The investment is designed to bolster the country’s industrial base and improve military readiness in response to growing global threats. Around 1,800 highly skilled jobs are expected to be supported across the UK, helping to drive economic growth and deliver on the government’s Plan for Change.
The SDR sets out the creation of an “always on” munitions production capacity, enabling rapid scale-up in response to conflict. It also proposes laying the industrial foundations to increase munitions stockpiles in preparation for high-tempo warfare.
Drawing on the experience of the war in Ukraine, the government emphasises the importance of a strong industrial base to underpin national defence. “The hard-fought lessons from Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine show a military is only as strong as the industry that stands behind them,” said Defence Secretary John Healey MP.
Mr Healey added: “We are strengthening the UK’s industrial base to better deter our adversaries and make the UK secure at home and strong abroad. We will embrace the Strategic Defence Review; making defence an engine for economic growth and boosting skilled jobs in every nation and region as part of our Government’s Plan for Change.”
Alongside the new factories, the plan will support up to 800 defence jobs through the production of thousands of long-range weapons. These will play a key role in enhancing British military capabilities, responding to the need for modern warfare readiness.
Total UK munitions spending will rise to £6 billion this Parliament, following the Prime Minister’s pledge to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP. This reinforces the UK’s commitment to national security and to NATO in an increasingly unstable global environment.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “A strong economy needs a strong national defence, and investing in weaponry and munitions and backing nearly 2,000 jobs across Britain in doing so is proof the two go hand-in-hand. We are delivering both security for working people in an uncertain world and good jobs, putting more money in people’s pockets as part of our Plan for Change.”
Source: UK Ministry of Defence.
