Session 2016–17 (PDF 200KB)

The House of Commons Defence Select Committee conducts an inquiry into Russian defence policy and the implications of this for UK defence and security.

The House of Commons Defence Select Committee held an evidence session to examine the Ministry of Defence’s Annual Report and Accounts.

The House of Commons Defence Select Committee held two evidence sessions examining the proposed changes to funding of the BBC Monitoring Service.

• Report: Open Source Stupidity: The Threat to the BBC Monitoring Service
• Report: Open Source Stupidity: The Threat to the BBC Monitoring Service (PDF 330.24 KB)
• Government Response: Open Source Stupidity: The Threat to the BBC Monitoring Service
• Government Response: Open Source Stupidity: The Threat to the BBC Monitoring Service (PDF 174 KB)

The House of Commons Defence Select Committee conducts an inquiry into the defence and acquisition policy of the Ministry of Defence.

The Awards for Valour (Protection) Bill was given its First Reading in the House of Commons on 29 June 2016. It is a Private Member's Bill, sponsored by Gareth Johnson MP, with Second Reading scheduled for Friday 25 November.

The summary of the Bill declares it to be "A Bill to prohibit the wearing or public display, by a person not entitled to do so, of medals or insignia awarded for valour, with the intent to deceive".

The Committee will examine the problem that the Bill seeks to address, the nature and scope of the offences that might be in the Bill, and the wider themes on the incidence and reasons behind the unauthorised use of military decorations.

The Committee held an inquiry into the procurement by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Navy of the Type 26 Global Combat Ship and the Type 45 Destroyer.

The Committee will hold a one-off evidence session with the Secretary of State for Defence to receive an update on the recent NATO Summit in Warsaw and an overview of the MoD's reaction to the Chilcot Report.

The Committee is holding a one-off evidence session with the Secretary of State for Defence on the work of the Department in 2017. Topics that the session is expected to cover include defence spending, implementation of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review and the ongoing National Defence Capability Review, defence industry and procurement and international areas of concern.

The Committee conducts an inquiry into the F-35 joint strike fighter and, in particular, the allegations made by The Times during its investigation into the F-35 earlier this year.

• Report: Unclear for take-off? F-35 Procurement
• Report: Unclear for take-off? F-35 Procurement (PDF: 435KB)
• Government Response: Unclear for take-off? F-35 Procurement
• Government Response: Unclear for take-off? F-35 Procurement (PDF: 196KB)

The Defence Committee is examining the threats posed to the UK by North Korean capability, particularly from nuclear and cyber-attack, and the UK’s capability to respond to these threats. The Committee will also examine how the UK is currently responding to the North Korean crisis and its options for responding to further military escalation.

This inquiry follows a one-off oral evidence session that the Committee held in September 2017 on the nuclear and missile testing by North Korea and the situation in the region.

• Report: Rash or rational? North Korea and the threat it poses
• Report: Rash or rational? North Korea and the threat it poses (PDF)
• Government Response: Rash or rational? North Korea and the threat it poses
• Government Response: Rash or rational? North Korea and the threat it poses (PDF)

The 'special relationship' and NATO are the cornerstones of UK defence. The new administrations in the UK and US face a number of complex international challenges, ranging from a resurgent Russia to the threat of international terrorism, raising questions about NATO’s strategic focus and capabilities. This inquiry will explore how the administrations can build upon the ‘special relationship’ to address these challenges.

• Previous inquiry: The indispensable ally? US, NATO and UK Defence relations
• Previous inquiry: Written and oral evidence

The House of Commons Defence Select Committee conducts an inquiry into the defence and acquisition policy of the Ministry of Defence.

• Previous inquiry: Defence Acquisition and Procurement
• Previous inquiry: Written and oral evidence

The Committee is holding a one-off evidence session with the Ministry of Defence on its 2016 Annual Report and Accounts. Topics that the session is expected to cover include the Ministry’s financial management and its progress in achieving efficiency savings, including progress in its procurement, people and estates programmes.

Throughout the United Kingdom's engagement in Afghanistan, British forces were supported by several thousand Afghan citizens acting as locally employed civilians (LECs).

These individuals worked in a variety of support roles alongside British military and civilian personnel where they were often exposed to danger, particularly the significant number of LECs acting as interpreters who accompanied British troops on operational patrols.

As well as being exposed to significant risks during their employment, LECs and their families continue to be at risk of reprisals within Afghanistan after the completion of the British drawdown in 2014.

The Committee is examining the effectiveness of measures that the Government has put in place to provide security and support to LECs in Afghanistan, and whether these measures adequately reflect the crucial role LECs played in the campaign.

On 10 October 2017, BAE Systems announced that nearly 2,000 posts would be cut from its UK workforce in a programme of “organisational changes”. The Defence Committee is holding a one-off evidence session with representatives from BAE and relevant trade unions to assess the potential impact of BAE’s restructuring on the core competencies of each of the Armed Forces.

The Defence Committee holds evidence session with witnesses who have been in senior positions in the course of previous National Security Strategy/Strategic Defence and Security Reviews in order to gain military and civilian perspectives on the process of review and the potential impact on UK Defence.

Following the announcement of the National Security Capability Review in July, a number of reports have suggested that significant changes to the structure of the Royal Marines and UK amphibious forces are being considered as part of this exercise. These changes are said to include the consideration of substantial reductions in the strength of the Royal Marines and the possible deletion of the Royal Navy’s Albion class ships. The Committee will examine the UK’s amphibious capability and its importance to UK defence.

• Report: Sunset for the Royal Marines? The Royal Marines and UK amphibious capability
• Report: Sunset for the Royal Marines? The Royal Marines and UK amphibious capability (PDF 495KB)
• Government response: Report: Sunset for the Royal Marines? The Royal Marines and UK amphibious capability
• Government response: Report: Sunset for the Royal Marines? The Royal Marines and UK amphibious capability (PDF 219KB)

In this evidence session the Committee will examine the implications of the Government’s Brexit position paper: Foreign policy, defence and development: a future partnership paper.

The Defence Committee published a report, "Beyond Endurance? Military exercises and the duty of care", examining the overarching policies and guidance of the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces in respect of the health and safety of service personnel during training, exercises and selection events and whether effective processes existed for learning the lessons from accidents and deaths that have occurred during such events.

The Committee indicated when it published the Government Response that it would return to this subject to monitor the MoD's progress on the Committee's conclusions and recommendations and various initiatives outlined by the MoD in its response.

Previous Report: "Beyond Endurance? Military exercises and the duty of care"

Report: Published 24 April 2016

• Report: Beyond endurance? Military exercises and the duty of care
• Report: Beyond endurance? Military exercises and the duty of care (PDF 758 KB)

Government Response: Published 10 July 2016

• Special Report: Beyond endurance? Military exercises and the duty of care: Government Response to the Committee's Third Report of Session 2015–16
• Special Report: Beyond endurance? Military exercises and the duty of care: Government Response to the Committee' s Third Report of Session 2015–16 (PDF 252KB)

MoD Ad Hoc Statistical Bulletin - Training and exercise deaths in UK Armed Forces: 1 January 2000 to 5 November 2016: Published 18 November 2016

• Training and exercise deaths in UK Armed Forces: 1 January 2000 to 5 November 2016 (External Link | PDF 108KB)

This was a one-off session oral evidence on a range of policy areas encompassed within the 2016 Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report. The Armed Forces Act 2011 requires the Government to present an annual report to Parliament on the implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant. The 2016 report (PDF 184 MB) was published on 15 December. This session will be an opportunity for the Committee to examine Covenant implementation and delivery, new and existing commitments, and challenges identified by the External Members of the Covenant Reference Group and other external commentators.

This is a one-off session to consider Sir John Parker’s Report on the National Shipbuilding Strategy, in advance of publication of the Government’s strategy, which is expected in spring 2017.

The 'special relationship' and NATO are the cornerstones of UK defence. The new administrations in the UK and US face a number of complex international challenges, ranging from a resurgent Russia to the threat of international terrorism, raising questions about NATO’s strategic focus and capabilities. This inquiry will explore how the administrations can build upon the ‘special relationship’ to address these challenges.

The Defence Committee hold a one off evidence session looking at the treatment of locally employed interpreters. Of particular interest is the case of Afghan interpreters formerly attached to the UK Armed Forces, which the Committee will examine in detail.

The Committee held a one-off oral evidence session on Tuesday 24 January on Trident Missile Tests following the Urgent Question in the House on Monday 23 January.

To establish the options open to the UK Government to protect veterans of ‘The Troubles’, who were involved in fatal incidents which were investigated and closed at the time from having such investigations reopened long after the events concerned and to make recommendations.

The Defence Committee's inquiry examines the extent to which the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) provided a strategy for the future of the RAF that took into account the threats facing the United Kingdom, including those outlined by the Committee's 2015 report, Flexible response? An SDSR checklist of potential threats and vulnerabilities (PDF 325 KB). The inquiry assesses how effectively the RAF is implementing the ambitions outlined in the SDSR and its ability to meet ongoing and potential future strategic challenges.

The Defence Committee launches an inquiry into the defence industrial policy of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), exploring procurement policy in relation to UK prosperity and the Department’s impact on the defence supply chain.

In 2015, the Strategic Defence and Security Review introduced a new National Security Objective to “Promote our Prosperity”. The Defence Industrial Policy refresh published in 2017 reaffirmed that “competition and strategic choice remain at the heart of our approach to defence procurement”, whilst committing to taking measures to protect freedom of action and operational advantage on national security grounds. It also laid out a three-pronged refresh to industrial policy, including:

• Improving the way defence delivers wider economic and international value, and national security objectives;
• Helping UK industry in its plans to be internationally competitive, innovative and secure; and
• Making it easier to do business with defence.

Supporting exports is now a core task of the MoD and has been incorporated into the National Shipbuilding Strategy (2017) and the Combat Air Strategy (2018).

Philip Dunne MP was commissioned by the then Defence Secretary to produce a report on “Growing the Contribution of Defence to UK Prosperity” which was published in 2018. He recommended that the MoD produce clearer, practical guidance on the prosperity factors defence is most likely to consider, the reasons for their importance and the primary metrics which might be used in assessing their value and relevance.

The Committee held an oral evidence session on 21 May 2019, looking into the procurement of Fleet Solid Support Ships and the planned (but now cancelled) move of a propulsion capability outside the UK. We are now expanding our inquiry to consider broader trends in defence industrial policy in relation to procurement and prosperity.

In 2016 the Defence Committee published a report "Beyond Endurance? Military exercises and the duty of care".

This report examined the overarching policies and guidance of the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces in respect of the health and safety of service personnel during training, exercises and selection events and whether effective processes existed for learning the lessons from accidents and deaths that occurred during such events.

The Committee indicated when it published the Government response to the report that it would return to this subject to monitor the MoD's progress on the Committee's conclusions and recommendations and the various initiatives outlined by the MoD in its response.

The first follow-up evidence session was held in November 2016.

The second follow-up session will focus on what has been achieved since the publication of the Committee’s report in 2016.

It will consider whether the actions taken have addressed the concerns raised in the initial report, whether lessons have been learnt, whether a culture of continual learning exists and what scope there is for further improvement.

The Committee is holding a one-off evidence session with the new Defence Secretary to discuss his priorities for, and the challenges faced by, the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces. Topics that the session is expected to cover include the defence budget, historical allegations, the situation in the Gulf and recruitment and retention.

Image: Creative Commons

The Committee is examining the circumstances surrounding the seizure, by the Royal Marines on behalf of the Government of Gibraltar, of the Iran-flagged Grace 1 oil tanker. The Committee will explore whether: the level of assets at the Royal Navy’s disposal to protect flagged vessels is adequate, any contingency planning had been undertaken for potential Iranian responses to the seizure of Grace 1 and, if so, how effective were those plans in light of the detention of the Stena Imperor by Iran.

The Defence Committee is holding a one-off evidence session as it annually examines the Ministry of Defence’s financial performance and progress in key programmes, following the publication of the Ministry’s Annual Report and Accounts. The Ministry published its latest set of accounts 2018-19 on 25 July 2019. Topics that the session is expected to cover include the MoD’s financial management, pay, personnel and the Defence Estate.

The Committee will look into recent developments in the defence industry, particularly GE’s proposal to move work from Rugby to a site in Nancy and the way in which the MoD is procuring new Fleet Solid Support ships.

The Defence Committee launches an inquiry examining the risk of terrorists and other extremists maliciously using drones within the UK, and what the Government should be doing to address this threat.

In recent years ever-more advanced drones have become readily available to the civilian market, and concern has increased around the world about their potential use by terrorists. The disruption caused at Gatwick and Heathrow airports last December and January highlighted the impact the misuse of drones could have, while there is growing worry that the battlefield experience gained from the use of drones in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere, for both reconnaissance and attacking targets, could be used domestically. The Defence Committee has decided to explore the nature of the threat from drones, the availability of countermeasures and the UK’s preparedness for responding to this threat.

The Defence Committee is conducting an inquiry into the security situation in the Far East and the potential role that UK Defence can play in the region.

Context

The Far East has become an area of growing concern for UK Governments and allies, including the USA, in recent years, prompted by China’s programme of military modernisation and her activities in the South and East China Seas.

Over the past decade, China has pursued a number of territorial claims, including through the rapid and large-scale reclamation of territory in the South China Sea, overseeing a substantial military build-up in the region, pursuits of territorial claims that have defied international law and have prompted protests from neighbouring states. In the East China Sea, China has also been embroiled in disputes with Japan over their rival territorial claims to the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands and their respective maritime boundaries.

As a result, tensions have steadily risen in the South and East China Seas, prompting rival regional actors, most notably Japan, to develop their military capabilities and conduct military exercises in the region.

• Report: Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report 2018
• Report: Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report 2018 (PDF 474 KB)

This inquiry will look into the Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report 2018, examining progress for service personnel, veterans and their families in areas such as healthcare, accommodation, education, through-life support and transition into civilian employment, as well as the challenges in ensuring consistent implementation across the UK.

In March 2014, the Government announced plans to establish a new Service Complaints Ombudsman in place of the Service Complaints Commissioner and to reform the complaints system. The Defence Committee undertook detailed scrutiny of the Government’s proposals and in its report suggested several key amendments to the legislation, many of which were incorporated into the Armed Forces (Service Complaints and Financial Assistance) Act 2015. The Committee also held a pre-appointment hearing with Nicola Williams, the Government’s nominee to be the first Service Complaints Ombudsman. The Ombudsman and the new complaints system have now been in operation for approximately three years and the Committee will take evidence from the Ombudsman on 26 February on her role and the effectiveness of the new system.

This inquiry will examine the danger posed by hybrid threats to the UK and how the UK Government is preparing its response.

In its Report, the Committee has established a timeline of events, scrutinised the possible motivations for the decisions made by both Russia and the US, and evaluated the suggested ways in which the INF Treaty could potentially be saved. The Committee has come to the conclusion that it is unlikely that the Treaty will survive, as a result of Russian unwillingness to return to compliance. Consequently, NATO will have to find a way to respond in a manner consistent with its members’ priorities.

The Committee strongly recommends that evidence of Russia’s re-introduction of a ground-launched, intermediate-range missile system should be publicly presented at the UN Security Council.

Government response published

• Read the Government response (PDF 193KB)
• Read the Government response

The Defence Committee launches inquiry examining the potential withdrawal of the US from the INF Treaty and its possible implications for UK defence.

The INF Treaty, signed in 1987, prohibits the US and Russia from testing and deploying ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles which have a range between 500 and 5500km. Last month, the President of the United States announced the intention of the US to withdraw from the Treaty. Given that this Treaty is predominantly aimed at securing Europe, the Defence Committee has decided to examine what the implications might be for UK defence of such a withdrawal.

The Defence Committee annually examines the Ministry of Defence’s financial performance and progress in key programmes, following the publication of the Ministry’s Annual Report and Accounts. The Ministry published its latest set of accounts for 2017-18 on 19 July 2018.

This year, the Committee expects to question the Ministry on its financial management and progress in its savings, people and estates programmes. The Committee will also look for an update from the Ministry on the ongoing Modernising Defence Programme

The Committee will be taking evidence from the Secretary of State for Defence following the NATO Brussels Summit which took place in July. Questions will also be asked about a number of other areas of defence policy including the Modernising Defence Programme, Russia, procurement policy, recruitment and retention and Armed Forces pay.

The Committee is holding a one-off evidence session with Sir Simon Bollom, the recently appointed Chief Executive of Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S). Topics that the session is expected to cover include the current priorities and challenges for DE&S, the Ministry of Defence Equipment Plan, the Modernising Defence Programme, and specific programmes.

The Committee is holding an introductory evidence session with the Chief of the Defence Staff. Topics that the session is expected to cover include the Modernising Defence Programme, the strategic context, recruitment and retention in the Armed Forces, the culture of the Armed Forces, historic allegations and the veterans strategy.

We concluded that the vast majority of veterans leave the Services with no ill-effects and that the public perception that most veterans are 'mad, bad or sad' was not only a myth but harmful to veterans.

Government response published

• Read the Government response (PDF 744KB)
• Read the Government response

The Defence Committee is examining the provision of mental health care in the UK to both serving personnel and veterans and their families. This inquiry forms Part Two of the Committee’s examination into Mental Health and the Armed Forces, having reported on the scale of mental health issues in Part One.

The Committee will address the following questions:

• To what extent do serving and former armed forces personnel require specific mental health care for treatment to be most effective, either as a whole or for specific groups?
• How far does Government provision for mental health services to serving and former armed forces personnel in the UK meet both these specific care requirements and the Armed Forces Covenant’s principle of priority care, including during transition?
• To what extent are Armed Forces charities covering any gaps in Government mental health care provision?
• Are veterans and their families aware of the mental health services available and how effective has initiatives such as the Veterans Gateway and 24hr helplines been in helping awareness and access?
• Are GPs and other NHS medical practitioners sufficiently aware of the needs and entitlements of veterans and their families to provide appropriate advice and referrals?
• Do veterans receive the mental health care and support they need quickly once they seek help?
• How does the provision of care and the outcomes achieved for veterans differ across the UK?
• How are the families of serving personnel and veterans with mental health issues supported?
• To what extent are government departments, local authorities and charities across the UK aligned and working together effectively to provide mental health services to veterans?

Submissions by individual Armed Forces members and their families

The Committee is particularly keen to hear from both current and former servicemen and women and their families on their experiences, both good and bad, of seeking and receiving mental health care. However, please bear in mind that the Committee will not consider individual cases or matters currently before a court of law.

The Committee recognises that such submissions are likely to contain sensitive personal information and in order to ensure anonymity, the Committee will not publish submissions relating to individual experiences. Instead, the Committee will publish with the main report a detailed review of all such submissions received, which will draw out the key themes and present anonymised quotes as examples of what the Committee has seen. The Committee may also select anonymised examples to use in the report.

The Ministry of Defence is content for serving personnel and civil servants to submit written evidence to the inquiry on the understanding that:

• It is in a personal capacity;
• In line with long-standing principles as Crown Servants, submissions from those employed by the MoD should only comment on personal experiences and not matters of policy;
• Those submitting evidence should also be careful not to reveal private information about other people in their submissions.

The report, drafted and agreed by both Committees, marks the culmination of the first joint Inquiry between a House of Commons Committee and a Committee of a non-UK legislature.

The Inquiry, which is a new step in UK-French inter-parliamentary cooperation on defence and national security matters, has focused on one of the most ambitious products of the Lancaster House Agreement signed between the UK and French Governments in 2010 – the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon (FC/ASW) programme.

Government response published

• Read the Government response (PDF 164KB)
• Read the Government response

This joint inquiry with the French National Assembly into the Future anti-ship missile system, will review the future cruise/anti-ship weapon (FC/ASW) programme that was launched by a bilateral agreement signed on 28 March 2017.

The new generation of missiles that the two countries hope to develop by 2030 will be replacing the existing Exocet, Harpoon, SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles.

Other issues to be considered by the inquiry will be:

• the two Navies’ requirements for the next generation of anti-ship missiles, including range, speed, stealth and terminal guidance;
• the capability of the UK and French defence industries to meet these requirements, whether separately or jointly; and
• the availability of suitable missiles from other suppliers
  

The Committee welcomes recent Government suggestions that it will adopt a ‘presumption against prosecution’ for alleged offences in operations overseas more than ten years ago, in the absence of compelling new evidence, and that – in future conflicts – it will derogate from parts of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Government response published

• Read the Government response (PDF 511KB)
• Read the Government response

Committee investigation into the question of how former service personnel can be protected from the spectre of investigation and re-investigation for events that happened many years, and often decades, earlier.

Since September 2014 the UK has been conducting military operations in Iraq, and later in Syria, against Daesh as part of an international coalition of 75 partners. The UK’s contribution, under Operation Shader, includes air operations in both countries, with the RAF having conducted over 1,700 airstrikes, and the training of local forces in Iraq.

The previous Defence Committee published a report on UK military operations in Syria and Iraq in September 2016. Since then Daesh has lost much of its territory, including the cities of Mosul and Raqqa, with the Coalition supporting local forces in the battles for the two cities.

The Committee is examining the effectiveness of UK military actions in helping Iraqi and Syrian partner forces recapture Mosul and Raqqa from Daesh, particularly from UK air operations. The Committee will consider the contribution of UK military operations and the challenges faced in each city’s recapture, how success has been measured and the lessons learnt.

For the purposes of transparency, we ask those submitting evidence on behalf of an organisation to include in their written submission a brief description of their organisation, including its role, membership and any sources of funding that might be reasonably considered to represent a relevant interest in relation to the subject of this inquiry. Declaring a relevant interest of this sort will not necessarily prevent an organisation from being invited to give oral evidence to the Committee.

• Terms of reference

On 31 March, the Ministry of Defence announced that the UK would re-join the Boxer programme and explore options to equip the Army with the 8x8 troop carriers to modernise its vehicle fleet and meet the Army’s Mechanised Infantry Vehicle requirement.

The Committee is holding a one-off evidence session with representatives of the ARTEC Joint Venture, manufacturers of Boxer, and Guto Bebb MP, Minister for Defence Procurement, and senior British Army officers, to examine the procurement process for the Mechanised Infantry Vehicle.

The report explores how the MDP had its origins in the decision taken in mid-2017 to initiate the National Security Capability Review (NSCR) in response to the development of new and intensified threats facing the United Kingdom.

Government response published

• Read the Government response (PDF 592KB)
• Read the Government response

On 25 January the Defence Secretary made a statement to the House of Commons announcing that the Defence strand of the ongoing National Security Capability Review (NSCR) was being separated, and that a new Modernising Defence Programme (MDP) would take its place. The rationale of the MDP remains that the threats facing the UK have become more “complex and intertwined”. Unlike the NSCR, the Secretary of State indicated that he did not intend for the MDP to be a fiscally neutral exercise.

The MDP will be made up of four strands, three of which will look at organisation, efficiency management and business and commercial practices in the Ministry of Defence (MoD), and a fourth focusing on capability and force structure. The department’s intention is to publish the review before the House of Commons rises for its summer recess in late July. The Committee is seeking to take evidence in order to lay out its priorities and expectations ahead of the MDP reporting.

The Committee is holding a one-off evidence session with the Secretary of State for Defence on his priorities for the Ministry of Defence. Topics that the session is expected to cover include the National Security and Capability Review, the Modernising Defence Programme, defence spending, international areas of concern, and the defence equipment plan. 

The Committee examined the extent of mental health issues across both serving armed forces personnel and veterans and addressed the following questions:

• To what extent do current statistics accurately reflect the level of mental health issues in serving armed forces personnel and veterans, including PTSD?
• What are the challenges to accurately assessing the extent of mental health issues in serving armed forces personnel and veterans and how could government improve its understanding of those issues?
• How does the level of mental health issues, services and outcomes in serving armed forces personnel and veterans:
  - compare both to the actual level in the general population and to public perceptions of mental health issues in armed forces personnel and veterans?
  - vary between different groups of serving and former personnel, including reservists, those who have been deployed on operations and early leavers?
  - vary regionally across the UK and across the devolved administrations?
• What proportion of mental health issues in veterans is attributable to service in the Armed Forces and how well is this measured and understood?
• To what extent does the military environment for serving armed forces personnel mitigate against the development of mental health issues?

The Armed Forces Act 2011 requires the Government to present an annual report to Parliament on the implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant. The 2017 Annual Report was published on 18 December 2017.

This session will be an opportunity for the Committee to examine Covenant implementation and delivery, new and existing commitments, and challenges identified by the External Members of the Covenant Reference Group and other external commentators.

The Defence Committee is examining the ways in which the UK counters global Islamist terrorism at home and abroad.

It is part of the Defence Committee's remit to scrutinise the MoD's Annual Report and Accounts each year.

The Committee have agreed to hold a one-off oral evidence session to examine the work of the new Chief of the Defence Staff.

The Defence Committee published its report into the MoD Supplementary Estimates 2012-14 as the First Report of Session 2013-14 on 13 June 2013, HC 291.

The Government's Response to this Report was received on 6 August 2013 and was published as the Committee's Fifth Special Report of Session 2013-14 on 10 September 2013, HC 644.

Report

The Defence Committee’s published its Fourth Report of Session 2010-12, Operations in Afghanistan, (HC 554) on Sunday 17 July 2011.

• Terms of reference
• Report (pdf) | html version
• Additional written evidence (pdf) | html version

Government Response

The Government Response (HC 1525) was published on 17 October 2011

Report

The Defence Committee’s published its Sixth Report of Session 2010-12, Strategic Defence and Security Review and the National Security Strategy, (HC 761) on Wednesday 3 August 2011.

• Terms of reference
• Report (pdf) | html version
• Additional written evidence (pdf) | html version

Government Response

The Government Response (HC 1639) was published on 10 November 2011

Report

The Defence Committee’s published its Seventh Report of Session 2010-12, The Armed Forces Covenant in Action? Part 1: Military Casualties, (HC 762) on Thursday 15 December 2011.

• Terms of reference
• Report (pdf) | html version
• Additional written evidence (pdf) | html version

Government Reponse

The Government Response (HC 1855) was published on 27 February 2012

Report

The Defence Committee’s published its Ninth Report of Session 2010-12, Operations in Libya, (HC 950) on Wednesday 8 February 2012.

• Terms of reference
• Report (pdf) | html version
• Additional written evidence (pdf) | html version

Goverment Response

The Government Response was published on 30 April 2011 as the Eleventh Special Report of Session 2010-12.

• Report (pdf) | html version