UK Defence Secretary commits £298 billion over four years and warns air dominance must be earned
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting MP has confirmed the government will spend £298 billion on defence over the next four years, including an additional £15 billion on top of last…
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting MP has confirmed the government will spend £298 billion on defence over the next four years, including an additional £15 billion on top of last year’s spending review settlement.
Delivering his first keynote address at this year’s Farnborough International Airshow, Streeting outlined Britain’s ambitions to rebuild its air power and secure
Air dominance is no longer a given – the skies are increasingly contested, complex and lethal
The prime minister and chancellor “understand defence and the immediate pressures and priorities faced by the sector,” he said, as pointed to its potential to drive jobs, growth and re-industrialisation across the country.
Having last visited Farnborough International Airshow over a decade ago, he reflected on how much has changed. “Back then Theresa May was prime minister, and we didn’t really understand AI,” he continued. The show’s history reflects “some of the most profound advances in engineering innovation as well as Britain’s long-standing role in aviation.”
However, he also warned that the era of uncontested air power is over. Citing more than a million casualties in Ukraine along a front line that has barely moved in years, and the ease with which regional actors can cause widespread disruption in the Middle East even where air supremacy is achieved, Streeting said the skies are increasingly contested, complex “and it’s easy to wreak havoc with consequences felt across the globe.”
“Air dominance is not a given, it is not a right,” he stated, adding that the government’s new defence investment plan is designed to help Britain earn that right once again.
A multi-billion-pound commitment to defence spending
In addition to committing £298 billion over the next four years, including an additional £15 billion on top of last year’s spending review, Streeting noted that NATO members have also reaffirmed their commitment to reaching defence spending equivalent to 3.5% of GDP by 2035 at the alliance’s recent summit. He also acknowledged the impact such figures have on industry investment decisions. He said more than £11.8 billion in contracts had already been agreed in the ten days following publication of the defence investment plan (DIP), as he stated “defence is up and flying again.”
Drawing on his experience as former health secretary, Streeting argued that investment must go hand in hand with modernisation. He pointed to reforms that delivered the biggest reduction in NHS waiting times in 17 years alongside five million additional appointments in a single year. “Modernisation without investment is impractical, but investment without modernisation is irresponsible,” he said as he outlined this is a mantra he will carry forward in his role as defence secretary.
Typhoon upgrade and the UK’s new Storm Fighter programme
The Secretary of State confirmed more than £1 billion will be invested to upgrade the Typhoon fleet, extending its service into the 2040s. He also pointed to last week’s announcement of the Storm Fighter collaborative combat air (CCA) programme, which will see uncrewed, autonomous fighter jets provide the “eyes and ears” operating alongside crewed platforms such as the Typhoon, flying up to 500 miles ahead of their pilots at a fraction of the cost of a crewed aircraft.
Streeting said “our ambition is to fly a demonstrator CCA next year and have the Storm Fighter operational by the end of the decade”. This, he added, will support 2,000 jobs once full production is under way. He noted the global collaborative combat aircraft sector is projected to be worth more than £125 billion by 2050, and highlighted BAE Systems’ launch on Wednesday morning of its own sovereign programme in the category.
He also referenced the upgraded Typhoon precision weapons system capable of defeating drones at a fraction of the cost of existing missiles. With the process developed in just 42 days, he described it as a benchmark for how quickly the sector needs to move and change the way it does business, working with the Defence Industrial Joint Council to take a new approach to risk.
“Not every decision will come off,” he conceded, “but that’s the price of modern war fare, where delay and inaction pose the greatest threat.”
UK’s commitment to the Global Combat Air Programme
Streeting confirmed the £8.6 billion committed to the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) under the defence investment plan. This, he said, is clear evidence of Britain’s commitment to international collaboration alongside partner countries Italy and Japan. He announced that Canada has now joined the programme as an observer.
He said 4,500 people across the UK are currently working on GCAP and the wider Future Combat Air System, as he confirmed a £708 million contract extension with BAE Systems to advance work on sovereign technologies.
Streeting said the UK’s air sector already employs 70,000 people and framed defence as central to the prime minister’s ambition to re-industrialise Britain. “Defence will not just be a recipient of the proceeds of economic growth,” he said. “It will be a central contributor to building that growth.”
Its the people that matter most
Streeting closed by paying tribute to RAF personnel, citing pilots protecting NATO’s eastern front and operations in the Middle East, RAF Regiment gunners countering drone attacks in the Middle East and P-8 crews tracking Russian submarines.
“Every time, without exception, where the RAF is called to act, they have not just met the moment but risen far beyond it,” he said.
“We are now in the midst of one of most profound changes in the history of air power. Never before been asked to travel so far in so little time. But we can. We have stood tall on the world’s stage, steadfast in support of our allies and still can. We have matched the courage of those who serve with the ingenuity of those who build. We still can and together we will do so again,” he concluded.
