Britain’s military will undergo a high-tech revolution with an emphasis on niche capabilities such as cyber, drones, and long-range weapons systems as a result of tomorrow’s long-awaited defence review.Lessons from the bitter three-year war in Ukraine have featured prominently, with the announcement of the acquisition of 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons and at least six new munitions and energetics factories – where the explosive element is fitted and tested – with private industry help, in a major £1.5 billion project.
With an eye on UK industry and the economy, the investment will create 1,000 new highly skilled jobs and support 800 existing ones across the country, as the Ministry of Defence adopts an “always-on” pipeline for munitions production.The plans bring total munitions spending to £6 billion, enabling rapid scale-up of long- and short-range missile production, as well as smaller calibre ammunition, to replenish depleted stockpiles during wartime.
Earlier this month, the government signed a new 10-year Complex Weapons portfolio agreement with UK missile manufacturer MBDA, Europe’s largest missile producer, which is headquartered in Stevenage.
The agreement accompanied the announcement of a new £200m investment by MBDA, creating 700 jobs at a third Bolton site, where it will build 1,000 missiles for Poland under a 100-year defence deal signed with the UK in January.Defence Secretary John Healey will also announce a new Cyber Command Force and further measures focusing on drone technology.
The Cyber and Electromagnetic Command is part of a £1 billion ‘Digital Targeting Web’ investment aimed at spearheading battlefield engagements.
It will sit under General Sir James Hockenhull’s UK Strategic Command portfolio and is prompted by more than 90,000 ‘sub-threshold’ attacks on UK cyber systems in the last two years.
The new Command will also harness all the Armed Forces’ expertise in electromagnetic warfare, helping them to seize and hold the initiative in a high-tempo race for military advantage – for example, through degrading command and control, jamming signals to drones or missiles, and intercepting an adversary’s communications.
The Royal Navy as a whole is expected to receive a significant uplift in unmanned vehicles and First Person View (FPV) drones, with a squadron expected to deploy aboard at least one of its carriers.
Air Force chiefs will see more investment in the new Tempest fighter, with the ability to deploy laser-armed swarming drones.
The Army will receive a new drones regiment, and troops will be equipped with long-range artillery – though concerns remain over the future use of infantry on battlefields dominated by enemy drones.
The Army’s Ranger Regiment is also set to take on expanded technological roles in cyber, communications and electronic warfare, with teams from each of the four battalions deployed regularly.
Expected plans to remove the Royal Marines from their infantry role and re-designate them as a special maritime operations force – operating in small teams to support the SBS – are not in the Defence Review, but may well be announced later this year.
First signalled five years ago under the Future Commando Force concept, the plan will see Commandos support the Special Boat Service, carry out covert missions in the Middle East, and be permanently based at sea aboard Royal Navy carriers, ready to respond to conflicts that may affect the UK.
Many commitments hinge on a higher 3% of GDP spending guarantee, which Defence Secretary John Healey said would be in place during the next Parliament.
“Current Whitehall thinking is that the UK must be prepared for conflict by 2027 – in just two years’ time – and building up our munitions stock is a large part of that. Many of these new sites will be designed to accommodate future missile designs too,” said Justin Crump of strategic risk group Sibylline.
But niche capabilities aren’t enough, he warned.
“There’s a mass problem – having enough personnel and assets to use them effectively, especially if we’re asked to contribute to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine,’ he said.
“The assumption seems to be that our allies will provide the numbers for land operations while we offer niche capabilities. I’m not sure how long that will wash.
“If our cyber forces do manage to negate enemy drones on the battlefield, we would certainly wish we had more infantry then.
“We need to offer a credible division that is prepared to lead and can sustain serious objectives on land fighting. This will show that we are truly committed.”
Defence Secretary John Healey MP said: “The hard-fought lessons from Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine show a military is only as strong as the industry that stands behind it.
“We are strengthening the UK’s industrial base to better deter our adversaries and make the UK secure at home and strong abroad.
“We will embrace the Strategic Defence Review, making defence an engine for economic growth and boosting skilled jobs in every nation and region as part of our Government’s Plan for Change.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: “A strong economy needs a strong national defence, and investing in weaponry and munitions – and backing nearly 2,000 jobs across Britain in doing so – is proof the two go hand in hand.
“We are delivering both security for working people in an uncertain world and good jobs, putting more money in people’s pockets.”
Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge accused the Chancellor of having blocked meaningful defence spending until the announcement.
“It’s a bit rich of Labour to talk about ‘always on’ munitions production when procurement has been largely switched off for the past year. Rachel Reeves has deliberately used the SDR to put an effective freeze on new orders for the kit our military needs,” he said, pointing to reports that only three reconnaissance drones – and no attack drones -had been ordered in the first nine months of Labour’s Government.
“Of course, we welcome investment in new munitions factories, but we don’t know when they will be ready, only that these orders should have been placed months ago.”
