Britain’s navy boosted by £15billion spend in big transfer to defend towards Russian assault
British defence chiefs reveal major cost in deadly drone war-fighting capability as they gear up to fight Russian aggression with a possible attack on a NATO country possible by 2030
Proud Royal Marines march towards Windsor Castle (Image: Maureen McLean/Shutterstock)
Defence chiefs are boosting Britain’s military spending by a massive £15billion over four years as they race to arm-up in readiness to defend against Russian attack.
New land, sea and air drones, stealth fighter-bomber jets and surveillance craft, a troop recruitment drive and deep-strike missiles will over the next four years cost the UK £298bn.
They have even committed to developing a more efficient Ministry of Defence as they prepare for war as early as in 2030, with an armoury of undersea drones to defend Britain’s shores against Russian submarine sabotage attacks.
Hundreds of millions of pounds will be pumped into ‘robot warfare,’ forming new squadrons and fleets of unmanned drones to support army and air force fighters and helicopters and warships. And our Special Forces heroes in the SAS, SBS and Special Reconnaissance Regiment will get millions of pounds in new investment to help them launch covert missions.
The UK nuclear deterrent gets £47bn, including £13bn for warheads, £1.7bn for nuclear fuels and specialist training in our nuke submarines will cost £290million. Today’s new Defence Plan means the government has boosted spending commitment on our Armed Forces by £1.5bn since ex-Defence Secretary John Healey quit over a budget shortfall. And as they develop a new look military, they have committed to “efficiencies” or savings worth almost £11 billion which will be ploughed into ‘war-fighting.’
It comes as security experts and outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer have warned urgently the UK must be ready to defend against a Russian attack on NATO by 2030, plus other threats. The UK will build Russian -submarine hunting frigates in a partnership with Norway and new nuclear-powered attack submarines. The alert is added to by a constant threat of Islamist extremist terrorism and even a rise in the risk of domestic attacks by the far right.
Sources say it is expected that cuts in MoD civil servant staffing may help the MoD make cuts and fund the rise, greater use of technology and digital tools will also help savings. One told the Mirror : “The ambition is to make these efficiencies so that the department is better at putting a greater proportion of our budget going to our war-fighting. If more money is saved it can be released to go into our military.”
Years of Tory-led defence cuts have slashed troops numbers and “hollowed out” all three services, the Army, Royal Navy and RAF. New plans for UK defence were revealed on Tuesday in the government’s long-awaited Defence Investment Plan which is about six months overdue. In the plan – dubbed the DIP – defence chiefs warn: “The world has changed in the last 12 months. Demands on defence are rising. President Putin’s aggression is growing around our shores, in the High North, across Europe and in Ukraine.
“NATO is now warning Russia could be ready to use military force against the Alliance by the end of this decade. The Iran war has fundamentally changed the Middle East and reinforced the priority on Integrated Air and Missile Defence.” And it warns that: “… we need a new era for Defence investment…” In the DIP, new Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis says: “The hard truth is that this government inherited a defence programme that was underfunded, overcommitted and insufficiently attuned to the threats we now face.”
He added: “The consequences were profound: limited availability of warships and aircraft, an Army facing a recruitment crisis, morale weakened and renewal of our nuclear deterrent delayed.” Jarvis replaced former Defence Secretary John Healey who quit dramatically because of a short-fall in funds for the military. Service chiefs had demanded an increase in defence spending by up to £28billion but were told they would receive a paltry £13.5bn. Since Healey walked out over the shortfall it is believed ex-Parachute regiment veteran Jarvis has lobbied heavily for the urgent increase to £15bn.
Experts had also demanded increased funds for drone warfare. Now the total to be spent on the UK’s future drone capability, including air, land and maritime unmanned vehicles will be more than £5bn. The government hopes above-inflation pay rises for the military and £9bn in housing investment for military homes will help a fresh recruitment drive over ten years. MoD chiefs are even investing at least £210million in Ukraine -style one-way attack drones – dubbed “kamikaze” craft and aimed at devastating enemy forces.
There will be a ‘Hybrid Navy Fleet costing £1.3bn, including maritime surface and underwater drones capable of unleashing deadly missiles. The DIP includes a drones carrier wing called Project PANTHEON, developing jet-powered drones capable of flying alongside the UK’s F-35B fighter jets, the deadliest in the sky. A secrecy-shrouded “seabed warfare” system will cost £230million and will be aimed at protecting and guarding the UK underwater infrastructure.
New mine-hunters will cost £1.5bn in a joint project with France. Britain’s new drones centre in Swindon will cost £310million. And there is another secretive programme called “Project NYX” – as much as £220million on squadrons of drones to support the Army’s AH-64E Apache Helicopters. As many as 24 of these killer ‘air robots’ will be created in time for the 2030 deadline. As soon as the DIP was released it was welcomed but many felt it still marks a shortfall.
Mike Clancy, General Secretary of leading defence union Prospect, said: “The Defence Investment Plan is long overdue and while its publication is welcome, it is highly likely the new Prime Minister will need to revisit it in the coming years, given the growing threats the UK faces. The Government must set out how its plans for the Royal Navy will sustain jobs, exports, and the skills needed to build complex warships across all our existing shipyards in the longer term.
“Civilian civil servants in the Ministry of Defence and its agencies underpin every aspect of this programme. Further cuts to a demoralised workforce will do nothing to improve procurement, support defence research or sustain the nuclear deterrent. Industry has been calling out for certainty, and we at least do now have a DIP but there are many questions still to be answered.” Phil Applegarth, Director at Supacat, a military land vehicle supplier, said: “The Defence Investment Plan is a welcome signal that the government is backing the technologies and businesses that will define the future battlefield.
“Innovation in defence is increasingly coming from agile British companies that can move quickly, develop capability at pace, and work collaboratively with larger industry partners. We are already investing in the next generation of land mobility, developing AI-enhanced and autonomous vehicle technologies that build on decades of operational experience.
As the Army places greater emphasis on uncrewed ground vehicles and human machine teaming, British companies with proven land systems expertise have a real opportunity to help deliver the capability the Armed Forces will need over the coming decade, as military vehicles increasingly become a hybrid of man and machine.”
