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The Independent
02-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
From a ‘more lethal' army to extra AI – what's in Starmer's strategic defence review?
Keir Starmer has unveiled the results of his 'root and branch' review of Britain's armed forces, with a pledge to make the UK 'battle-ready'. The prime minister has ordered up to a dozen new attack submarines, £15bn worth of nuclear warheads and thousands of new long-range weapons after the report concluded that the country should prepare for war. Here The Independent looks at what is in the prime minister's long-awaited strategic defence review, which warns of the threat posed by Russia and draws heavily on the lessons learned from the war in Ukraine. A 'more lethal' army and other 'immediate' steps Ministers have announced they will implement all 62 of the report's recommendations in full – but there will be a number of 'immediate' steps. These include creating a British Army that is 'ten times more lethal' with more personnel, long-range missiles and 'land-drone swarms'. As well as the new nuclear warheads and nuclear-powered attack submarines, ministers will also buy new autonomous vessels 'to patrol the North Atlantic and beyond', create a 'next generation' RAF with F-35s, upgraded Typhoons and 'autonomous fighters'. They will also spend £1bn on a homeland defence system to protect the UK from drones and missiles, use defence spending to drive economic growth and create a £400m defence innovation fund. Review backs spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence The PM is embroiled in a row over defence spending after he failed to make a firm commitment to hike it to 3 per cent of GDP by 2034. The defence review's authors say the government's 'ambition' to spend 3 per cent of GDP on defence is 'good news', but they add: 'However, as we live in such turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster'. It is understood that the report was written with the assumption that ministers would meet the 3 per cent target. Behind the scenes, Donald Trump has also been pressuring Sir Keir to hike Britain's defence spending, as the US president seeks to wean Europe off dependence on the US for military support. Alongside this, Donald Trump has been pressuring Sir Keir to hike Britain's defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP years earlier than planned, as the president seeks to wean Europe off dependence on the US for military support. The UK must 'move to war fighting readiness' One of the themes of the defence review is to make Britain war-ready, including protecting critical infrastructure in the event of a crisis. The SDR calls for a new Defence Readiness Bill, which would give ministers powers to 'respond effectively' in the event of an escalating conflict. Already ministers have announced they will respond to the call for 'always on munitions' by building up to six factories to create more weapons on British soil. Equipment and new technology 'will win' future conflicts In the foreword to the review, the defence secretary John Healey writes: "Whoever gets new technology into the hands of their armed forces the quickest will win.' Ministers have already announced plans for up to 12 new nuclear attack submarines, £15bn of investment in the nuclear warhead programme and 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons. At the weekend Mr Healey appeared to confirm he wants to purchase fighter jets capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons, a major pledge which would signal the UK recognised the world had entered a more dangerous era. The report also calls for greater use of AI as well as a new 'Digital Warfighter Group', which it says should not be held back by constraints on how much it can pay its staff, calling for 'appropriate recruitment and pay freedoms'. The SDR also says at least 10 per cent of the MoD equipment procurement budget should be spent on new technologies every year, and it urges ministers to remove red tape and other barriers to collaboration with industry partners. Already Mr Healey has announced a cyber command to counter a 'continual and intensifying' level of cyber warfare as well as plans to invest more than £1 billion into a new 'digital targeting web' to be set up by 2027, to better connect weapons systems and allow battlefield decisions targeting enemy threats to be made and executed faster. Starmer told to increase the size of the army The strategic defence review calls for a 'small" rise in the size of the regular army 'as a priority' – although it does add 'when funding allows'. On Sunday, however, the defence secretary said that would not happen before 2029 at the earliest. The other recommendations include that the UK should have a minimum of 100,000 soldiers - of which 73,000 are regulars. Ministers should hike the number of active reservists by 20 per cent, when funding allows, and new joiners should be offered shorter periods of services – including the MOD's planned 'gap years' – to aid recruitment. The government should cut costs by slashing the civil service defence workforce by 10 per cent and automating 20 per cent of HR, finance and commercial functions in the next three years 'as a minimum first step'. 'Red tape and excessive bureaucracy created by 'people' policy, process and assurance' should be removed, the report says. Ministers have also announced they are to spend an additional £1.5bn fixing up the military at home amid claims years of neglect have led to troops quitting.
Daily Mail
02-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Starmer faces demands for cast-iron vow to spend 3% of GDP on defence as he unveils plan to make Britain 'war-ready'
Keir Starmer is facing demands for a cast-iron commitment to spend 3 per cent of GDP on defence today as he unveils a push to get Britain 'war-ready'. The PM is heralding a strategic review of the UK's military, promising investment in new submarines, munitions and personnel. He has warned that the mounting threat from Russia and allies such as Iran and North Korea means the country must ramp up preparations. Sir Keir argued this morning that being poised for conflict is the best way of avoiding it. But the blueprint is predicated on spending reaching 3 per cent in the next decade - with ministers sowing confusion over whether that will definitely happen. Yesterday Defence Secretary John Healey rowed back on a statement that the increase 'will' happen, stressing that it is an 'ambition'. The Treasury appears to be panicking over how to balance the books as the economy stalls. External authors of the report - expected to be accepted in full by Sir Keir - have suggested that reaching 3 per cent is 'vital' to its success. Key elements of the proposals include: Up to 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines will be built; A £1.5billion push to set up at least six munitions factories, supporting the procurement of up to 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons British fighter jets could soon carry nuclear weapons for the first time; Increasing the number of people in the armed forces, but not until the next Parliament; More than £1.5billion in extra funding will go to military homes in response to the review. Writing in The Telegraph, Labour former minister Lord Robertson, Russian expert Fiona Hill and General Sir Richard Barrons said the 'Government's important decision to raise Defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027-28 and, vitally, to 3 per cent in the next Parliament made an enormous difference'. They added: 'The decision established the affordability of our recommendations across a 10-year programme.' Sir Keir will launch the Government's Strategic Defence Review in Scotland, following many months of work and lobbying by military chiefs. But a Nato summit later this month is expected to push for members to hit 3.5 per cent by 2032, while US President Donald Trump has already called for a jump to 5 per cent within the alliance. Mr Healey told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show: 'We have a historic commitment to increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent in two years' time. We haven't hit that level since Labour was last in power in 2010. And an ambition to meet 3 per cent in the next Parliament.' Challenged that it was an 'just an ambition' rather than a 'guarantee', Mr Healey talked about being able to 'deliver the vision' of today's review. Defence minister Luke Pollard again refused to confirm the commitment this morning, telling Times Radio: 'Well, we've set out that we are spending 2.5 per cent by April 2027, with the ambition to spend 3 per cent in the next parliament, when economic conditions allow.' He added: 'Well I've got no doubt that we will get to 3 per cent in the next parliament, as I've said a number of times.' Mr Pollard said the strategic defence review was the 'biggest transformation of our armed forces in 100 years'. He said: 'It seeks to learn the lessons from the war in Ukraine, refresh our capabilities, invest in our people, and underscore that increased defence spending up to 2.5 per cent of our GDP by April 2027 is an engine for growth.' The Ministry of Defence has already announced plans to build up to 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines to boost the Royal Navy's commitment to the Aukus Pacific defence partnership with Australia and the United States, while investing £15billion in warheads. But the first of these UK-built submarines is not expected to enter service before the late 2030s. It will also be for future Parliaments to honour the spending commitment. The Conservatives have seized on on Labour's muddle on defence, accusing Mr Healey of weakening UK security. Tory defence spokesman James Cartlidge told the Mail: 'These promises on submarines are a fantasy fleet without real money to back them up. 'The fact is, John Healey has been forced into a humiliating climb down by the Treasury after confirming, as recently as Thursday, that defence spending would definitely rise to 3 per cent. 'But by Sunday he was backtracking completely. John Healey has been badly let down by the Chancellor – so now he knows how the rest of us feel.'
