UK set to increase defence spending to 2.5% by 2030
23 Apr 24. Sunak announces ‘turning point’ in European security as UK set to increase defence spending to 2.5% by 2030.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that the UK will increase defence spending to 2.5% by 2030.
• On a visit to Poland, the Prime Minister launches plan to steadily increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by the end of the decade – reaching £87bn a year in 2030.
• Rishi Sunak announces ‘biggest strengthening of our national defence in a generation’ to meet the challenge of an increasingly dangerous world.
• Defence to receive an additional £75bn over six years, ensuring the UK remains by far the second largest defence spender in NATO after the US.
• Additional funding will be used to put the UK’s defence industry on a war footing, deliver cutting-edge technology and back Ukraine against Russia.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today [Tuesday April 23] has announced the biggest strengthening of the UK’s national defence in a generation, with a fully funded plan to grow the defence budget to 2.5% of GDP by 2030.
Delivering a speech alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Poland, a country at the vanguard of the continent’s defence, the Prime Minister said we are at a turning point in European security and urged allies to step up.
An axis of autocratic states like Russia, Iran and China are increasingly working together to undermine democracies and reshape the world order. They are also investing heavily in their own militaries and in cyber capabilities and in low-cost technology, like the Shahed attack drones Iran fired towards Israel last weekend.
This poses a direct threat to the lives and livelihoods of people in the UK, as well as across Europe and the wider world. The Government has already committed record investment in defence and the UK armed forces are world-leading – but the Prime Minister has said that we must take further action now to deter these growing threats.
With today’s announcement, UK defence spending will increase immediately and then rise steadily to reach £87bn at the end the decade – hitting 2.5% of GDP by 2030.
The Prime Minister has set out three areas of focus for our bolstered defence budget:
• Firing up the UK defence industrial base: Investing at least an additional £10bn over the next decade on munitions production, delivering high-quality jobs and investment across the UK and ensuring we have rapid production capacity and stockpiles of next-generation munitions.
• Modernising our Armed Forces: Radically reforming defence procurement and creating a new Defence Innovation Agency to ensure the UK is at the cutting edge of modern warfare technology, with at least 5% of the defence budget to be committed to R&D.
• Backing Ukraine’s defence: Ukraine’s security is our security. As part of this plan, the Government will commit an additional £500m this year for the ammunition, air defence and drones Ukraine needs; the largest-ever single delivery of military equipment to Ukraine’s frontlines; and a cast-iron commitment to maintain existing levels of support to Ukraine for as long as it Is needed.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “In a world that is the most dangerous it has been since the end of the Cold War, we cannot be complacent. As our adversaries align, we must do more to defend our country, our interests, and our values. That is why today I have announced the biggest strengthening of our national defence for a generation. We will increase defence spending to a new baseline of 2.5% of GDP by 2030 – a plan that delivers an additional £75bn for defence by the end of the decade and secures our place as by far the largest defence power in Europe.
“Today is a turning point for European security and a landmark moment in the defence of the United Kingdom. It is a generational investment in British security and British prosperity, which makes us safer at home and stronger abroad.”
This is a fully-funded plan to deliver the biggest transformation of our national defence since the Cold War, moving from an aspiration to spend 2.5% by an unspecified date to a costed commitment to do so in 2030.
Defence spending will increase immediately and rise linearly – with a further £500m for Ukraine this year and overall increase of £3bn in the next financial year. Today’s announcement will see an additional £75bn for defence over the next six years, with defence spending expected to reach £87bn a year in 2030.
This sets a new standard for other major European NATO economies to follow. If all NATO countries committed at least 2.5% of their GDP to defence, our collective budget would increase by more than £140 bn.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said: “It speaks to Britain’s global role that, with an improving economy, we are able to make this commitment to peace and security in Europe. It also sends the clearest possible message to Putin that as other NATO European countries match this commitment, which they will, he will never be able to outspend countries that believe in freedom and democracy.”
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: “As I argued in my Lancaster House speech earlier this year, we are living in a much more dangerous world. Between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Iran and its proxies seeking to escalate deadly conflict, and China flexing its muscles, there can be no doubt that the era of the peace dividend is clearly over. The mounting threats we face mean we must invest in defence if we are to continue to defend our values, freedoms and prosperity. Today’s announcement marks the single greatest strengthening of our defence since the Cold War, which will support jobs, boost growth, and strengthen our incredible Armed Forces as a modern fighting force.”
The war in Ukraine has taught us that battlefield success is dependent on the ability to surge defence production and move to ‘always on’ production to replenish key equipment. We will therefore invest a further £10 bn over the next ten years, most of which will be spent with British industry, to grow our domestic munitions production pipeline and increase stockpiles, setting a clear demand signal for industry through long term multi-year contracts. This represents nearly a doubling of our current spending on munitions production.
The investment will focus on key high-tech capabilities, including air defence missiles and anti-armour munitions, in addition to continued investment in UK-built 155mm artillery ammunition. Defence already supported more than 400,000 jobs in 2021/22 – the equivalent of 1 in every 70 UK jobs – but today’s announcement will support new high-quality jobs and economic growth across all parts of the UK.
Reforms set out by the Prime Minister today will also ensure we are investing in the right technologies and getting more for taxpayers’ money when it comes to defence.
A newly created Defence Innovation Agency will manage scaled up investment in R&D, bringing together the fragmented defence innovation landscape into a single responsible organisation. This includes R&D in new weapons systems such as Directed Energy Weapons or Hypersonic Missiles, as well as space capabilities and other emerging technologies. We will invest in areas that deliver advantage on the modern battlefield and better exploit low-cost solutions, like the inexpensive Unmanned Surface Vehicles seen in Ukraine.
The DragonFire laser weapons system, developed by the MoD in collaboration with UK industry partners, demonstrates how we can accelerate technological development into frontline advantage. Backed by £350 m in government funding, DragonFire can fire at any target visible in the air at around £10 a shot and with an accuracy equivalent to hitting a pound coin from a kilometre away – and the weapon is due to be fitted to Royal Navy ships well ahead of schedule in 2027.
We will also make defence procurement faster, smarter and more joined-up. The new Integrated Procurement Model, launched by the Ministry of Defence in February, will break down individual service silos and bring in checks and balances through a new integrated design authority. The model will see new technologies being used by the armed forces earlier in the process, rather than waiting for a ‘perfect’ product.
Additionally, the Prime Minister has announced plans today to reform the Ministry of Defence’s Head Office to operate as a fully functioning strategic headquarters – holding the front line command accountable for delivery, driving better pan-defence prioritisation and ensuring value-for-money, supported by the National Security Council. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
Sunak’s defence speech in Warsaw
23 Apr 24. Sunak’s defence speech in Warsaw.
My first duty as Prime Minister is the security of the British people.
And fulfilling that profound responsibility is only possible because of you.
Just ten days ago, I gave the order for the RAF to join an international effort…
…intercepting a barrage of Iranian missiles headed towards Israel.
Those pilots, like you, and like every generation of British service men and women before you…
…were willing to put their own safety over the line…
…for the security of others and the defence of our liberties and our values.
From your Regiment’s service in Iraq and Afghanistan…
…to your current role here in Poland, protecting NATO’s eastern flank…
…you have made those sacrifices in the service of our country.
I am truly humbled by your courage and professionalism.
And on behalf of a proud and grateful nation, let me simply say: thank you.
But I haven’t just brought you together today to express my gratitude.
I want to talk to you about how we equip you to do your duty…
…in an increasingly dangerous world.
We have entered a period of history in which competition between countries has sharpened profoundly.
An axis of authoritarian states with different values to ours…
…like Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China…
…are increasingly assertive.
The danger they pose is not new.
But what is new is that these countries – or their proxies…
…are causing more instability, more quickly, in more places at once.
And they’re increasingly acting together…
…making common cause in an attempt to reshape the world order.
Now I know there are some people who will think these are faraway problems.
But they are not.
They pose real risks to the United Kingdom’s security and prosperity.
Russia has already poisoned people on British soil with chemical weapons.
Caused energy bills to soar.
Weaponised migration.
And sent technology to Iran in exchange for weapons, like the Shaheed drones…
…that I saw myself are wreaking such devastation on Ukraine.
Iran themselves have threatened to kill and kidnap people within our borders for exercising their right to free speech.
And used proxies like the Houthis, to attack British ships in the Red Sea…
…disrupting supplies of crucial goods to our high streets.
North Korea, too, is supplying munitions and artillery to Russia…
…and their hackers have targeted British businesses and the NHS.
And Chinese state-affiliated actors have conducted malicious cyber campaigns…
…against British MPs.
China itself is engaged in a huge military modernisation programme.
Potential flashpoints in the Indo-Pacific…
…could have an impact on the global economy far larger even than Covid.
And China is increasingly working with others to try and reshape the world…
…including their so-called ‘unlimited partnership’ with Russia.
So the new assertiveness of these authoritarian states far from our shores must concern us.
Because they are increasingly acting together…
…against the fundamental values that we all hold dear…
…of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law.
Now, we must not overstate the danger.
We’re not on the brink of war.
And nor do we seek it.
And people should feel reassured…
…that the UK’s armed forces are some of the most professional…
…well-trained, well-equipped, and battle-ready in the world.
And I’m incredibly proud of all they’ve achieved.
From patrolling the Arctic Circle as part of the Joint Expeditionary Force…
…to the campaign against Daesh in the deserts of Iraq and Syria.
From protecting the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea…
…to policing the skies above Eastern Europe.
And just look at the investments we’ve made in the last decade.
£40bn in the British Army…
…who proudly provide one of NATO’s strategic reserves…
…with 16,000 troops deployed to Europe this year.
The Royal Air Force, equipped with new Typhoons, Chinooks, F35s…
…with the GCAP programme delivering new fighter jets with Japan and Italy.
The Royal Navy is a carrier navy once again…
…with 22 new ships and submarines on the way…
…and the historic AUKUS partnership building the most advanced nuclear-powered subs the world has ever known.
And we’ve launched a new national endeavour to invigorate and invest more in our nuclear deterrent.
And all of this is combined with our outstanding diplomatic network…
…development expertise, law enforcement and intelligence agencies…
…and our support for allies – above all the £12bn we’ve provided to Ukraine.
So I’m proud of our record on defence.
And confident in our ability to deter our adversaries.
…and ensure the security of the United Kingdom.
But in a world that’s the most dangerous…
…it’s been since the end of the Cold War…
…we cannot – and must not – be complacent.
As Churchill said, in 1934:
“To urge the preparation of defence is not to assert the imminence of war.
On the contrary, if war were imminent…
…preparations for defence would be too late.”
I believe we must do more…
…to defend our country, our interests, and our values.
So today, I’m announcing…
…the biggest strengthening of our national defence for a generation.
We will increase defence spending to a new baseline of 2.5% of GDP, by 2030.
That starts today.
And rises steadily in each and every year.
Over the next six years, we’ll invest an additional £75bn in our defence.
And it will be fully funded with no increase in borrowing or debt.
So this is not some vague aspiration for the future.
We have a clear plan for what we’ll spend, when we’ll spend it, and how we pay for it.
A plan that makes the United Kingdom by far the largest defence power in Europe – and second largest in NATO.
Today is a landmark moment in the defence of the United Kingdom.
This is a generational investment in British security and British prosperity.
It makes us safer at home and stronger abroad.
Now we have three immediate priorities for this new investment.
First, we will put the UK’s own defence industry on a war footing.
One of the central lessons of the war in Ukraine…
…is that we need deeper stockpiles of munitions…
…and for industry to be able to replenish them more quickly.
So today, we’re giving £10bn in munitions to give industry long-term funding certainty…
…backed by long-term contracts…
…so they can produce more, be readier to surge capacity…
…and move to ‘always on’ production, when required.
From surface-to-air-missiles made in Bolton…
…to anti-tank weapons in Belfast…
…we will replenish our stockpiles…
…all while supporting British jobs right across the Union.
But it’s not just about investing more – we must invest better.
For too long, too much of our defence procurement…
…has been over-complex, over-budget, and over-time.
So we are making radical reforms to our procurement model…
…to make sure this new investment delivers value for money.
And to encourage private sector investment into defence production…
…I can also announce today that we’re going to put beyond doubt that defence investment…
…does count towards environmental, social and governance assessments.
There is nothing more ethical than defending our way of life from those who threaten it.
Now all of this will put us at the forefront of the global defence industry…
…allow us to hugely ramp up defence production…
…and give our armed forces the capability they need to keep us safe.
But as in so many areas of our lives, technology is changing the face of war.
So our second immediate priority is innovation and new technology.
We need to innovate and adapt faster than our adversaries…
…in space and cyberspace just as much as land, sea, and air.
Look at Ukraine.
Many aspects of the war would be familiar to a soldier from WWI or II
Yet others would be unimaginably different.
Like the fact that cheap, high-tech, autonomous drones could disable large parts of Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
The good news is that innovation is already one of our greatest strengths.
The UK’s own Dragonfire laser directed energy weapon…
…costs only £10 a shot…
…yet is accurate enough to hit a £1 coin from a kilometre away.
And today we’re going further.
We will increase defence R&D to at minimum to 5% of the defence budget.
Invest far more in autonomous drones.
And we will set up a new Defence Innovation Agency.
So that for the first time, decisions about defence innovation…
…will be brought together in a single, strategic agency…
…that will be freed from red tape …
…and work with the private sector on emerging new technologies.
Now third, we must support Ukraine for the long term.
Since the Cold War ended, the freedom of our continent has been based on a simple idea:
That it is for people to decide the fate of their countries, not foreign armies.
But allow Putin to win in Ukraine…
…and that principle of sovereignty would be undermined.
We would be dragged back to a world…
…where brute force, rather than the democratic will of free peoples…
…would shape borders and decide futures.
And Putin will not stop in Ukraine.
Win there, and he – and indeed others – will be emboldened.
He has the desire, if not yet the capacity, to attack other countries in Europe…
…potentially including NATO allies, who we would be bound to defend…
…just as they are bound to defend us.
The costs of failing to support Ukraine now will be far greater than the costs of repelling Putin.
Because only if he fails will he and other adversaries be deterred.
That is why the United Kingdom…
…whose history of standing up to dictators is so much part of our national consciousness…
…has come together with our allies to stand with Ukraine from the very start.
Today we will go further.
We will send Ukraine an additional half a bn pounds , hitting £3 bn of support this year.
And we’ll provide them with largest-ever package of UK military equipment.
This will include more than 400 vehicles…
…4 m rounds of ammunition…
…60 boats and offshore raiding craft…
…vital air defences…
…and long-range precision-guided Storm Shadow missiles.
And as we make our historic commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP…
…we’ll move past this stop-start, piecemeal way of backing Ukraine…
…so that alongside our long-term security guarantee…
…we are today providing a long-term funding guarantee…
…of at least the current level of military support to Ukraine, for every year it is needed.
That is the longest commitment any nation has provided.
And it shows that Ukraine is not alone, and Ukraine will never be alone.
A decade ago, as Russian tanks rolled into Crimea…
…and the fight against ISIL raged across the Middle East…
…NATO allies came together in Wales, and reached an historic agreement…
…to increase their defence budgets to 2% of GDP.
Back then, the UK was one of only 4 countries who did so.
Today, there are 11.
And I believe we will look back on this moment…
…as a similar turning point in European security.
Because for all that we welcome the news over the weekend…
…that the US Congress agreed a new package of aid for Ukraine…
…support that will be indispensable on the frontline…
…this is not the moment for complacency.
We cannot keep expecting America to pay any price or bear any burden…
…if we ourselves are unwilling to make greater sacrifices for our own security.
So I’m proud that the United Kingdom is increasing our defence spending to £87bn a year…
…the biggest strengthening of our national defence in a generation…
…guaranteeing our position as the second largest defence power in NATO, after the US.
All across Europe…
…countries like Poland, Germany, Norway and the Baltic nations…
…are stepping up to take greater responsibility for our own security.
And I’m confident that whether in months or years…
…others will follow, too.
And at this turning point in European security, if 2.5% becomes a new benchmark for all NATO partners to reach…
…allied defence spending would increase by over £140 bn.
That would provide a level of safety and security for the British people…
…and the peoples of all allied nations…
…that far outstrips anything we could achieve alone.
To conclude, we did not choose this moment. But it falls to us to meet it.
In a world of increasing threats, we must show our enemies that we are resolute and determined.
That their attempts to destabilise our world or redraw its borders by force will fail.
That with our friends and allies, we will be at the forefront of the defence of the free, democratic world.
And under my leadership, the United Kingdom will always stand up for our interests…
…deter our enemies, and defend our values.
(Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
UK aid package to Ukraine
23 Apr 24. UK announces largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine on visit to Poland.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine on his visit to Poland.
- PM to travel to Poland and Germany to cement security, trade and diplomatic ties with key European allies
- He is expected to announce a £500m boost for Ukraine and largest-ever provision of vital munitions, including some 400 vehicles, 1,600 munitions and 4 m rounds of ammunition
- PM to discuss the threat from Russia and UK efforts to support European security with Prime Minister Tusk and the Nato Secretary-General in Warsaw
The Prime Minister travelled to Poland today [Tuesday 23 April] to announce a massive uplift in military support for Ukraine, including £500m in additional military funding and our largest-ever delivery of vital equipment.
He wmet Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to discuss deepening UK-Poland relations, and the leaders will hold talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Warsaw on European security and support to Ukraine. The Prime Minister will then travel on to Germany to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.
Ukraine is facing an existential threat as Russia continues its barbaric invasion, risking the security and stability of all of Europe.
The £500m additional funding announced today – which takes us to £3bn in UK military aid for Ukraine this financial year – will be used to rapidly deliver urgently-needed ammunition, air defence, drones and engineering support. The drones will be procured in the UK and the funds will support a scale-up in domestic defence supply chains.
The Ministry of Defence will also send our largest-ever single package of equipment from the UK, designed to help push back the Russian invasion on land, sea and air. It includes:
- 60 boats including offshore raiding craft, rigid raiding craft and dive boats as well as maritime guns
- More than 1,600 strike and air defence missiles, as well as additional Storm Shadow long-range precision-guided missiles.
- More than 400 vehicles, including 160 protected mobility ‘Husky’ vehicles, 162 armoured vehicles and 78 all-terrain vehicles.
- Nearly 4m rounds of small arms ammunition.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Defending Ukraine against Russia’s brutal ambitions is vital for our security and for all of Europe. If Putin is allowed to succeed in this war of aggression, he will not stop at the Polish border. I am in Warsaw today to deepen ties with our Polish partners and commit critical new military support for Ukraine’s defence. Ukraine’s armed forces continue to fight bravely, but they need our support – and they need it now. Today’s package will help ensure Ukraine has what they need to take the fight to Russia. The United Kingdom will always play its part at the forefront of European security, defending our national interest and standing by our Nato allies.”
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: “This record package of military aid will give President Zelenskyy and his brave nation more of the kit they need to kick Putin out and restore peace and stability in Europe. The UK was the first to provide NLAW missiles, the first to give modern tanks and the first to send long-range missiles. Now, we are going even further. We will never let the world forget the existential battle Ukraine is fighting, and with our enduring support, they will win.”
In his first in-person meeting with new Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister will also seek to deepen UK-Poland ties across a range of issues.
Building on existing strong defence and security cooperation, he will offer to deploy an RAF Typhoon Squadron to carry out Nato Air Policing over Poland next year.
To further boost trade and support UK companies looking to invest in Poland, the Prime Minister will also announce today an intention to triple UK Export Finance funding available for Poland from £5 bn to £15 bn – our most generous offer to a partner country to date.
Bilateral trade between the UK and Poland has doubled in the last decade to reach £30.6 bn, with 45 m bottles of Scotch whisky bought in Poland last year and UK firms bidding for £5 bn worth of Polish opportunities across energy, defence, healthcare, and infrastructure.
(Source: https://www.gov.uk/)