Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 16 of the Government’s Defence Command Paper, how much does he plan to increase (a) investment in and (b) deployments to Oman by.
Answer
The £23.8 million investment in the UK logistics hub at Duqm port will triple the size of the existing UK base. This investment will help facilitate Royal Navy deployments to the Indian Ocean including the ability to support the UK's two aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. Work is ongoing to determine the scale and timing of further investments.
The Defence Command Paper committed to increased UK deployments to Oman. We are working through the detail of what this will mean in practice, including with our Omani partners.