Written questions by Coghlan.

With reference to the Secretary of State for Transport's correspondence entitled The growing risks to maritime safety, published 26 January 2026, what assessment his Department has made of the security implications of shadow fleet vessels operating in the North Sea, North Atlantic, and Baltic; and what steps the Royal Navy is taking alongside international allies to enforce maritime regulations against specific sanctioned vessels, including the Baro, Rimma, Mariel, Maylo, Viking, Prosperity, and Breeze, to prevent sanction evasion and protect the UK’s maritime environment.

Deterring and disrupting the Russian shadow fleet is a priority for the UK, and we are working closely with our allies and partners to do so including sharing information through the Joint Maritime Security Centre. The Royal Navy constantly monitors activity in UK waters, remaining ready and prepared to respond to any threats and to support our allies.

How many non-commissioned officers ranked Staff Sergeant or above, have left the Army in the last 3 years, broken down per year.

Figures for outflow of non-commissioned officers ranked Staff Sergeant or above can be found below. Army Trade Trained Regular Non-Commissioned Officer Outflow, Staff Sergeant to Warrant Officer 1Financial Year (FY)Numbers OutflowingOutflow Rate2022-231,25012.6%2023-241,14811.8%2024-251,09111.2% Notes/Caveats The figures are for the Trade Trained Regular Army only and therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, Army Reserve and all other Reserves, but includes those personnel that have transferred from GURTAM to UKTAP. Figures include the following paid ranks: Staff Sergeant, Warrant Officer 2, Warrant Officer 1. Outflow encompasses all types of Outflow, excluding promotions from Other Ranks to Officers. This includes Voluntary Outflow, Administrative Discharge, Medical Discharge, and those who have come to the end of their engagement. Outflow rates are calculated by dividing the 12-month rolling outflow number by the average strength of the population over the same period.

What are the restrictions on officer roles for late entry officers in the Army; and why those restrictions are in place.

Late Entry (LE) officers are eligible to apply for the same appointments as Direct Entry (DE) officers, and since 2023 all officers have been considered together for roles under a single, merit-based system. There are no formal restrictions preventing LE officers from being appointed to particular posts. However, in practice some roles require specific experience or career pathways that DE officers are more likely to have, while other posts-particularly those drawing heavily on soldiering experience-are better suited to LEs. Selection is always based on the needs of the Army and the knowledge, skills and experience required for each role. The Army is currently reviewing how to improve parity between LE and DE career structures, including how LE officers might access a broader range of roles and development opportunities, while ensuring operational effectiveness remains the priority.

What discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the provision of military intelligence to Ukrainian forces.

The Defence Secretary regularly speaks with his US counterpart regarding our collective support to Ukraine’s armed forces in response to Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion. As the hon. Gentlemen will understand, we do not comment on Intelligence matters. However, we have always been clear that the UK will do everything we can to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position across all aspects of our support, particularly defence and security.