The UK Government has announced a new Defence Industrial Strategy with the dual objectives of enhancing the country’s defence imperatives and increasing economic growth.
This strategy, focusing on UK defence companies, aims to bolster British jobs, strengthen national security, and ensure defence contributes to the government’s primary mission of driving economic growth.
Under this strategy, UK-based defence companies will be prioritised for government investment.
The government’s manifesto stated that it would “bring forward a defence industrial strategy aligning our security and economic priorities. We will ensure a strong defence sector and resilient supply chains, including steel, across the whole of the UK.
“We will establish long-term partnerships between business and government, promote innovation, and improve resilience. We will prioritise UK businesses for defence investment and will reform procurement to reduce waste. We will support industry to benefit from export opportunities, in line with a robust arms export regime committed to upholding international law.”
The strategy seeks to create a more integrated, innovative, and resilient defence sector.
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By GlobalData
As the UK continues to support Ukraine, it also plans to restock its own armed forces, ensuring readiness for future challenges.
A National Armaments Director will be appointed to ensure the armed forces are well-equipped, support the British defence industry, and eliminate waste.
This new initiative will examine how the industry and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) could sustain personnel on the frontline amid continuous supply chain disruptions and intense combat scenarios.
The government aims to address past challenges, such as inefficient spending and skills shortages, which have hindered growth in the defence sector.
The Defence Industrial Strategy will be part of the government’s broader Industrial Strategy.
To achieve a future-ready defence sector, the UK will develop the strategy around six priorities: prioritising UK businesses, creating partnerships, certainty and stability, seizing the future, spreading prosperity, and deterrence.
The strategy will be developed rapidly, informed by but separate from the Strategic Defence Review, and is set to be published in late spring 2025 with a scope extending to 2035.
The previous Defence Industrial Strategy was released in 2021, prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
