Strategic defence review: Prime minister sets out Royal Navy, Army and RAF plans for "war-fighting readiness"

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said the released Strategic Defence Review (SDR) published today (June 2) will be a “blueprint” to make Britain stronger and safer. Speaking from the Govan shipyard in Glasgow, he said: “The Strategic Defence Review will bring that unity of purpose to the whole of the UK.

“To mobilise the nation with a common cause. Recognising in these dangerous times that when it comes to the defence of the realm and everything we hold dear, nothing works unless we all work together.”

The prime minister added that the UK is in a changing world where the nation faces continual and wide-spanning threats. “We face war in Europe, new nuclear risks, daily cyber attacks, growing Russian aggression in our waters and menacing our skies,” he added. “Their reckless actions driving up the cost of living here at home, creating economic pain and hitting working people the hardest.

“A new era in the threats that we face, demands a new era for defence and security, not just to survive in this new world, but to lead. We will never gamble with our national security, instead we will act in the national interest.”

Reforms published in the SDR

Some of the changes referenced in the SDR have already been made public. This includes a project to build 12 new “state-of-the-art” nuclear attack submarines and invest £15bn into the warhead programme.

Six new munition factories will be built with thousands of long-range weapons being procured, and thousands of military homes will be restored for armed forces personnel. Sir Keir thanked the work of Lord Robertson and the other reviewers.

“What you have delivered is a blueprint to make Britain safer and stronger,” he added. “A battle-ready, armour-clad nation, with the strongest alliances and most advanced capabilities equipped with the decades to come.”

“War-fighting readiness”

The prime minister said the UK will be moving to “war-fighting readiness”. “When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready,” he added, “to deliver peace through strength. Britain has the finest service men and women in the world. We’re showing them the respect they deserve.”

Sir Keir added each policy will be Nato-first to bolster the alliance, with the country taking a greater responsibility for it. The prime minister added that investment into innovation and new capabilities will accelerate at a “war-time pace”, with the UK becoming the “fastest innovator in Nato”.

He said: “This does not mean replacing people or hardware, quite the opposite. It means learning the lessons of Ukraine to ensure every capability we have works seamlessly together. Drones, destroyers, AI, aircraft. Each different branch of our armed services fully integrated to create an Army ten-times more lethal by 2025. We’re more ambitious than ever for the change it can bring. To deliver security for our country and renewal.

“We will create a hybrid Royal Navy, blending drones with warships, submarines and aircraft, to patrol to the North Atlantic and beyond.” The prime minister said “world leading drone capabilities” will be prioritised as part of the SDR, as well as creating new jobs and opportunities to drive growth.

The government has set out plans to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, and to 3 per cent in the next parliament. When asked if he’s confident the new reforms can be properly funded, Sir Keir said: “I’m 100 per cent confident this can be delivered, because it was baked in from the very start of the review.”

The prime minister drew criticism on spending, with Nato recommending nations spent 3.5 per cent by 2030, not setting an exact date for the 3 per cent marker, and potentially cutting other areas to fund defence. He said: “We are committed to spending what we need to deliver this review.

“We’ll put in the date when we know exactly when we will achieve it. I’m not going to put arbitrary dates on that percentage. We’ll do that like we did with 2.5 in a work-through way to deliver the capability under this review.”