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05 Dec 24. UK must stop ‘decommissioning’ specialist reserves to retain skills. The armed forces should rethink its retirement plan for reserves when they reach 55+ if they hope to retain specialist skills. British Army commander of the Specialist Group Information Services, General Gary Munch, cast doubt on the armed forces’ retirement plan for specialist reserves with crucial skills, as the service continues to struggle with retention and recruitment.
The UK Armed Forces begin to retire reserve soldiers and officers at 55 and 60 respectively, Munch stated.
It should be noted that there is no age restriction, and people are able to continue to serve depending on their operational capability.
Not unlike withdrawing ageing warships after years of service, Munch described the retirement process to “decommission” personnel during a conference at the Royal United Services Institute on 4 December.
This plan is counter-intuitive, Munch suggested, given the need to retain skills that are already in short supply.
Parliamentary Undersecretary Al Carns opened the event with a sober assessment of the fatality rates among Russian forces against Ukraine, suggesting “Russia will soon turn to its third army.” The Ministry of Defence reported that the Russian rate has topped more than 1,500 losses per day in November.
For the UK Armed Forces – wherein each branch remains below their target size according to recent findings – this attritional rate is disconcerting. For that reason, it is necessary to retain reservists at their peak in industry as their specialist skills from cybersecurity, medicine, and technology are all valuable attributes in a protracted conflict.
As of April 2024, more than a quarter of the UK Regular Forces personnel were under the age of 25. The average age of officers was 37, while the average age of all other ranks was 30. The overall average was 31 years of age.
Ditch the ‘ad hoc’ mentality
There has been an enduring skills deficit in the West for some time, and this goes beyond the defence industry.
Despite this, officials are trying to expand its pool of reservists at a time when, it was agreed, the division between civil society and the military has never been wider. This, attendees also agreed, requires a pervasive cultural change nationally.
However, Commander of Strategic Command, General Sir Jim Hockenhull, observed that the HR systems were designed for another era.
“We have to find a way to systematise the approach to reservists not as an ad hoc response” to crises, he advocated. “We must view reservists as a strategic capability,” not an auxiliary force.
(Source: army-technology.com)
05 Dec 24. Poland gets $4bn US loan for defence purchases, minister says. Poland signed a $4bn loan under the United States’ Foreign Military Financing program that will help finance the transformation of its armed forces, the Polish defence minister said on Thursday.
“This is another proof of enormous trust and strong alliance between Poland and the United States of America,” Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz posted on X. Kosiniak-Kamysz said that in total the United States has provided Poland with over $11bn to finance armament programs, including Patriot air defence systems and Apache helicopters. Spurred by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland became NATO’s top spender in terms of the proportion of its national wealth devoted to defence. Warsaw said it will spend 4.1% of gross domestic product on defense in 2024 with a pledge to increase this to 4.7% in 2025. (Source: Google/Reuters)
05 Dec 24. EU countries are discussing a €500bn joint fund for common defence projects and arms procurement, tapping bond markets to boost spending in anticipation of Donald Trump’s White House return. Trump’s threat to withdraw US security guarantees from underspending Nato allies has spurred European capitals to explore more radical defence funding options, including joint borrowing that has traditionally been ruled out by fiscal hawks in Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. Senior European officials discussing the plan are now focused on setting up a financing vehicle for defence, which would issue bonds backed by national guarantees from participating countries rather than the EU as a whole. The financing model, which would be open to non-EU states such as the UK and Norway, is gaining traction among a key group of EU member states, six people involved in the talks told the Financial Times. While the precise borrowing target is still to be agreed, those involved in negotiations said it would need to be more than €500bn. Europe has long been wrestling with how to step up defence spending to both sustain support for Ukraine and prepare for the US president-elect Trump, who earlier this year warned “we’re not going to protect” Nato allies “if they are not going to pay”. The EU has explored myriad ways to finance additional projects, and the intergovernmental fund has emerged as the single most ambitious option under consideration. The plans have been raised with the UK but London has yet to commit to any involvement, according to European officials involved in the discussions. One senior British official aware of the initiative welcomed the ambition as an “encouraging” sign of resolve. The European Investment Bank would be asked to play a technical role, helping to administer the special purpose vehicle (SPV) and manage treasury functions. Unlike the past proposals to issue “Eurobonds” for defence — joint borrowing that fiscally conservative EU countries opposed — participation in the fund would be voluntary and open to non-EU states. EU restrictions on using common funds for military purposes would therefore not apply, and military-neutral member states such as Austria, Malta, Ireland and Cyprus would be able to opt out without vetoing the plan. Troops walk past vehicles at Orkanger harbour in Norway © Ole Martin Wold/NTB/AFP/Getty Images Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who championed Eurobonds for defence earlier this year, told the FT there was a shift in sentiment among EU leaders. While his proposals were initially met with a “lukewarm response”, Mitsotakis now sensed “a renewed sense of urgency” given Europe’s security challenges and Trump’s return to power. “There is a growing consensus that we need to spend more on defence, and perhaps it’s time to establish a joint European mechanism to finance projects of common interest,” he said. “Germany and France would obviously benefit from more European spending on defence,” Mitsotakis said, adding that Italy and Spain are also “big players” in the industry that stand to gain from this initiative. Poland’s deputy finance minister Pawel Karbownik also said that “Europe has no other choice” than to increase its defence investments. “We need to be able to defend ourselves in the worst-case scenario,” he told the FT. “Trump 2.0 is likely to act as a catalyst for the EU to do more for Ukraine, as well as for its own security and defence,” said Mujtaba Rahman of Eurasia Group. Under the new plans, the EIB would help manage national guarantees underpinning the SPV and play an administrative role in capital markets, the people involved in the talks said. Under its current lending policy, the EIB is banned from directly funding arms investments. A spokesperson for the EIB said: “We have not been seized of any such plans.” (Source: FT.com)
04 Dec 24. UK outline forward presence concept for a more nimble navy. Dstl claim five ships can do the work of eleven as part of its plan for a more nimble forward presence. Analysts within the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) affirmed that less is more as they help to improve the Royal Navy’s “global presence with fewer warships and sailors,” according to a press release on 2 December 2024. Forward presence eliminates the long transit times and allows ships to remain in operational zones. This nimble force structure is already a proven operational concept. The Navy already forward deploys Batch 2 River-class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) – HMSs Forth, Medway, Trent, Tamar, and Spey – in the South Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indo-Pacific regions, where they are proving a diplomatic and military success. As a result, the release maintained that this forward-basing model is “proving that five ships could do the work of 11″. Simply put, the Royal Navy plan to respond to global crises with greater agility through five forward-based ships with rotating crews compared to 11 ships operating from the UK. Confident in this operational concept, Dstl confirmed that it will also apply the model to the Type 31 frigates, some of which are still in production, when they replace the ageing OPVs as “Counter-Fast Inshore Attack Craft” in the early 2030s. This will enable the service to free up more advanced ships for higher-end operational tasks. It allows the Royal Navy to cover a broader range of commitments with fewer ships overall.
Ultimately, this reduced force structure comes from a place of insecurity as the MoD routinely cuts naval programmes as part of its cost-saving measures and their inability to replace obsolete platforms and equipment. The Defence Secretary, John Healey, relayed a new round of cuts to several defence programmes in a session of Parliament on 20 November which largely impacted the Navy’s capabilities. As part of this, he scrapped two Albion-class amphibious assault ships, HMS Albion and Bulwark. Alongside this, Healey ruled out the possibility of extending the life of the ageing Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland. Following the cuts, Naval Technology found that the Royal Navy has just 73% of the 19 escorts that officials previously considered the “absolute minimum” required to perform its duties. The sun goes down over the ageing Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland, 14 March 2022. The Defence Secretary John Healey has lately ruled out extending the life of the frigate as the Royal Navy embraces a limited, albeit forward deployed, force structure. Credit: Crown copyright/UK Ministry of Defence.
Essentially, Dstl’s concept is a responsive solution to make the poor state of the UK’s naval forces work. It is not a proactive approach ideally suited for a new age of geostrategic competition. Resorting to a limited, albeit distributed, forward presence does not mean the Navy meets the ship count requirement for the government’s truly global strategic ambitions.
“The desire to drive greater and greater efficiencies from operations should be approached with caution,” warns William Freer, National Security fellow, Council of Geostrategy. “This is fine in a peaceful era, but efficiency often comes at the cost of resilience and redundancy, which are of great utility in more volatile times.”
Nevertheless, Baroness Goldie, a former Minister of State, speaking in June 2023, was right to acknowledge that the Royal Navy was one of the few services in the world to have ships in every ocean on the planet in 2022. However, presence does not necessarily equate to credibility, as one current senior MoD official similarly overestimated more recently.
The US Navy – a much larger maritime force – is similarly wrestling with this problem. In the Indo-Pacific, the service requires more smaller, missile defence capable warships to outmatch China’s surface fleet in a potential conflict over Taiwan.
On 3 December 2024, the UK Defence Select Committee probed Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, the Lead Reviewer of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), casting doubt on the UK’s global reach. It may be necessary to “focus more narrowly,” suggested one Committee member, Derek Twigg.
“We are very conscious of the global responsibilities the United Kingdom has,” Robertson mentioned. This is something that the SDR will need to clarify as it identifies ways to maintain the UK’s defence ties in the Indo-Pacific, the Gulf and Middle East, and all manner of places around the world.
In the same breath, the MoD confirmed the ongoing status of the Type 32 future frigate programme. It is notable that the government has given this programme, currently in the conceptual stage, with many details that have yet to be ironed out, a nod ahead of the SDR in spring next year. It is also curious that Type 32 is still on the table if its purpose was to increase the force level from 19 to 24 vessels when the five-platform increase was announced in 2020. Now that the Royal Navy will operate with fewer ships and sailors, it would be reasonable for someone to think the project would be in jeopardy. However, with the rise of autonomous systems the Type 32 may still serve to house autonomous systems, particularly for mine countermeasure purposes.
“The Type 32 programme had been in something of a limbo for some time,” noted Freer. “Hopefully the reference to Dstl taking ‘the same approach for the Type 32 frigate’ serves as confirmation that the programme is still going ahead,” as the future programme expands Britain’s forward presence. (Source: naval-technology.com)
05 Dec 24. France: Government collapse will deepen socio-economic health, domestic unrest risks. On 4 December, French lawmakers passed a motion of no confidence in the minority government led by the former prime minister Michel Barnier (who formally resigned earlier on 5 December). The vote was triggered in opposition to Barnier’s bid to bypass the National Assembly to adopt the 2025 budget. Barnier will head a caretaker government until President Emmanuel Macron appoints a new prime minister, possibly in the coming days. However, the fractured National Assembly and the inability to call another snap election until July 2025 means that any new government will almost certainly be similarly unable to pass fresh legislation; this will exacerbate France’s mounting socio-economic challenges. If Macron does not appoint a prime minister approved by the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coalition, we assess that the risk of NFP-led unrest (with the support of unions) will increase. The constitution will likely enable a caretaker administration to extend the 2024 budget to avert the collapse of government spending and public services. (Source: Sibylline)
04 Dec 24. EU-wide weapon buying boosts bloc’s defense spending to record in 2023. European Union countries increased defense spending by 10% to a record €279bn ($293bn) last year, with the share of budgets spent on new equipment rising to the highest since the start of data collection almost two decades ago, the European Defence Agency reported. The EU’s 27 member states together spent €72bn on defense investments, or 26% of their total expenditure, the EDA said in a report published Wednesday. Most of that money went into development and procurement, with spending on new weapons, systems and equipment rising 19% from a year earlier to around €61bn. EU defense expenditure is projected to rise again in 2024, reaching €326bn, with defense investments accounting for a record 31% share of total spending. Procurement spending could increase to more than €90 bn this year, according to the agency. Member states are bolstering military capabilities in response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, EDA said. EU countries Increased weapon purchases to replenish stocks depleted by providing military aid to Ukraine, address capability gaps and increase preparedness for high-intensity conflict.
“The return of full-scale war to Europe and efforts by member states to strengthen their military capabilities led to a noticeable jump in defense spending in 2023,” the EU agency said.
Total EU defense spending rose for a ninth year and is up by almost €100bn from 2014, when the budget for defense hit a low, after several years of cuts in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
The urge to swiftly address capacity shortfalls through buying of commercial off-the-shelf equipment may have caused a temporary slowdown last year of common European procurement, which is seen as complex and time-consuming, according to the EDA.
“The European Union is making strides in defense investments, spurred by the urgency of the threats we face,” EDA Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý in a statement. “Still, a large proportion is spent on off-the-shelf equipment from outside the EU, highlighting the need to fortify the European defense technological and industrial base.”
Eight EU countries met the NATO benchmark of spending at least 2% of GDP on defense in 2023, according to the report. Poland was the top spender by share of its economy, followed by Estonia, Latvia, Greece, Lithuania and Finland.
Twenty member states reached a benchmark of 20% of defense expenditure going to investment, led by Luxembourg with 59%, Estonia with 46%, as well as Finland and Poland, which both dedicating 45% of their spending on investment.
EU spending on defense R&D rose to €11bn in 2023 and is forecast to reach €13bn this year. While R&D spending has more than doubled from a low in 2016, the EU is behind China, which may have spent the equivalent of €21 bn on defense R&D last year, as well as the U.S., which spent around €129 bn on R&D, testing and evaluation, according to the report.
“I welcome rising research spending,” Šedivý said. “But Europe lags behind the United States and China in defense research and technology investment.”
Two EU countries account for more than 80% of defense research and technology spending, with many member states still failing to reach a benchmark to spend 2% of their defense expenditure on research and technology. The EDA report didn’t identify the two top spenders.
(Source: Defense News)
04 Dec 24. NATO’s Rutte says arms firms need to produce more at lower prices. NATO boss Mark Rutte sharply criticised arms companies inside the U.S.-led alliance on Wednesday, saying they were producing too little, charging too much and delivering too slowly as NATO seeks to support Ukraine and boost its defences against Russia. With NATO countries bracing for renewed pressure from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to raise their defence spending, Rutte also said the current target of 2% of economic output would not be enough to deter attacks in the future. Rutte did not say whether he thought 3% should be the new target, as Trump has insisted. However, he said NATO would not only have to spend more on defence but also get better value.
“We are producing not enough, at too high prices, and delivery is too slow, so defence industry needs to put in more shifts, needs to put in more production lines,” said Rutte, NATO’s secretary general and former Dutch prime minister.
“We cannot have a situation where we just pay more for the same and we see large kickbacks to the shareholders,” he told reporters after a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers at alliance headquarters in Brussels.
Rutte said some NATO countries were turning to South Korean arms firms because “our own defence companies are not producing at the rate we need”.
Countries across the transatlantic military alliance have increased defence spending substantially in recent years, especially following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. (Source: Reuters)
04 Dec 24. German government approves strategy aimed at bolstering defence industry. The German government approved on Wednesday a defence industry strategy that aims to make it easier for companies to ramp up capacity and to accelerate weapons production, with an eye to the current security situation and the war raging in Ukraine.
“The current threat situation requires that we promote key technologies in Germany,” said German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius in a joint statement with Economy Minister Robert Habeck.
Both ministers are set to meet with top representatives from the German defence industry on Thursday in Berlin to discuss the strategy, though no decisions are expected from those talks, according to several sources familiar with the plans.
Germany, the largest backer of Ukraine in Europe, vowed to upgrade its eroded Bundeswehr army and boost defence as part of a “Zeitenwende” – or “turning point” – in a policy shift announced shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. (Source: Reuters)
03 Dec 24. Defence review will ‘intimidate our enemies, inspire our friends’, as long as it’s within 2.5%. The former defence secretary who is leading the Government’s Strategic Defence Review has told MPs he hopes the review will intimidate the UK’s enemies and inspire its friends. Lord Robertson, who was also head of Nato from 1999 to 2003, was appearing before the Defence Select Committee alongside fellow reviewer Sir Richard Barrons, a former commander of Joint Forces Command. His response came following a question on how the SDR review would be received around the world. Lord Robertson said the review team was “making sure that allies and partners are involved” in the process. Sir Richard followed up the former Nato chief by adding: “Surprise is something only best inflicted on your opponents, not on your own side.
“In the announcement of the review, and indeed its implementation, clearly that is sending a message to our potential opponents about where UK defence is going.”
And Lord Roberton added: “Intimidating our enemies, inspiring our friends, that’s what I hope the review will do.”
He revealed there had been 8,000 contributions made to the review from across the defence world.
But he reminded the committee on several occasions that the scope for the review is to work within the trajectory of spending 2.5% of GDP on defence. Lord Robertson outlined that the SDR was given the parameters to ensure the results are “deliverable and affordable within the resources available to defence within the trajectory of 2.5%”.
“The reality is, we all have to live within certain envelopes,” he said.
“These were the terms of reference that we had and that’s what we’re living with.”
Sir Richard also outlined that every review in his working life had “failed, generally within two years”, with one reason being an enormous gap being left between ambition and resourcing – naming the 2010 Conservative review as the most obvious example.
“Our objective has to be as least wrong as possible, in terms of how we design a formula for the future,” he said.
The pair were also asked whether the changing global military and threat picture could affect the review, to which Lord Robertson replied: “We’re trying to map a way forward, not just for five years or 10 years.
“So there is no reason why events that take place in the future won’t completely destroy what we’re doing, but you can’t predict what is going to happen in the future.
“We are where we are today, so we have to deal with today but try to look forward as well.”
One key area Sir Richard outlined as needing improvement was within the skills of the Armed Forces, particularly in the digital space, such as cyber, information operations and AI.
“There’s a skills crisis, it’s not unique to defence,” he said.
“The review is examining that and will make some very powerful recommendations.
“I’m pretty confident on the way to fix it – that is as important as deciding on how much ammunition to buy.”
He also said there is a need for more homeland resilience, namely industrial resilience.
“There’s no point in having a powerful Armed Forces and a fragile defence industry – they have to be seen as symbiotic,” he explained.
“One of the things that underpins this review is we’re having to reflect that we’ve transitioned from an era… where war was essentially outsourced to the regular Armed Forces and didn’t really trouble civil society.
“Now we’re in an era where clearly war has returned as a whole-of-society endeavour, our review is only about the defence bit of that and there are many other dependencies that are for others to fix.”
This was echoed by Lord Roberston, who said a lot of the information regarding the threats we face is available to the public.
However, he said he wished “people were as worried” as he is “on behalf of [his] children and… grandchildren”.
“I hope there could be a wider appreciation for what the military do, what it needs to do and what the country has to do at this time,” he said. (Source: forces.net)
03 Dec 24. Slovakia defense budget to remain above NATO’s 2% GDP target over 2024-29, says GlobalData. The Slovak defense budget is set to see a significant and consistent increase over the 2024-29 forecast period as it procures major platforms and the country’s government responds to a deteriorating security environment in Europe. As a NATO member, Slovakia has committed to meeting the minimum 2% of GDP spending target, and already attained this in 2021 ahead of the 2024 goal set during a NATO summit in Wales in 2014 in response to the Russian annexation of Crimea. The country is expected to maintain its defense budget above NATO’s target in the coming years, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. GlobalData’s latest report, “Slovakia Defense Market 2024-2029,” reveals that Slovakia’s defense budget is set to reach $30.5bn in 2029, up from $25.8bn in 2020. The acquisition budget, which was $0.9bn in 2020, will rise significantly to $9.2bn by 2029. The personnel spend, which is estimated at $18.2bn in 2024, will remain stable at $18.3bn by the end of the forecast period.
Wilson Jones, Defense Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Slovakia’s defense budget had already increased moderately over the previous years as a result of a decision to undertake the most extensive modernization of the Slovak Armed Forces since their inception. Currently, it spends 2.2% of GDP on defense in 2024, which is an uptick from the 1.8% of GDP that was spent by the government in 2020.”
Since the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict in 2022, several representatives of the Slovakian MoD have suggested that spending at 2% should be the baseline rather than the target, although the government has not as of yet committed to this as official policy. Slovakia has also suggested increasing defense coordination with other Central European countries, such as the regional leader Poland, to reduce inefficiencies and help achieve 2.5% GDP spending in the near future.
Jones adds: “Slovakia is also investing in missile defense and air defense. At the end of 2023, the country acquired two MANTIS (Modular, Automatic, and Network-capable Targeting and Interception System) air defense systems from Germany for EUR120m ($135m).” It is also officially seeking to join the Sky Shield initiative, a European-wide air defense network.”
Sky Shield combines the short, medium, and long range air defense systems of all members to create a continent-wide umbrella defending against any attacking missile. Currently, it includes the Arrow 3, Patriot, and IRIS-T platforms. Furthermore, Slovakia is considering the joint purchase of air defense systems, such as Israel’s SPYDER systems, to further contribute to air defense.
Jones concludes: “Defense spending per capita in Slovakia has grown substantially, increasing from $376 in 2018 to $507 in 2024, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.47% over the period. With a steady growth in spending on major procurement programs, it is forecast to rise to $702 in 2029. Overall, in per capita and percent GDP terms, Slovakia is a leader among NATO members.” (Source: GlobalData)
02 Dec 24. Kosovo-Serbia: Alleged attack on infrastructure will drive bilateral tensions in coming weeks. On 30 November, Kosovan police arrested eight ethnic Serbs from North Kosovo accused of perpetrating a terrorist attack on critical infrastructure. On 29 November, an explosion hit a canal near Zubin Potok town (Mitrovica District)that is critical for water and energy supply. The authorities stated that most of the arrested belong to the local Serb organisation ‘Civil Protection’ which they consider a terrorist organisation. They also seized military uniforms and weapons. Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti accused the Serbian government of being responsible for the attack, which it denies. We assess that inter-ethnic and bilateral tensions will remain elevated in the coming weeks and months. The EU-mediated dialogue between both countries will be likely halted at least until Kosovo’s general election in February 2025. While further isolated incidents in North Kosovo are likely, we also assess that an armed conflict between both countries remains highly unlikely. The presence of NATO troops as part of the Kosovo Force (KFOR) peacekeeping mission will likely mitigate the risk of any major security incidents. (Source: Sibylline)
02 Dec 24. Norway to send F-35 fighter jets, air defence systems to Poland. Norway’s defence ministry said on Monday it will deploy F-35 fighter jets and NASAMS air defence systems to a logistics hub in Poland which coordinates military aid for Ukraine. From early December, Norway will safeguard the airspace above the Rzeszow airport in Poland and will send around 100 soldiers in addition to the air defence systems and fighter jets, the ministry said in a statement. “Ukraine remains in critical need of military support, with Poland as the most critical logistics hub … This way Norway contributes to ensuring that aid to Ukraine reaches its destination,” Defence Minister Bjoern Arild Gram said. (Source: Reuters)
02 Dec 24. UK based defence firms will be prioritised for government investment under a new defence industrial strategy.
- Amid global insecurity, new Defence Industrial Strategy to help secure Britain’s growth and create good jobs across UK.
- Boosting long-term UK investment and seizing new technology at centre of new strategy.
- Launch comes as hundreds of millions of pounds of new investment injected into the UK defence sector.
UK based defence firms will be prioritised for government investment under a new defence industrial strategy that will drive economic growth, boost British jobs and strengthen national security.
Defence Secretary, John Healey will today [Monday 2 December] launch the Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy – by inviting investors, innovators, industry and trade unions to give their views on how to grow a better, more integrated, more innovative and more resilient defence sector.
Speaking at a London Defence Conference event with investors in London, Healey will set an ambition to increase defence sector jobs in “every nation and region of the UK”. He will say that a strong defence sector can help provide “the foundation for a decade of national renewal.” He will publish a new Statement of Intent for the Defence Industrial Strategy this morning.
With global threats increasing, the Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy will place deterrence at the heart of a new approach, to ensure adversaries know the UK has an industrial base that can innovate at a wartime pace.
In a sign of the Government’s commitment to develop a faster, more resilient supply chain, a first-of-its-kind wargame will begin today with the UK defence industry. The wargame will explore how industry and the MOD could sustain personnel on the frontline when faced with constant supply chain disruption and intense fighting.
The strategy will help make the defence sector an engine for UK growth and will strengthen domestic supply chains in critical areas, such as semi-conductors and steel. The new government has already invested in the acquisition of a defence semiconductor factory in County Durham. The new strategy will show how public investment and long-term certainty can help crowd-in billions in private investment into UK Defence and will “mobilise the private sector to help face down global threats.”
In a show of support for this approach, today’s announcement comes as defence companies announce major new investments and facilities, helping boost jobs and growth across Britain.
- Helsing – Europe’s largest defence AI company will announce plans to mass-produce thousands of a new AI-enabled drone, as part of its £350m investment into the UK over the next five years.
- BAE Systems – is set to announce thousands more recruits next year alongside a major new investment in skills.
- Babcock – is set to announce almost 1500 new early career roles with graduate and apprenticeship opportunities to support UK defence over the coming year.
- Rolls-Royce – have opened a new office in Glasgow which will play a crucial role in attracting skilled employees and supporting regional growth. The 120 new jobs it creates will support the delivery of major UK submarine programmes.
Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry Maria Eagle will also visit Barrow-in-Furness today where BAE Systems’ skilled workers are building the UK’s new nuclear submarines and will benefit from the further investment.
The new Government is seeking to address some of the problems of the past which have held back growth in the defence sector, including inefficient spending, skills shortages, a lack of focus on exports and long-term partnerships. The Government will deliver for British businesses and the public through this step-change in approach.
At the centre of the strategy is the Government’s growth mission – bringing benefits to every region and nation in the UK. The defence sector already supports 1 in 60 jobs in the UK – 434,000 good, well-paid jobs, with the majority (67%) outside London and the Southeast.
Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said: “Our defence sector should be an engine for jobs and growth, strengthening our security and economy. That requires a defence industry that is better and more integrated – one that can keep our Armed Forces equipped, innovating at a wartime pace, and ahead of our adversaries. We will develop this new Defence Industrial Strategy with industry, with innovators and with workers. We will mobilise the private sector to help face down global threats, direct more public investment to British businesses and create jobs and growth in every nation and region of the UK. National security is the foundation for national stability and growth. We are sending a signal to the market and to our adversaries: with a strong UK defence sector we will make Britain secure at home and strong abroad. The new strategy will be shaped with the defence industry, identifying opportunities to innovate at speed, with the resilience to deter aggression by adversaries, able to seize the opportunity presented by the technologies of the future, while growing the UK’s share of the exports market.
Kevin Craven, CEO of ADS Group said: “The Government underlining the importance of the defence sector to the UK economy is hugely welcomed, particularly the sector’s inclusion as a high priority area for growth. ADS has consistently convened meaningful engagement between our members, MOD and wider stakeholders, and we look forward to continuing this in the latest phase. Industry greatly appreciates the opportunity for deep involvement with these processes. To deliver the right capability to support the UK’s ability to deter, it is pivotal that we continue to contribute to military planning activities. The Government is also appointing a fully-fledged National Armaments Director. Its aim is to ensure the armed forces are properly equipped to defend Britain, to build up the British defence industry and to crack down on waste. The government’s primary mission is to secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 – with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country – and with more than 200,000 UK jobs supported through spend with the defence industry, the new strategy will have a key role to play in this.”
The strategy was a manifesto pledge and is expected to be published in the first half of 2025. The government has committed to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence and will set a clear path in the Spring.
Under this government, there has been renewed confidence in the UK defence industry, including Rheinmetall committing a new factory which will see the UK manufacture artillery gun barrels for the first time in 10 years, using British steel produced by Sheffield Forgemasters.
The last Defence Industrial Strategy was published in 2021, before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The new Defence Industrial Strategy will align with the Strategic Defence Review.
The Defence Industrial Strategy is commissioned by the Defence Secretary and will be the sector plan for defence in Government’s wider industrial strategy. The Ministry of Defence and The Department for Business and Trade will work to ensure the Defence Industrial Strategy and upcoming Trade Strategy is complimentary.
RECORD £1 BN SKILLS INVESTMENT AS BAE SYSTEMS SET TO RECRUIT THOUSANDS MORE APPRENTICES AND GRADUATES IN 2025
To coincide with this announcement BAE Systems made a major announcement about jobs and investment
BAE Systems is projecting a record number of young people in training in 2025 and the Company’s investment in education and skills is expected to reach £1bn since the start of the decade.
The Company is recruiting for more than 2,400 new apprentice, undergraduate and graduate roles in 2025, which will result in a record number of 6,500 in training, making up approximately 15% of its UK workforce.
An anticipated £230m investment in education and skills next year will take the total amount spent on upskilling people across the UK since 2020 to beyond £1bn.
The funding, which has grown year-on-year since the Covid-19 pandemic, is spent primarily on UK apprentices, graduates and experienced employees, as well as education outreach, helping to build on the Company’s reputation as a leader in growing the nation’s industrial skills base, whilst also contributing to local and national economic growth.
Our investments have enabled BAE Systems to open its third multi-m pound skills academy in Glasgow this year, which expands on its established academies in Barrow and Samlesbury.
The Company also has a range of partnerships with colleges, universities and social mobility champions, like Movement to Work.
Charles Woodburn, Chief Executive, BAE Systems, said: “As the UK’s largest defence company, we rely on the skill and ingenuity of those who deliver our programmes, which is why it’s so crucial we continue to invest in our people.
“With thousands of roles open for application across the length and breadth of the country and our exciting high technology programmes, there has never been a better time to embark on a new career with us.”
John Healey, Secretary of State for Defence, said: “BAE Systems are a leading light in the UK defence industry and play a crucial role in keeping the men and women of our Armed Forces equipped on the front line.
“Defence offers exciting careers and this investment is a vote of confidence in the UK as a leader for cutting-edge employment, creating highly skilled jobs across the UK.
“National security is the foundation for national stability and growth. Our Defence Industrial Strategy will ensure our defence sector is an engine for jobs and growth, strengthening our security and our economy.”
Almost 1,300 apprentices are expected to join BAE Systems next year, with the majority of roles based in the North of England alongside opportunities across the South of England, Scotland and Wales.
BAE Systems also plans to hire more than 1,100 graduates and undergraduates, giving each cohort the chance to work on some of the world’s most advanced technology programmes including the Global Combat Air Programme and the UK’s next-generation submarines known as SSN-AUKUS.
The Company’s award-winning early careers schemes are vital to developing the talent pipeline needed to deliver critical national security capability. They also help to build the next group of talented industrial leaders, with many former apprentices and graduates going on to become leaders in the Company.
Francesca Di Mascio, 27, first year Electrical Engineering Apprentice at BAE Systems’ Naval Ships business, said: “I joined BAE Systems because job security is important to me and I wanted to work in a hands-on environment. The job was everything I’d hoped for plus the extra benefit of being part of the community in the shipyard gives me an extra sense of purpose. Doing an apprenticeship is a great opportunity to earn while you learn and this is the first time I’ve really felt valued after joining a business, I’d definitely recommend anyone thinking about applying to go for it!”
With more than 60 programmes available, there are opportunities at every level, from steelwork and engineering to cyber security, software development, finance and project management.
In order to maximise its talent pool, BAE Systems is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, which is vital in developing a future skills and talent pipeline. This year, 30% of the Company’s new apprentice starters are female, compared to 15% in the UK engineering community. One in three of its new graduate starters this year came from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The closing date for apprentice applications is 28 February 2025. There are multiple graduate intakes throughout the year, including January, April, July, August and September. Find out more and apply: baesystems.com/earlycareers
Early careers opportunities are just one part of the Company’s wider recruitment drive. BAE Systems is currently recruiting thousands of skilled workers from steelworkers to data scientists across the UK. Find out more and apply: baesystems.com/experiencedprofessionals
Spending data on skills and training in the UK*:
*Future spending figures are based on business forecasts. Actual figures may differ from forecasted ones.
2020 – £92m
2021 – £117m
2022 – £180m
2023 – £233m
2024 – c.£230m (conservative forecast)
2025 – c.£230m (conservative forecast)
BATTLESPACE Comment: It has ben a long time coming but at last, after years of lobbying from ADS, MakeUK Defence, BATTLESPACE and others, the governemnt is now looking at a ‘Buy UK First’ strategy to boost jobs and indigenous SME caapbility.
Matt Roberts, GMB National Officer for defence manufacturing, responded to today’s announcement:
“We have waited a long time for a serious defence industrial strategy – to boost good quality union jobs in working class communities all across our regions and nations.
“Under previous governments we have lost far too much of our onshore sovereign capabilities.
“For this new strategy to succeed it must have a laser focus on the jobs and skills needed to underpin it. Listening to workers themselves, with unions around the table, is vital to solve this.
“We need to see quick delivery on jobs, skills and apprenticeships or our country cannot remain a top tier military power.”
(Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
02 Dec 24. The UK government is set to unveil plans for a new defence industrial council with business, in a bid to deepen Whitehall collaboration with technology companies and smaller start-ups, as well as the sector’s giants. John Healey, UK defence secretary, will on Monday outline proposals for small and medium-size businesses, investors, academics and trade unions to join the body, alongside major “primes” such as BAE Systems and Babcock International. The council will involve a wider range of voices than the existing defence suppliers forum, which focuses more heavily on the biggest companies in the sector. Healey told the Financial Times that he wanted “to hear from others beyond those established defence businesses”. He added: “We want greater involvement from tech firms whose innovation can benefit defence. We want to work with entrepreneurs and start-ups, with exporters who are looking for more government muscle behind their efforts, and with investors wanting to play a bigger part.” Its cast list is likely to be finalised alongside a new defence industrial strategy, promised in Labour’s manifesto, that officials say will be published in the first half of 2025. The result of the government’s strategic defence review, which will examine which capabilities the UK should be investing in, is also expected early next year. Speaking at a London Defence Conference event on Monday, Healey will argue that “national security is the foundation for growth”, as he publishes a statement of intent about the strategy. It will explicitly prioritise UK-based companies for military-linked state investment in order to drive domestic growth and jobs, aligning the government’s economic and security agendas. The plans are the latest attempt to overhaul how the Ministry of Defence procures equipment from industry. Successive governments have tried to fix a system that has come under fire for wasting billions of pounds of taxpayer money on equipment that is late and over budget. The UK last published a defence industrial strategy in 2021 before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The war has underlined how modern warfare is shifting from the use of traditional hardware such as tanks, guns and munitions to more software-defined technologies to enable troops to outsmart the enemy. Investors, innovators, industry and trade unions will be invited to feed into the framework, whose goal is to increase defence sector jobs in “every nation and region of the UK”, Healey will say. The industry is already viewed as an important source of highly-skilled and well-paid jobs in less prosperous parts of the country. (Source: FT.com)
29 Nov 24. Sweden to bolster Ukrainian defence with long-range missile and drone production. Sweden has announced plans to support the mass production of long-range missiles and drones. The initiative, which hinges on parliamentary approval, was revealed during a bilateral meeting between Swedish Minister for Defence, Pål Jonson, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, at Karlberg Palace on 22 November.
The discussions at Karlberg Palace were followed by meetings with representatives of Sweden’s defence industry, exploring potential collaboration with Ukraine. During a subsequent press conference, Minister Jonson outlined plans for a new Swedish financial contribution to Ukraine’s defence sector. This contribution is expected to bolster Ukraine’s efforts in producing advanced weaponry, including long-range drones and missiles, for donation to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
If approved, this initiative will form part of Sweden’s 18th military support package for Ukraine, planned for early 2025. “This is a clear demonstration of Sweden’s commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and security,” Minister Jonson stated during the announcement. Enhanced international cooperation with allies and partners may also be included, aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s defence manufacturing capabilities further.
The forthcoming package is set to be financed within the framework of Sweden’s three-year military support programme, which allocates SEK 25 bn annually between 2024 and 2026. This initiative underscores Sweden’s long-term commitment to supporting Ukraine in the ongoing conflict and its strategic focus on enhancing Ukraine’s technological edge in defence. (Source: Google/https://defence-industry.eu/)
29 Nov 24. Poland readies $740m fund to jump-start ammunition production. Polish lawmakers have voted to allocate some 3 bn złoty ($740 m) for investments in ramping up the country’s ammunition production capacities, with a particular focus on much-needed 155mm artillery shells. The decision to approve the bill was made by the Sejm, the lower chamber of the Polish parliament, on Nov. 27 by a majority of 424 votes, with no lawmakers voting against the measure. Following this, the legislation needs to be approved by the senate, the upper chamber, and signed by the president to enter into force. The allocated funds “will be used to capitalize companies responsible for producing ammunition, in particular artillery ammunition of caliber 155mm,” Polish Deputy State Assets Minister Marcin Kulasek said in a social media post. The funds will be made available for investments by companies that seek the state’s backing for their projects to ramp up ammunition manufacturing capabilities. The program will be financed by the Ministry of National Defence and government securities. The latest development comes as Warsaw is exploring various means of drastically increasing industry capacity for making artillery shells. As the predominantly state-owned sector relies on imported components to manufacture 155mm ammunition, officials are looking at ways to secure the necessary manufacturing technology from foreign partners.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister and National Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz recently stated that Poland aims to cooperate with Slovakia to secure the necessary technology that will allow the country to boost production. Kosiniak-Kamysz declared willingness to bolster Warsaw’s partnership with Bratislava during the minister’s Nov. 22 meeting with his Slovak counterpart, Robert Kaliňák.
“I’m greatly impressed by Slovakia’s production capacities in the field of ammunition, in particular the 155mm one, but also other types,” Kosiniak-Kamysz told his counterpart. “We want to develop our defense industry together with you.”
The Polish military requires increasing 155mm ammunition deliveries for its growing fleet of K9 Thunder and Krab self-propelled howitzers, manufactured by South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace and Poland’s state-run defense group PGZ, respectively. (Source: Defense News)
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