Self-flying combat aircraft, unmanned submarines and drones will be at the heart of Britain’s future military under a defense plan announced on Tuesday that reflects a world of conflicts transformed by technology.
As with other NATO countries, the UK is under pressure to increase defense spending to counter a more aggressive Russia and a less reliable United States. But the defense investment plan has been repeatedly delayed as military commanders and Treasury officials disagree over the cost, and critics say its pledge of a 15 billion pound ($20 billion) increase in defense spending will not be enough.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the plan would keep Britain safe in “a world more dangerous and volatile than at any time in decades.”
He said: “When the world arms and aggression increases, the best way to avoid war is to prepare for it.”
But the plan does not commit to spending 3% of UK GDP on defense by 2030, one of the factors that prompted John Healey to resign as UK Defense Secretary on June 11. Healey accused the government of reducing spending on the military at a time of escalating “threats,” citing a British intelligence assessment that Russia may attack a NATO member state by 2030.
Starmer said Healey’s successor, Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis, had worked to “sharpen and strengthen” the plan. Its new spending of 15 billion pounds is more than the 13.5 billion pounds ($18 billion) that the Treasury offered to Healey, but far less than the 28 billion pounds ($37 billion) demanded by defense officials.
UK faces pressure to hit NATO target
Under the plan, defense spending would reach 2.7 per cent of GDP by 2029. Starmer said the three per cent target would be reached “in the next Parliament”, a period that could extend to 2034. The UK remains committed to meeting the NATO target of 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2035, although it is unclear how it will get there.
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The government said the new funding would boost defense spending to nearly 300 billion pounds ($400 billion) over the next four years. Big items include £5 billion ($6.6 billion) for drone technology, £8 billion ($10.6 billion) to build new stealth fighter jets alongside Japan and Italy, and £11 billion ($14.5 billion) to boost weapons stockpiles. The UK will also spend £64 billion ($85 billion) on modernizing its nuclear weapons.
Starmer said some road and energy projects would be canceled to help fund army costs.
He said the plan would ensure “our servicemen and servicemen have the cutting-edge capabilities they need to deter emerging threats and keep the British people safe.” The full document is scheduled to be published later Tuesday.
The British military is seeking to reverse years of decline in the face of an increasingly assertive Russia, which invaded neighboring Ukraine in 2022 and is increasingly testing European countries’ defenses with overt and covert activity.
The UK has seen how drones have radically transformed the war in Ukraine, which uses 200,000 of them a month to defend against Russian forces. Britain plans to invest billions in unmanned aircraft systems across all branches of the military. Instead of the planned fleet of new destroyers, the Royal Navy will get hybrid ships that will serve as command centers for the drones.
“The nature of the conflict itself is changing before our eyes,” Starmer said during a speech at a drone manufacturer near London. He said that Ukrainian forces, armed with the latest technology, destroyed the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, and “penetrated deep into Russian territory and stopped the advance of one of the largest armies in the world.”
Critics say more money is needed
Britain and other NATO member states are facing pressure from US President Donald Trump to increase military spending. Trump has long questioned the value of the military alliance and complained that the United States provides security for European countries that do not play their part.
The resignations of Healey and Secretary of State for Defense Al Carnes were among a series of blows that prompted Starmer to announce his resignation last week. He is likely to attend the NATO summit in Türkiye on July 7-8 in one of his final acts as prime minister.
His successor, former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, is likely to come under pressure to adhere to commitments in the defense plan.
Defense spokesman for the opposition Conservative Party, James Cartledge, said the plan was “too little, too late.”
“We have to find more money for defense sooner,” said retired Gen. Richard Barrons, who helped lead the defense review in preparation for the investment plan.
He told the BBC: “We are not keeping up with our allies, and certainly not keeping up with our enemies, and we know that the United States will no longer come and save European security in the face of the Russian threat.”
& Edition 2026 The Canadian Press
