£15 billion new funding boost to transform Armed Forces and keep the UK safe

Britain's Armed Forces will be ready and equipped to fight the wars of today and the future following a landmark £15 billion investment to fund key equipment and technology, announced today.

The Prime Minister announced during a major speech at Malloy Aeronautics this morning that the Defence Investment Plan will be backed by £298 billion of investment across the next four years, including £15bn of additional spending on top of last year's Spending Review.

It will see an increase in defence funding from £54 billion a year under the previous government to almost £80 billion a year by 2029, and will see the UK's defence spending increase to 2.7% of GDP.

This means the proportion of GDP spent on defence will now be higher than at any time during the last thirty years by the end of this decade, and puts the UK on track to meet NATO's defence spending targets by 2035.

The major spending uplift will also create nearly 60,000 extra direct and indirect UK industry jobs by the end of the decade, taking forecasted defence spending-related jobs supported in the UK to more than half a million.

The Defence Investment Plan set to be published later today will implement the vision set in the Strategic Defence Review, seeing the Armed Forces adapt for the wars of today and tomorrow by investing in new equipment and embracing new technology, such as drones, autonomy and AI.

Key funding includes:

• More than £8 billion in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) over the next four years, progressing the programme which will build a next-generation stealth fighter jet for the Royal Air Force, alongside our close allies Japan and Italy.
• More than £63 billion over the next four years to strengthen the UK's nuclear deterrent and to fund Dreadnought and SSN-AUKUS submarines, a new warhead, and other crucial nuclear work. Additionally, we will also purchase 12 F35As and join NATO's nuclear mission.
• Including elements of the above nuclear investment in the first four years, £26 billion over the next decade in Project Royal Oak - the biggest naval base upgrade for over 45 years, including multi-billion-pound upgrades at Faslane, Portsmouth and Devonport.
• Over £5 billion for the next four years to fund a drone transformation for our Armed Forces. As part of this, £650 million will deliver inexpensive expendable autonomous systems including drones and uncrewed ground vehicles to rapidly enhance the lethality of the Army, Commando Force and Special Forces.
• Nearly £2 billion to integrate our Armed Forces through a new Digital Targeting Web. This will enable faster decision-making and speed in destroying identified targets and will be underpinned by world leading AI and software.
• £790 million over the next four years to enhance protection of the UK homeland and overseas bases from air, drone and missile threats. This will revolutionise command and control and buy new radars and sensors. We will also invest in Directed Energy Weapons, upgrade Sea Viper for our Type 45 destroyers, expand counter drone systems, and build a new Integrated Air, Space and Missile Defence Operations Centre.
• £11 billion on munitions and weapons to increase UK stockpiles and ensure our Armed Forces have the right mix of capabilities to defeat targets, including long-range strike weapons, low-cost cruise missiles and one-way effectors. By 2030, we will have built at least six new energetics factories and increased our national munitions production capacity.
• £900 million investment to drive efficiency and reform procurement, including a £500 million Transformation Fund to deliver productivity improving investments in AI and workforce transformation, as well as an initial £400m contribution to setting up the Multilateral Defence Mechanism.
• £100 million for the Prime Minister's Rapid AI Delivery Taskforce (RAID) to accelerate the deployment of AI-enabled capabilities into the hands of our Armed Forces.

On top of this, the government is investing £115 million to raise the UK's defences against the threats from AI, including using AI to improve our biosecurity and mitigate risks posed by autonomous AI agents.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

This record investment puts the security of the British public first, transforming our Armed Forces and giving them the funding and equipment they need to fight and defend our nation.

The world is a more dangerous and volatile place, so it is only right we are boosting the number of troops on the ground, rebuilding ammunition stockpiles and investing in cutting edge technology to ensure we outpace our adversaries for generations to come.

Every pound in this plan will work twice, delivering economic growth and opportunity for the British people, and supporting more than half a million jobs by the end of the decade, as well as reinforcing our national security.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:

I have boosted defence spending to the highest level since the Cold War - and today's Defence Investment Plan goes further still, committing almost £300 billion over this Parliament to transform our Armed Forces. That's more money, spent more effectively, to keep the country safe and back British industry, jobs and growth.

Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis MBE MP said:

I know first-hand the importance of our Armed Forces having the kit and technology they need to do the difficult job we ask of them.

I have secured more money and made different choices for defence. We will invest £298 billion over the next four years. That includes an additional £15 billion, of which most is extra day-to-day spending for training and improving availability of ships and aircraft to increase our war-fighting readiness.

By choosing to embrace new technology, I am equipping our forces with the autonomous systems which will give them the edge.

This extra money and these choices send a clear signal to our allies and our adversaries alike: Britain is stepping up on security.

Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton said:

This plan sets out how and where we will invest in defence over the coming years to deliver the Strategic Defence Review and build the integrated force the nation needs.

It also reflects both the importance of national defence and the vital contribution our Armed Forces make every day to keeping the country safe.

Reinforcing today's additional investment, the Prime Minister also announced this morning a new £50 billion defence export facility established by UK Export Finance to support British defence firms to win contracts across the globe. This will support British defence companies of all sizes and strengthen the UK's competitiveness in a rapidly growing market.

The Defence Investment Plan continues this Government's delivery of the Strategic Defence Review's vision for UK defence.

GCAP is a groundbreaking collaboration between the UK, Japan and Italy to develop a sixth-generation stealth fighter aircraft, which already supports 4,500 jobs across the UK. The work is deepening our defence, industrial, and technology collaboration with our partners in both the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions.

The Defence Investment Plan will include significant funding to renew and maintain the UK's nuclear deterrent, the ultimate guarantor of our security, also declared to the defence of NATO.

Over the next four years, £20 billion more will be invested into the Defence Nuclear Enterprise, compared to the previous four years. It demonstrates the government's commitment to fund the nuclear "triple lock" building four Dreadnought submarines in Barrow, sustaining the nuclear deterrent, and delivering future upgrades, including the replacement warhead.

This investment will be underpinned by a commitment to drive out waste and inefficiency, including tackling £250 million fraud and error, and accelerating investment in AI and procurement reform.

The Government has set out details of how the Defence Investment Plan will be funded through reprioritising public spending, acting within our fiscal rules and without taking resources away from day-to-day spending on frontline services.

This approach will allow the country to continue renewing and rebuilding and ensure that the Armed Forces have the resources they need to meet this new era of threat.