UK to Spend Nearly £300 Billion on Defence Over Next Four Years
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a significant increase in the defence budget, reaching nearly £300 billion over four years, aimed at modernizing armed forces and boosting drone and autonomous systems procurement.
The United Kingdom plans to spend nearly £300 billion (approximately €348 billion) on defence over the next four years, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday. He stated that the total defence budget will be increased by £15 billion, reaching the mentioned amount.
Starmer, who has already announced his resignation as Labour Party leader but will remain prime minister until a successor is appointed, justified the move by the changing global security situation. He emphasized that this is the largest increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War and that national security is closely linked to economic security.
The long-awaited Defence Investment Plan is expected to be published today, which includes an investment of over £5 billion in drones and autonomous systems for the armed forces. The plan aims to develop various capabilities, from sophisticated autonomous mine-clearing drones to small tactical and one-way attack drones.
The publication of the investment plan has been delayed multiple times due to disagreements between the Treasury and military leaders. Defence Secretary John Healey resigned this month, stating that the plan is insufficient and leaves the country less secure. Starmer, however, expressed confidence that the plan will serve as a foundation for future work regardless of who succeeds him.
The Ministry of Defence noted that the wars in Ukraine and the conflict involving Iran have demonstrated the widespread use of robots and drones on the battlefield. Ukraine uses around 200,000 drones per month, while during the peak of the US-Israel-Iran conflict, 700 attack drones were launched daily.
US President Donald Trump has demanded that NATO members spend 5% of GDP on defence by 2035. Starmer said the new plan will increase UK defence spending to 4.2% of GDP, which is less than the £28 billion that military leaders had previously indicated as necessary.
