Hundreds of phones and laptops lost by MoD - at potential cost of more than £1.6m

More than 1,000 devices have been lost or stolen from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) since 2024, at a potential cost of more than £1.6m. 

New figures shared exclusively with Sky News reveal that between January 2024 and March this year, 545 laptops, tablets and phones have gone missing, as have 744 phones.

None of these devices have been recovered, according to information shared by the department following a Freedom of Information request.

In total, 132 laptops and tablets are thought to have been stolen according to the MoD, alongside 36 phones. The rest of the devices are thought to have been lost by staff.

The data also shows the cost of replacing all of these devices could be as much as £1,634,944.

It comes at a time when the department is under immense pressure to deliver value for money, as defence chiefs call for increased spending.

But the Treasury has been seeking to minimise additional expenditure from the MoD.

'Security crisis'

James MacCleary, the Liberal Democrats' defence spokesperson, said the missing devices constituted a "security crisis" and urged Defence Secretary John Healey to "get a grip".

He told Sky News: "Every pound counts when our national security is at stake and the government's defence investment plan is still missing in action – yet the MoD is leaking money through basic incompetence.

"Seeing taxpayer cash vanish into a black hole of lost laptops and stolen phones is a kick in the teeth – every pound spent replacing an iPad is a pound taken away from the frontline."

"We cannot strengthen our national security if we cannot even keep track of the technology being used to defend it," he added.

'A real concern'

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said the figures are "a real concern".

"With Labour still failing to produce the defence investment plan, the public will hear these reports of lost and stolen MoD kit and wonder what on earth Starmer is doing – especially at a time of war on two fronts," he told Sky News.

"For 1,000 items to disappear in two years is a real concern and raises questions about security in our most sensitive government department.

"Ministers must act now to ensure as few devices as possible go missing – and get on with delivering the funding our military needs to keep us safe."

Key defence blueprint still yet to be published

It comes as the government is still yet to publish its long-awaited defence investment plan, which was due last autumn.

The plan is effectively a blueprint setting out how the government will pay for the biggest overhaul of the armed forces since the Cold War.

The document has been repeatedly delayed due to disagreements between the Treasury and the MoD about the scale of the investment needed, with defence bosses pushing for more money to fulfil the plans envisioned by last year's strategic defence review.

An MoD spokesperson told Sky News: “We take the security of defence assets extremely seriously and have robust policies and procedures to prevent losses and thefts.

“If any assets are reported lost or missing due to suspected criminal activity, we take the necessary steps to investigate, prosecute and recover the items.”

(c) Sky News 2026: Hundreds of phones and laptops lost by MoD - at potential cost of more than £1.6m