Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to unveil an updated defense investment plan on Tuesday, which will add between £1 billion and £1.5 billion to the previous military funding proposal. This revised settlement, totaling an increase of approximately £14.5 billion to £15 billion over the next four years, prioritizes the readiness of the armed forces and autonomous systems. Key investments include drones and uncrewed ground vehicles for the British Army, designed for resupplying frontline troops and evacuating casualties.
The plan also allocates further funding for the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a joint fighter jet project involving the UK, Italy, and Japan. An interim contract for GCAP is expected to be signed as early as Tuesday, coinciding with the expiration of an existing agreement. The funding for GCAP could reach up to £6 billion over a six-year period to 2032. Additionally, money will be announced for a supersonic test aircraft, a UK-only initiative led by BAE Systems, to trial GCAP technologies.
The updated defense plan follows the resignation of former Defence Secretary John Healey, who had sought a larger increase of £18 billion compared to the earlier proposed £13.5 billion. His successor, Dan Jarvis, has reworked the blueprint to focus on combat readiness and the use of autonomy. The announcement is strategically timed, with the document expected to be finalized before the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7, aiming to demonstrate the UK's commitment to its military allies. Some defense experts, however, believe that a more substantial investment, potentially up to £28 billion, is needed to address the military's spending gap and modernize capabilities like drone swarms and air defenses.
