The UK is developing a future defense plan with a focus on technology, fighting for money – National
Flying warplanes, unmanned submarines and drones will be at the heart of Britain’s future military under a defense plan announced on Tuesday that shows a world of conflict being transformed by technology.
Like other NATO countries, the UK is under pressure to increase defense spending to counter an aggressive Russia and a less reliable United States. But its Defense Investment Plan has been repeatedly delayed as military leaders and Treasury officials clash over the spending, and critics say its pledge to increase $15 billion ($20 billion) in defense spending will not be enough.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the plan would keep Britain safe “in a world that is more dangerous and volatile than at any time for decades.”
“When the world is armed and violence is rising, the best way to avoid war is to prepare for it,” he said.
But the plan does not commit to spending three percent of the UK’s GDP on defense by 2030, one of the things that prompted John Healey to leave as UK defense secretary on June 11. Healey accused the government of spending money on the military at a time of “growing threats,” citing a British intelligence assessment that Russia could attack a 203 NATO member state.
Starmer said Healey’s successor, Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis, had worked to “sharpen and strengthen” the system. Its 15 billion pounds in new spending is more than the 13.5 billion pounds ($18 billion) Healey was given by the Treasury, but well below the 28 billion pounds ($37 billion) defense officials had called for.
The UK is under pressure to hit NATO targets
Under this plan, defense spending will reach 2.7 percent of GDP by 2029. Starmer said the three percent target would be reached “in the next Parliament,” a period that could extend to 2034. The UK remains committed to hitting 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 by up to 300 billion pounds ($400 billion) over the next four years. Big-ticket items include 5 billion pounds ($6.6 billion) for drone technology, 8 billion pounds ($10.6 billion) to build new stealth fighter jets near Japan and Italy, and 11 billion pounds ($14.5 billion) to expand the arsenal. The UK will also spend 64 billion pounds ($85 billion) to modernize its nuclear arsenal.
Starmer said some roads and power would be removed to pay for the troops.
He said the program would ensure “our servicemen and women have the cutting-edge skills they need to tackle emerging threats and keep the British people safe.” The full text will be published on Tuesday.
The UK military wants to reverse years of decline in the face of an increasingly assertive Russia, which invaded its neighbor Ukraine in 2022 and continues to test the defenses of European nations with overt and covert operations.
The UK has watched how drones have revolutionized the war in Ukraine, using 200,000 of them a month to defend against Russian forces. Britain plans to invest billions in drone programs across all branches of the military. Instead of a planned fleet of new destroyers, the Royal Navy will get hybrid ships that will act as command centers for drones.
“The nature of the conflict is changing before our eyes,” Starmer said while speaking to a drone manufacturer near London. Armed with advanced technology, he said, Ukrainian forces destroyed Russian Black Sea vessels, “entered deep into Russian territory and halted the advance of one of the world’s largest armies.”
Critics say more money is needed
Britain and other NATO member countries have faced pressure from US President Donald Trump to increase military spending. Trump has long questioned the importance of the military and has complained that America is providing security to European countries that are not pulling their weight.
The resignations of Healey and junior Defense Minister Al Carns were among a series of blows that prompted Starmer to announce his resignation last week. He is likely to attend the NATO summit in Turkey on July 7 and 8 in one of his last acts as prime minister.
His successor, the likely former Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, will be under pressure to stick to defense commitments.
Opposition defense spokesman James Cartlidge said the plan was “too little, too late.”
And Gen. Retired Richard Barrons, who helped lead the defense review in preparing the investment plan, said “we have to get more money for defense immediately.”
“We are not aligned with our allies, we are not aligned with our enemies, and we know that the US is no longer going to save Europe’s security in the face of the Russian threat,” he told the BBC.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
