– “NATO First” policy: Emphasise Euro-Atlantic security and step up UK support and leadership in NATO (Indo-Pacific engagement remains secondary). – Strengthen alliances: Closer bilateral ties with European NATO allies to deliver priority capabilities and bolster Europe’s collective industrial base . – Support Ukraine & AUKUS: Continue “ironclad” support to Ukraine (including post-war help for its defence industry) ; double-down on AUKUS and Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) as models of allied co-innovation .
Ongoing. New Defence Diplomacy Strategy due by Dec 2025 to guide use of defence tools in foreign policy . No specific end-dates for alliance initiatives (continuous commitments).
– Maintain & modernise nuclear deterrent: Treat nuclear deterrence as the “bedrock” of UK security . Continue Continuous At-Sea Deterrent (CASD) patrols and invest in modern capabilities. – Warhead & submarines: Invest £15 billion in a new sovereign nuclear warhead this Parliament ; build up to 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines under AUKUS (to complement new Dreadnought-class SSBNs) . – NATO nuclear role: Explore options to enhance UK participation in NATO’s nuclear deterrence mission . – No life-extension of Dreadnoughts: Commit not to extend Dreadnought SSBN service beyond mid-2050s; begin defining requirements for their replacement by 2029 .
Funding: Nuclear programs ring-fenced from budget cuts . £15 billion warhead investment planned by 2029 . Governance: Biannual senior ministerial reviews of the nuclear program (“National Endeavour”) to ensure delivery . Public support: Launch a “National Endeavour” public campaign on the importance of the deterrent .
– Shift to “war-fighting” stance: Adopt the principle “If you want peace, prepare for war”. The review calls for a whole-of-society effort to improve readiness . – Always-on munitions production: Invest £1.5 billion in an “always on” munitions pipeline to ensure sustained ammunition supply . Six new munitions factories will boost domestic production . – Mobilisation powers: Propose a new Defence Readiness Bill to give Government powers to mobilise industry and Reserves quickly in a crisis . – Reserves & industry surge: Reinvigorate the Strategic Reserve (ex-Regular personnel) and map Reservists’ skills; ensure industry can surge output for war .
Immediate and near-term: Many measures start now or within 1–2 years. e.g. Always-on munitions production being funded this Parliament (by 2029) . Legislation: Home defence / readiness Bill to be introduced by end of this Parliament (≈ 2029) . Reserve integration: Digitise Reserve management by Jan 2027 to enable rapid mobilisation .
– Royal Navy: Build a “New Hybrid Navy” – complete Dreadnought SSBNs and new SSN-AUKUS submarines, modern warships and support ships; transform aircraft carriers into hybrid “airwings” (mix of crewed jets, drones, long-range strike missiles) . Introduce new autonomous vessels for North Atlantic patrols . Take lead in protecting undersea cables and infrastructure at sea . – British Army: Modernise the field Army to be “10× more lethal” – integrate armour with better air defence, comms, AI, long-range fires and drone swarms . Fully resource two deployable divisions plus a corps HQ for NATO’s rapid reinforcement role . Accelerate the new “recce-strike” brigades concept using evolving technology to drastically boost firepower . – Royal Air Force: Create a next-generation RAF – continue F-35 Lightning procurement, upgrade Typhoons, and develop the future combat air system (FCAS) with a mix of crewed and uncrewed “loyal wingman” drones . Enhance air and missile defence for the homeland . Retain Wedgetail AEW&C planes and add more when possible (including cost-share with NATO) . Improve airlift by expanding or outsourcing transport fleets .
Navy: Ongoing programs (Dreadnought in 2030s, AUKUS subs from late 2030s). Continuous build approach aiming for a new submarine every 18 months . Carrier drone integration to progress by late 2020s (no fixed date given). Army: Equipment upgrades over 5–10 years (some projects underway). No increase in Army manpower now (potential small uplift later if funding allows) . RAF: FCAS in development (target mid-2030s); RAF’s “Digital Targeting Web” by 2027 to integrate its systems . Wedgetail fleet entering service ~2024–25, further buys when budget permits.
– Tech-enabled force by 2035: Make UK a “leading tech-enabled defence power” by 2035 . Establish a new Digital Warfighter cadre (mix of uniformed and civilian tech experts) by July 2026 to work alongside conventional forces . – Digital Targeting Web: Invest £1 billion to build a secure, unified digital “targeting web” linking sensors, decision-makers and weapons across domains. Deliver a working system by 2027, with a prototype by 2026 . – Cyber and EM domain: Stand up a new Cyber and Electromagnetic (CyberEM) Command under Strategic Command to integrate cyber and EW operations. Initial operating capability by end of 2025 . CyberEM Command will coordinate cyber offense (still executed by the National Cyber Force) and cyber defence across Defence . – Innovation funding: Protect and increase R&D and innovation spending. Target at least 10% of the defence equipment budget on novel technologies annually (AI, autonomous systems, etc.) to spur rapid adoption . – Uncrewed systems & AI: Create a Defence Uncrewed Systems Centre (drones/autonomy) by Feb 2026 to accelerate use of drones and AI in all forces . Launch a dedicated Defence AI Fund to invest in artificial intelligence capabilities .
Short-term: Digital Targeting Web MVP by 2026, full roll-out in 2027 . CyberEM Command stood-up by late 2025 . Uncrewed Systems Centre by Feb 2026 . Ongoing: Annual shifts of funding into next-gen tech (10% goal) starting now . Long-term: Aim for a fully digitally-integrated force by 2035 (as an end-state vision) .
– Boost domestic arms production: Invest £6 billion in the UK munitions industry during this Parliament . Build at least 6 new munitions/energetics factories in the UK, creating 1,000+ jobs and ensuring capacity to surge production in wartime . – Increase weapons stockpiles: Manufacture up to 7,000 new long-range precision weapons (e.g. missiles) in the UK, supporting ~800 jobs , to improve NATO deterrence. – Defence “Prosperity” partnerships: Use defence programs to drive UK economic growth (a “defence dividend”). The review ties major investments to job creation (e.g. 9,000 jobs from the nuclear warhead and submarine programs) . – Procurement reform: Implement “radical” acquisition reforms to cut waste and speed up delivery . A new Defence Industrial Strategy (forthcoming) will flesh out plans to simplify procurement and engage a wider range of suppliers . – Exports and investment: Establish a new Defence Exports Office in the MoD to promote British defence products abroad . Develop initiatives (e.g. a Defence Investors’ Forum) to attract private financing into defence programs .
This Parliament (by 2029): £6 billion munitions investment and new factories to come on-line . Continuous submarine construction ramping up now (goal: 1 sub every 18 months) . 2025–26: MoD to develop a package of support for industry by April 2026 (e.g. reducing regulatory burdens, reform single-source contract rules) . Strategy updates: A refreshed Defence Industrial Strategy expected 2025 to set detailed industry policy .
– End strength and force mix: No further cuts to Regular personnel; consider a modest increase in Army Regulars (above ~73,000) when budget allows . Increase Active Reserves by ~20% (when funded) to ~30,000 and refocus Reserves on roles they perform well . Reduce MoD civil service workforce costs by 10% by 2030 . – Improve conditions: Invest £7 billion this Parliament to modernise military accommodation and housing . Over £1.5 billion of that is earmarked for urgent upgrades to forces’ family housing . Also, stem the outflow of personnel by improving family stability (e.g. help with home ownership, fewer forced relocations) . – Recruitment and entry: Attract new talent with “novel pathways” into service. Offer shorter service options (e.g. gap-year programs) to broaden appeal . Adjust medical entry standards to be role-specific to enlarge the pool of applicants . Plan due Nov 2025 outlining these new entry schemes . – Training and education: Create a unified career education pathway for all personnel (Regular, Reserve, Civil Service) by end of 2026 to foster an integrated “One Defence” workforce. Revamp training curricula faster: update outdated “people” policies by May 2026 and adapt training lessons from real operations more rapidly (policy for adaptive training due by Jan 2026) . Expand exchange programs and industry secondments to build skills (plan by Mar 2026) . – Diversity & inclusion: Remove bureaucratic barriers to a more diverse, merit-based force. Increase automation of routine admin (20% of HR/finance tasks by 2028) to free up personnel .
Near-term: Multiple 2025–2026 targets – e.g. new recruitment pathways plan by Nov 2025 ; joint education system by end 2026 ; training policy rewrite by Jan 2026 . Housing: £1.5 billion in housing improvements to be spent by 2025–2029 . New Defence Housing Strategy due in 2025 to guide further improvements . Longer-term: 20% administrative automation by 2028 ; 10% civilian workforce cut and stronger Reserve by 2030 .
– National conversation on defence: Launch a broad public outreach to build understanding of threats and the need to invest in security . Organise a two-year series of events UK-wide explaining defence challenges and the role of society in national resilience . Leverage the Armed Forces in visible community roles to reconnect with society . – Educating youth & expanding cadets: Work with educators to improve young people’s understanding of the military. Expand school and community cadet forces by 30% by 2030 (aiming for ~130,000 cadets) with an eventual ambition of 250,000 in longer term . Infuse cadet programs with more STEM and technology skills. – Critical infrastructure protection: Strengthen protection of UK critical national infrastructure (CNI) against sabotage and hybrid attacks. Update and enact necessary legislation by 2029 to bolster CNI resilience standards . Develop options (by Dec 2026) for new reserve units or agreements to guard infrastructure in crisis . – Home defence readiness: Ensure plans are in place across government for national mobilization in case of major war escalation. Mandate annual reporting on UK warfighting readiness (via the proposed Readiness Bill) to allow external scrutiny . Improve military aid to civil authorities: give Standing Joint Command (UK) responsibility and resources to lead all Armed Forces support to national resilience at home .
Public outreach: Two-year defence awareness campaign running 2025–2027 (just starting) . Cadet expansion: 30% growth target set for 2030 . Legislation: New or amended CNI protection laws by 2029 (end of Parliament) . Defence Readiness Bill to be introduced before 2029, with annual readiness reports from then on . Infrastructure security plans: Options for CNI protection reserve force due by Dec 2026 .
– Military-NHS integration: Closer integration of Defence Medical Services (DMS) with the NHS to ensure enough capacity for wartime mass casualties . Conduct a rapid “Sprint” review of medical capacity across DMS, NHS, and private sector, to identify gaps in handling a large-scale conflict or crisis . Establish better real-time reporting to MOD and DHSC ministers on the collective health system readiness for conflict . – Empower DMS leadership: Make the Surgeon General (DG DMS) the functional lead of a unified Defence Medical Enterprise. Consolidate medical personnel management, training, and standards across services . – Rebuild medical capacity: In line with NATO’s new medical plans, invest in medevac assets and medical stockpiles (including CBRN protective equipment) sised to UK’s operational commitments . Develop a “whole force” medical workforce plan (including reserves, contractors, and restoring injured troops to fitness) by March 2026 . – Modernise medical infrastructure: After decades of underfunding, create a 10-year infrastructure modernization plan for DMS by Feb 2026 . Upgrade aging military hospital facilities and digital health IT (e.g. accelerate rollout of the new MOD electronic health system) . Consider partnering with the NHS or private sector to finance and manage some of these improvements .
Reviews by 2025–26: Complete the joint MOD–DHSC medical capacity “sprint” review as an immediate priority (within 2025) . Formally establish the unified Defence Medical Enterprise leadership and new DMS structures by 2026. Planning deadlines: March 2026 for the workforce plan ; February 2026 for the medical infrastructure plan . Long-term: Execute 10-year infrastructure upgrades through 2035. Ensure DMS can meet surge requirements by late 2020s, in line with NATO medical targets (timelines tied to NATO planning).
– Infrastructure Recapitalisation: Develop an overarching plan to renew Defence infrastructure by Feb 2026, after decades of underinvestment . This plan should find ways to inject private capital quickly and streamline construction. Align infrastructure planning with capability programs so that bases, docks, airfields, etc., are prepared for new equipment . – Improve housing and accommodation: Publish a new Defence Housing Strategy in 2025 outlining how MOD will improve housing quality and widen eligibility (e.g. for long-term partners) . Prioritise funding in 2025–29 for the most deficient barracks and family quarters . – Efficiency and revenue: Optimise the vast Defence Estate (over 1,000 sites) by disposing of or reusing surplus property. Maximise value from land sales – any sale proceeds from housing land to be reinvested in barracks/housing upgrades . Where land is retained, pursue commercial uses (such as renewable energy projects) to generate revenue . – Modern estate management: Create a digitally enabled estate management system for real-time tracking of assets . Professionalise estate management with skilled commercial staff. Standardise construction contracts to avoid costly bespoke designs (use common government/industry standards except where absolutely mission-critical) . Streamline bureaucratic approvals to prevent “stop-start” delays in infrastructure projects .
Immediate: New Housing Strategy by late 2025 . By Feb 2026: Deliver the comprehensive estate recapitalisation plan (with private-sector options) . Near-term: Implement quick wins using the £7 billion infrastructure funding allocated for this Parliament – focusing on fixing the worst accommodation by 2025–2029 . Mid-term: Complete digital estate management system and new processes by 2028 (target implied by need to accelerate projects in this decade). Long-term: Execute the 10-year estate renewal program through the 2020s, aiming to reverse the “hollowing out” of bases by the mid-2030s.