I was privileged to be appointed as the Defence Secretary’s Parliamentary Private Secretary earlier this year. As part of this it is vitally important for me to understand the needs of our Armed Forces. That’s why I was delighted to be able to join the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, a programme run jointly by Parliament and the Ministry of Defence allowing MPs to gain some real experience of life in the Forces and the work of service personnel.

I had my first induction at the Defence Academy in Shrivenham last month and it was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the Armed Forces. I will now be focussing on the Royal Air Force and I am looking forward to visiting many more RAF bases and facilities in the coming months to better understand their role in defending our country.

At a time of growing international insecurity, our Armed Forces are now more important than at many other times in our history. We need only look at rising tensions on the Korean peninsula, continued instability in the Middle East or at Russian aggression on the borders of Europe to see their indispensable role.

That’s why I am pleased we have now re-committed to spending two per cent of our GDP on defence, which will amount to a real terms rise over the course of this Parliament. Similarly with the launch of the first of our new aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth, and our now growing Royal Navy, we will continue to perform our global role in the world.

I am proud to be playing a small part in my work as your Member of Parliament.