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Armed Forces: Digital Technology

Asked by Ben Obese-JectyConservativeMinistry of DefenceTabled Answered 15 July 2026UIN 16677

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 23 of the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, what is the common synthetic environment.

Answered by Luke Pollard

The Common Synthetic Environment is Defence's secure digital proving ground. It is not a single simulator or software application. Rather, it is a connected and coherent ecosystem of data, models, simulations and AI services, built on Defence's Digital Backbone, that provides a shared representation of the battlespace.

By allowing Defence to continuously train, experiment, integrate capabilities and rehearse operations at scale and away from the eyes of an adversary, it enables new concepts, technologies and military advantage to be developed, evaluated and refined at the pace demanded by modern warfare.

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