U.K. lays out future defence plan with technology focus, fight over money – National
U.K. lays out future defence plan with technology focus, fight over money – National
https://globalnews.ca/news/11944338/uk-future-defence-plan-technology-money/
Publish Date: 2026-06-30 10:07:00
Source Domain: globalnews.ca
Self-flying fighter jets, uncrewed submarines and drones will be at the center of Britain’s future military under a defence plan announced Tuesday that reflects a world of conflicts transformed by technology.
Like other NATO countries, the U.K. is under pressure to increase defence spending to counter a more aggressive Russia and less reliable United States. But its Defense Investment Plan has been repeatedly delayed as military leaders and Treasury officials wrangled over the cost, and critics said its pledge of a 15 billion pound ($20 billion) boost to defence spending won’t be enough.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the plan will keep Britain safe in “a more dangerous and volatile world than at any time for decades.”
“When the world is arming and aggression is rising, the best way to avoid war is to prepare for it,” he said.
But the blueprint does not commit to spending three per cent of U.K. GDP on defence by 2030, one of the factors that spurred John Healey to resign as U.K. defence secretary on June 11. Healey accused the government of underspending on the military at a time of “rising threats,” citing a British intelligence assessment that Russia could attack a NATO member country by 2030.
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Starmer said Healey’s successor, Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis, had worked to “sharpen and strengthen” the plan. Its 15 billion pounds in new spending is more than the 13.5 billion pounds ($18 billion) Healey was offered by the Treasury, but far less than the 28 billion pounds ($37 billion) that defence officials had called for.
U.K. faces pressure to hit NATO target
Under the plan, defence spending will hit 2.7 per cent of GDP by 2029. Starmer said the three per cent target will be reached “in the next Parliament,” a period that could extend to 2034. The U.K. remains committed…
