Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon MP recently visited staff at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) at Porton Down to see the work being carried out for the defence and security of the UK.

Scientists, engineers and analysts at the site told the Defence Secretary about some of their work, including support to the Armed Forces on operations, providing forensic analysis and cyber defence.

As Dstl marks 100 years of defence operations at the Porton Down site, Mr Fallon was shown an Enigma coding machine, invented by a German and used by Britain to decipher German signals during WW2. He was also shown a present-day encryption device.

Reflecting on the work at the site, Mr Fallon said: “Dstl continues to carry out vital work at a site which has a long history of protecting our Armed Forces, whether through the development of respirators or innovative new body armour. The ground-breaking research continues to help defend the UK from a multitude of threats.”